DFK Paris INHA Research Grant

To mark the bicentennial of Nicéphore Niépce’s first photographic experiments around 1826–1827, this program aims to support scholarly work that proposes innovative research directions and opens up new perspectives on the history of photography, its dissemination, and its historical, technical, aesthetic, and formal developments.

Transcultural and interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged, particularly those that adopt comparative perspectives or focus on epistemological, methodological, or historiographical issues. Research addressing issues of spoliation, looting, appropriation, provenance, or the circulation of images may also be considered. Not only should the theme and methodology of the project connect to the operative research orientations of each institute, but the fellow’s presence in Paris must also be necessary to the execution of the work. It is a condition of the fellowship that the selected candidate remains in close contact and exchange with both institutes during the funding period and resides predominantly in Paris.

The fellow conducts research for six months at the DFK Paris (starting in September 2026) and six months at the INHA (from March 2027 onwards). The selected candidate can expect a stimulating working environment that will facilitate both archival access and the exchange of ideas with international experts.

Applications requiring a stay in Paris will be given preference.

The fellowship is intended for outstanding art historians from France, Germany, or abroad who are at the beginning of their careers (doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers).

The amount of the fellowship is 1,750 euros per month for a period of 12 months (plus a monthly flat-rate allowance of 250 euros for material costs and, if applicable, a child supplement). The recipient will be funded as a scholar for six months at the DFK Paris and six months at the INHA. The award also includes a workspace and use of the infrastructural resources of both institutes.

Applications for the 2026-2027 cycle must be submitted on our portal no later than May 15, 2026.

Only applications received via this portal will be considered in the selection process. The selection committee, consisting of Peter Geimer, Julia Drost, Anne-Solène Rolland, Marion Boudon-Machuel and Dominique de Font-Réaulx meets once a year, next selection in June 2025.

The application may be submitted in German, French, or English and must include:

• The motivation letter should be addressed to: Peter Geimer, Director of the German Center for Art History Paris (DFK Paris), and Marion Boudon-Machuel, Director of the Department of Studies and Research at INHA.
• Curriculum vitae
• A project description (maximum 3 pages), including a bibliography listing the sources to be consulted, as well as a timeline.

This grant is for early-career researchers in art history:

Secretary to the director of the Département des études et de la recherche Institut national d’histoire de l’art (INHA)

Tel.: +33 (0)1 47 03 85 81

Email: der-dir@inha.fr

German Center for Art History Paris (DFK Paris) Department for Research Funding Programs

Tel.: + 33 (0)1 42 60 67 82

Email: stipendien@dfk-paris.org

2023

The 2023 jury selected Sebastian Hammerschmidt for his project “Sammeln als Form der Kunstgeschichtsschreibung bei Gottlieb Friedrich Reber (1880-1959).”

Pierre-Jacques Pernuit’s project “Interactivity and Fluorescence: Discourses and Practices in Visual Arts at the Dawn of Electronics (1890-1950)” was placed on the supplementary list.