Michael Diers (born 15 March 1950, in

Werl The pilgrimage town Werl (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Wiärl'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia and belongs to the Soest, Germany, Soest district in the Arnsberg administrative district. The official name of pilgrimage town has been ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

art history Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. Diers studied art history,

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

, and

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

and Hamburg, where he received his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

with a

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

Aby Warburg Aby Moritz Warburg (June 13, 1866 – October 26, 1929) was a German art historian and cultural theorist who founded the ''Kulturwissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg'' (Warburg Library for Cultural Studies), a private library, which was later m ...

. He also received his

postdoctoral A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

lecture qualification in 1994. From 1990 to 1992 he was assistant

at the Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut,

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

, and subsequently at the Department of Art History,

Universität Hamburg The University of Hamburg (, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen''), the Hamburg Colon ...

, in the joint research project "Politische Ikonographie". In 1994 he became lecturer at the

Universität Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The university was established in 1558 and is cou ...

, in 1999 at the

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humboldt, ...

, where he also served as Director of the Department of Art History (2000–2002). In 2004, Diers was appointed professor of art history and

visual studies Visual culture is the aspect of culture expressed in visual images. Many academic fields study this subject, including cultural studies, art history, critical theory, philosophy, media studies, Deaf Studies, and anthropology. The field of visua ...

at the

Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg The , also known as HFBK Hamburg, is an arts university in Hamburg, in northern Germany. It dates to 1767, when it was called the ; later it became known as . The main building, in the Uhlenhorst quarter of Hamburg-Nord borough, was designed by ...

, where he retired in 2017. In the same time, he was also

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...

of art history at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. His fellowships include the

IKKM The International Research Institute for Cultural Techniques and Media Philosophy (IKKM) was a center for advanced studies at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, and was founded in 2008 by Lorenz Engell and Bernhard Siegert. The IKKM was part of th ...

(Weimar), the

Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte The German Center for Art History (Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte or DFK Paris) is an independent art history research institute. Located in the heart of Paris, the DFK Paris is a forum for experts from around the world to exchange ideas. Her ...

(Paris), the

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...

Center (New York), the Deutsches Studienzentrum (Venice), and the

Getty Research Institute The Getty Research Institute (GRI), located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts".

(Los Angeles, 2017/18). Apart from his academic affiliations, Diers has also worked extensively as a free-lance

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

and

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

. In his teaching practice and in his art historical research, Diers follows a motto he first encountered in a neon sculpture by

Maurizio Nannucci Maurizio Nannucci (born 1939, in Florence, Italy) is an Italian contemporary artist. Lives and works in Florence and South Baden, Germany. Nannucci's work includes: photography, video, neon installations, sound installation, artist's books, and edi ...

: "All art has been contemporary". Diers' research interests are the art of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and

modern Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

and

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

(

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, new media), focusing on political

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

, intellectual

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

, picture theory, and media theories. In 1991 Diers became first

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

, and subsequently chief editor, of the renowned pocketbook series "Kunststück" (Fischer Verlag,

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, 1991–2001, 102 vols). From 2005 to 2007 he edited the series "FUNDUS" (Philo Fine Arts, Hamburg). He currently serves as co-editor of the "Studienausgabe Aby Warburg, Gesammelte Schriften" (De Gruyter, since 1998) and from 2004 to 2016 the

monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...

series "Humboldt-Schriften zur Kunst- und Bildgeschichte" (Gebr. Mann Verlag, Berlin). Diers is a regular contributor to the

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The (; ''FAZ''; "Frankfurt General Newspaper") is a German newspaper founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt and is considered a newspaper of record for Germany. Its Sunday edition is the ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung'' ( ...

, to the

Süddeutsche Zeitung The ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'' (; ), published in Munich, Bavaria, is one of the largest and most influential daily newspapers in Germany. The tone of ''SZ'' is mainly described as centre-left, liberal, social-liberal, progressive-liberal, and ...

, to the

Neue Zürcher Zeitung The (''NZZ''; "New Newspaper of Zurich") is German language daily newspaper, published by NZZ Mediengruppe in Zurich. The paper was founded in 1780. It has a reputation as a high-quality newspaper, as the German Swiss newspaper of record ...

Die Zeit (, ) is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History The first edition of was ...

and

Tageszeitung ''Die Tageszeitung'' (, "The Daily Newspaper"), stylized as ''die tageszeitung'' and commonly referred to as ''taz'', is a German daily newspaper. It is run as a cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, ...

Books

*''Warburg aus Briefen. Kommentare zu den Kopierbüchern der Jahre 1905–1918'', Weinheim 1991 *''Schlagbilder. Zur politischen Ikonographie der Gegenwart'', Frankfurt/M. 1997 *''Fotografie Film Video. Beiträge zu einer kritischen Theorie des Bildes'', Hamburg 2006 *''Vor aller Augen. Studien zu Kunst, Bild und Politik'', Paderborn 2016 *'' Mary Warburg. Leben – Werk. Porträt einer Künstlerin'', Munich 2020 (with Bärbel Hedinger) *''Gegen den Strich. Die Kunst und ihre politischen Formen'', Berlin 2023

As editor

*''Aby Warburg. Akten des internationalen Symposiums Hamburg 1990'', Weinheim 1991 (with

Horst Bredekamp Horst Bredekamp (born 29 April 1947, in Kiel) is a German art historian and visual historian. Life and work Bredekamp studied art history, archaeology, philosophy and sociology in Kiel, Munich, Berlin and Marburg. In 1974 he received his docto ...

and Charlotte Schoell-Glass) *''Porträt aus Büchern. Bibliothek Warburg & Warburg Institute, Hamburg - 1933 - London'', Hamburg 1993 *''Mo(nu)mente. Formen und Funktionen ephemerer Denkmäler'', Weinheim 1995 * Martin Warnke, ''Nah und fern zum Bilde. Beiträge zu Kunst und Kunsttheorie'', Köln 1997 * Aby Warburg, ''Gesammelte Schriften. Studienausgabe, Bd. I,1.2'' (= Reprint of the original edition Leipzig/Berlin 1932), new edition with a foreword (with

), Berlin 1998 *''"Der Bevölkerung". Aufsätze und Dokumente zur Debatte um das Reichstagsprojekt von

Hans Haacke Hans Haacke (born August 12, 1936) is a German-born artist who lives and works in New York City. Haacke is considered a "leading exponent" of institutional critique, and is considered to be the most harsh and consistent critic of museums among t ...

'', Köln 2000 (with

Kasper König Rudolf Hans "Kasper" König (; 21 November 1943 – 9 August 2024) was a German museum director and curator. He curated exhibitions of works by Claes Oldenburg and Andy Warhol in the 1960s, initiated the ''Skulptur Projekte Münster'' in the 1970 ...

) * Rudolf Arnheim, ''Stimme von der Galerie - 25 kleine Aufsätze zur Kultur der Zeit'', Berlin 2004 *''Topos RAUM. Die Aktualität des Raumes in den Künsten der Gegenwart'', Berlin und Nürnberg 2005 (gemeinsam mit Robert Kudielka, Angela Lammert and Gerd Mattenklott) *''Dissimulazione onesta oder Die ehrliche Verstellung. Von der Weisheit der versteckten Beunruhigung in Wort, Bild und Tat. Martin Warnke zu Ehren. Ein Symposium'', Hamburg 2007 (with Horst Bredekamp, Ruth Tesmar and Franz-Joachim Verspohl) *''Topos Atelier. Werkstatt und Wissensform''. Berlin 2010 (with Monika Wagner) *''Das Interview. Formen und Foren des Künstlergesprächs'', Hamburg 2013 (with

Hans Ulrich Obrist Hans Ulrich Obrist (born 1968) is a Swiss art curator, critic, and art historian. He is artistic director at the Serpentine Galleries, London. Obrist is the author of ''The Interview Project'', an extensive ongoing project of interviews. He is ...

and Lars Blunck) *''Max Liebermann: Die Kunstsammlung. Von Rembrandt bis Manet'', Munich 2013 (with Bärbel Hedinger and Jürgen Müller) *Focus on BLOW-UP. Die Gegenwart der Bilder bei Antonioni, Hamburg 2018 (with Denis Grünemeier and Beat Wyss) *''O Superman. Gedanken über Film, Kunst, Politik (und Lehre)'', Hamburg 2019 *Aby Warburg, ''Briefe (= Gesammelte Schriften. Studienausgabe, V.1–2)'', Berlin 2021 (with Steffen Haug and Thomas Helbig)

References

Sources

*S. Haug, H.G. Hiller von Gaertringen, C. Philipp, S.M. Schultz, M. Ziegler u. T. Zürn (Hg.), ''Arbeit am Bild. Ein Album für Michael Diers''. Köln, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Köln 2010 *Michael Diers, in: ''Kürschners Deutscher Gelehrten-Kalender. Biobliographisches Verzeichnis deutschsprachiger Wissenschaftler der Gegenwart''. 22. Ausgabe, München 2009
Michael Diers - Institut für Kunst- und Bildgeschichte - HU Berlin
*All biographical and academic informations are a translation of the German Wikipedia article on Michael Diers. {{DEFAULTSORT:Diers, Michael German art historians German male non-fiction writers 1950 births Living people Academic staff of the University of Hamburg University of Hamburg alumni University of Münster alumni Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Academic staff of the University of Jena