This sketch of art history in the Czech and Slovak Republics starts by following the trajectory of newcomers to the field. In the Czech Republic, about 2,000 young people apply each year to study art history, with fewer than 25% accepted for Bachelor's studies; approximately 100 students then continue on to undertake Master's degrees. In Slovakia, the numbers are close to fifty students accepted every year for Bachelor's study, and twenty for Master's. Thanks to the democratic character of the interwar Czechoslovak Republic, both countries were lucky to evade the more virulent forms of Eastern European nationalism. One of the distinctive features of Czech and Slovak scholarship is an exclusive reliance on topics of local artistic heritage and an almost total evasion of writing on art history outside the country. Keywords:art history; Czech Republic; European nationalism; Slovakia