Heidegger and the Work of Art History

Heidegger and the Work of Art History explores the impact and future possibilities of Heidegger’s philosophy for art history and visual culture in the twenty-first century. Scholars from the fields of art history, visual and material studies, design, philosophy, aesthetics, and new media pursue diverse lines of thinking that have departed from Heidegger’s work to foster compelling new accounts of works of art and their historicity.

This collected book of essays also shows how studies in the history and theory of the visual enrich our understanding of Heidegger’s philosophy. In addition to examining the philosopher's lively collaborations with art historians, and how his longstanding engagement with the visual arts influenced his conceptualisation of history, the essays in this volume consider the ontological and ethical implications of our encounters with works of art.

The volume investigates the visual techniques that form worlds, how to think about 'things' beyond human-centred relationships, the moods, dispositions, and politics of art’s history, as well as the terms by which we might rethink aesthetic judgement and the interpretation of the visible world, from the early modern period to the present day.