Research and teaching in the field of medieval art history covers themes from late antiquity through the end of the Middle Ages. In addition to imparting basic knowledge about different visual arts and architecture, studying this field will also sharpen one’s awareness of traditional and innovative methods. Regularly offered domestic and international excursions allow students to encounter original artworks in their respective historical and cultural contexts. Diverse partnerships with museums and other cultural institutions should help further expose students to professional perspectives.

In addition to the specific contents and methods of art history on late antiquity and the Middle Ages, the field incorporates interdisciplinary questions and approaches, for example, the relationship of images to different kinds of texts. The complex phenomena of cultural transfer are of decisive importance for understanding the art of late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Many artistic innovations would not have been thinkable without, for example, mass migration and the Crusades. For that reason, medieval art history also covers the cultures of eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

The scholarship and classes not only reflect the history of investigating art from late antiquity and the Middle Ages, they also treat questions of their reception in different contexts, including in current ones such as film.