Ars picta was founded in 1996 as a research group on Romanesque painting under the direction of Milagros Guardia; in 2005 it was recognized as a consolidated research group (association of scholars and students in Romanesque art) by the Generality of Catalonia, which became the main sponsor of the group. Recently Ars Picta became an independent entity of the IRCVM, Institute of Research of Medieval Cultures (l’Institut de Recerca en Cultures Medievals) at the University of Barcelona.
Purpose and field of the scholarly association is contained in its name: Ars Picta is an acronymic of Analysis and Research on Late-antique and Early Medieval Painting and Iconography (Anàlisi i Recerques Sobre Pintura i IConografia Tardoantiga i Altmedieval).
At the moment Ars Picta is working on the definition of a new methodological approach in the conjoint study of Medieval architecture and decoration, broadening out to include further aspect of medieval art, such as furniture, liturgy and manuscript illumination. Ars Picta aims to rekindle and renew research on Romanesque art, for these reasons it is developing and providing support both to scholarly research and to divulgation, launching the Virtual Documentation Center of Catalan Romanesque Art, which collects both research material and investigation results on Catalan Romanesque Art.