Purpose/Activities

The German Forum for Art History (DFK Paris) is an independent research institute and associated to the Foundation German Institutes of Humanities Abroad (Foundation DGIA). The DFK Paris entertains a lively academic exchange with the art history departments at universities as well as with museums and with preservation institutions. Important cooperating partners are the Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA) in Paris, the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome, the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence and the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich.

The research focus of the DFK Paris are the artistic relations between France and Germany of all eras. Moreover, it is the intention of the DFK Paris to support German scholarly work on France and, vice versa, French research on questions of German art history. Research is conducted as long-term projects by teams of international researchers. In the process we seek to establish partnerships with institutions of the host country.

In addition, under the supervision of acknowledged experts, the so-called "Jahresthemen" (annual themes) focus on specific research questions determined by the director and the scientific committee.

One element important is the constitution of a library that specializes in art and cultural history. The library already offers to its readers a unique collection of, for the most part, original art theoretical and aesthetic works. As a scientific library with about 70.000 books and documents, the library of the DFK Paris contains a scope of scholarly material that ranges from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century.

The DFK Paris awards one-year research grants for advanced junior researchers and provides them the opportunity to finish their dissertation or to conduct research on a post-doctoral project while working in collaboration with a group of international fellows. The fellows are given the opportunity to present their research in the context of colloquia.

Periodical Publications

Monographies

Passages

Passerelles