Hans Belting
- Born:
- July 7, 1935, Andernach, Germany
- Nationality:
- German
- Profession(s):
- Art Historian, Media Theorist
Early Life and Education
- Studied art history, classical archaeology, and philosophy at Mainz and Heidelberg.
- PhD from the University of Mainz in 1959.
Career and Major Achievements
- Professor of Art History at the University of Heidelberg (1968-1980).
- Professor of Art History and Media Theory at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (1980-1992).
- Professor of Art History and Media Theory at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (1992-2002).
- Director of the Internationales Forschungszentrum Kulturwissenschaften (IFK) in Vienna (2003-2006).
- Held numerous visiting professorships at institutions worldwide, including Harvard University, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and Columbia University.
- Developed influential theories within the field of art history, particularly concerning the role of images and their relationship to the body, culture, and media. His work significantly contributed to the emergence and development of Bildwissenschaft.
Notable Works
- Likeness and Presence: A History of the Image Before the Era of Art (1994)
- An Anthropology of Images: Picture, Medium, Body (2011)
- Florence and Baghdad: Renaissance Art and Arab Science (2008)
- The Invisible Masterpiece (2001)
- Faces: Eine Geschichte des Gesichts (2013)
Legacy and Impact
Hans Belting is a highly influential figure in art history and media studies. His work has significantly shaped the understanding of images, their cultural significance, and their relationship to the human body. Belting's contributions to Bildwissenschaft – the study of images – are profound and have impacted scholarship across various disciplines. The comprehensive and detailed analysis found in 'bildwissenschaft hans belting biography' demonstrates this significant influence.