Curatorial Studies - Theory - History - Criticism Goethe University Frankfurt

Overview

The master’s program Curatorial Studies – Theory – History – Criticism from Goethe University Frankfurt program is characterized by its unique structure, combining the university, the university of the arts, and Frankfurt's diverse museum landscape. This exclusive program, limited to 12 to 15 people annually, offers students the opportunity to connect academic learning and scientific research with curatorial questions and professional experiences through intensive exchange. Science, artistic practice, curating, and theoretical-critical reflection are experienced not as separate endeavors but as interconnected and shared practices—this is the special value of the collaborations.

Concept:  

The degree program focuses on the academic reflection on curating and art criticism as intellectual and aesthetic challenges with a practical perspective. The aim is to develop expertise that combines object-based work with theoretical and specialist knowledge. A key objective of the program is to broaden the discussions on curating and art criticism, which have traditionally been closely tied to contemporary art, to include earlier periods and other cultural studies disciplines. Museums and exhibition institutions in the 21st century face new tasks and challenges. Over the past decades, postcolonial theory and geopolitical shifts since the end of the Cold War have led to a fundamental rethink. In light of these shifts in perspective within the global art world, as well as in response to developments in contemporary art, the presentation of artworks and cultural-historical objects has become a sociopolitical challenge that requires consideration of art historical, cultural, social, political, and philosophical aspects.