The research carried out at the Section for Art History covers most aspects of the history of the visual arts:  painting, sculpture, architecture, arts and crafts and the more recent domains of design, photography, digital media, conceptual art and installations together with disciplines such as historiography, methodology, visual and aesthetic theory and artistic practice in art and design.

In principle our research is global in orientation, but we mainly work with the Western tradition from Antiquity to the present. During the last decades more recent theories of social history, feminism, psychoanalysis, semiotics and visual culture have influenced the section, and due to the globalization of art and culture we are continuously expanding the geographical spectrum. The homepages of the individual researchers show their special interests.

Research domains

The main focus points of the section are:

       Medieval art and architecture

       Art and architecture of the Italian Renaissance and the Baroque

       French Rococo painting

       History and theory of the avantgarde movements

       History and theory of photography

       Museology and the theory and methodology of exhibitions

       The pedagogy of art education

       Modern architecture and design

       Contemporary art and technology

       Art and cultural evolution

       Historiography, methodology, visual and aesthetic theory

Research seminars where ongoing research is presented and discussed are scheduled for academic staff every semester.

Our research is carried out by tenured academic staff and by post-docs and doctoral students working on individual projects. The education of doctoral students takes place in the Doctoral School in Arts and Aesthetics. Some research activities receive external funding, others are financed by Aarhus University as part of the individual staff members’ research obligations. The research is publicized in various national and international publications, in conference papers presented abroad and in Denmark, in research-based teaching and, in order to reach a wider audience, in popular publications, talks and interviews.  

Research contexts

The research opens different perspectives in a variety of contexts:

• Local contexts: Both at the Department of Aesthetic Studies and the Faculty of the Humanities art historians are active in research teams across disciplines. We work together in groups with subjects like art, nature and technology; space and aesthetics; the aesthetics of interface culture; and digital art and culture.
• Other projects: A great deal of our research is carried out as individual projects, at times receiving external funding, and we act as members of Danish or international research teams and as contributors to publications.
• Teaching: Teaching is generally research-based in order to provide students with the most updated knowledge in the field, and we make an effort to teach according to open, flexible  and engaging teaching methods.
  Evaluation of our teaching is a standard procedure, allowing students to voice their opinions and suggest improvements. On the basis of a written report the Study Board then implements the results.
  In the latest reform of the study programs from fall 2005 more room has been given to group exams and related types of exams together with a more intensive integration of disciplines. In the undergraduate program the historical dimension and visual culture now occupy a more important role.
• Other contexts: The dissemination of our research outside the university is channelled through text books for high schools and secondary schools, re-education of teachers, public talks, reviews and committee work for ministries and municipalities.