Michael F. Zimmermann - Biography#

Michael F. Zimmermann studied art history, philosophy and history in Cologne, Rome and Paris. 1985 PhD about "Seurat. His oeuvre and art criticism of his time" (1991 published in several languages). 1985-1990 assistant professor in Berlin and (1990-91) at the German Institute of Art History in Florence; 1991 to 2002 deputy director of the Central institute for art history in Munich. Habilitation about "The industrialization of phantasy. The construction of modern Italy and the system of arts and media, 1875-1900" (published in German in 2006). 2002-04 professor at the Université de Lausanne, since then chair for art history at the Catholic University in Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.

Since 2006, chair of the Master-programme "Aithesis. Visual Arts and Literature" (Elitenetzwerk Bayern; a joint programme of his university and the LMU München, Universität Augsburg, Universität Regensburg, Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Münchener Stadtmuseum).

Grants from the Getty Center for the Humanities and the Institute of Advanced Studies in Princeton; visiting professor in Paris X-Nanterre and at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown MA. He is ordinary member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.

Editor of collective volumes: "Berlins Museen. Geschichte und Zukunft" (1994), "Zeitgeschichte in Darstellungen des 19. Jahrhunderts" (with Stefan Germer, 1997), "Barbizon. Malerei der Natur – Natur der Malerei" (with Andreas Burmester and Christoph Heilmann), "Französische und deutsche Kunst vom Ancien Régime bis zur Gegenwart. Festschrift Thomas W. Gaehtgens" (2000, with Uwe Fleckner and Martin Schieder), "The art historian. National traditions and institutional practices" (2003), "Monet" (2003, with Rodolphe Rapetti and MaryAnne Stevens). Essays about 19th and 20st century art, Italian Mannerism, artistic theory/philosophy and the history of art history.