Department

The Department of Art History at Giessen University is both a teaching and research institution for a broad spectrum of Art History from the Middle Ages to Contemporary Art. It offers studies in European and North American art with its categories of architecture and urban design, painting and sculpture, applied and graphic arts, photography and new media. Interdisciplinary approaches and methodological diversity are a crucial part of Art History. For instance, Gender Studies and Social History of Art are of great importance to us.

Both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching encompasses a comprehensive education in all areas of Art History. Based on this foundation, students select a specialisation for their final theses. The institute can provide supervision for students majoring or minoring in Art History. Teaching is supplemented with international student exchanges, field trips and internships.

The department comprises two chairs, one dedicated to the Middle Ages, the other to Early Modern as well as Modern and Contemporary Art. A third chair focusing on the art of the eighteenth to the twenty-first century is located at the Institute of Art Education. Chairs and academic staff integrate a wide range of research topics into teaching. Our academic staff is complemented by a reader and visiting lecturers from a broad range of professional fields (museum, exhibition sector, heritage preservation, journalism, etc.). This guarantees a strong link between theory and practice.