The first volume of this edition presents a systematic analysis of the main trends in the theory of art developed by the leading scientists of the Philosophical Department of the GAKhN (AG Gabrichevsky, GG Shpet, SL Frank, AF Losev, AA Sidorov and many others). Particular attention is paid to Russian-German scientific relations, thanks to which the activities of the Academy appear to be a significant phenomenon not only of Russian but also of the European humanitarian science of the 20th century. The second volume contains archival materials. They demonstrate the whole range of theoretical discussions in the GAKhN devoted to the science of art, and include the texts of reports, theses and minutes of the debate; are published for the first time.