Prof. Dr. phil. Thomas Hensel

Art and Design Theory

Room G1.403
Holzgartenstr. 36
75175 Pforzheim

Tel. +49 (07231) 28-6769

Send e-mail

Oct. 1988 – Sept. 1989
Test training for medical degree programs (self-employed tradesman)

Nov. 1988 – Sept. 1989
Teacher of the Studienkreis, Gesellschaft für angewandte Methodik im Schulunterricht mbH (GfM), for the subject Latin

Oct. 1989 – April 1990
BWL/Unternehmensführung
WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar

May 1990 – Feb. 1992
Philosophy
Hochschule für Philosophie München/ Philosophische Fakultät S. J. und
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Feb. 1992
Baccalaureate in Philosophy

Nov. 1991 – Feb. 1992
History of Art
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Nov. 1991 – Feb. 1992
Student assistant to Dr. Anne-Marie Bonnet

April 1992 – August 1997
Philosophy, Art History, Classical Archaeology University of Hamburg

Oct. 1992 – Feb. 1993
Tutor for the seminar "Apodemics" of Prof. Dr. Martin Warnke

April 1993 – July 1993
Tutor for the seminar "Ottonian Book Illumination" by Prof. Dr. Martin Warnke

August 1993 – Sept. 1993
Freelancer at the special exhibition
“Bernward von Hildesheim und das Zeitalter der Ottonen” of the Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum and
of the Dom- und Diözesanmuseum Hildesheim

August 1997
Magister Artium in Philosophy
(Title of term paper: “Plato's Timaeus-Kritias. On the tectonics of the ideal state”),

Oct. 1996 – Jan. 1999
Member of the graduate program "Political Iconography" at the Department of Art History at the University of Hamburg

Feb. 1999 – Dec. 1999
Research assistant at
University of Hamburg,
Department of Art History
(coordinator of the graduate program “Political Iconography”)

Jan. 2000 – Sept. 2005
Research assistant at the
Academy of Media Arts Cologne,
subject group “Art and Media Studies”,
area “Theory and Archaeology of Media in the Art Context”

March 2005 – July 2005
Teaching assignment for media studies, Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts (pro rata representation of the professorship for media studies)

Oct. 2005 – March 2006
Research assistant at the University of Potsdam, Institute for Arts and Media

June 2006
Submission of dissertation for the degree of “Dr. phil.”
at the Department of Cultural History and Cultural Studies
at the University of Hamburg
(Title of dissertation: “Von Kunstgeschichte zur Bildwissenschaft. Aby Warburg's Prints”)
First supervisor: Prof. Dr. Martin Warnke, Hamburg,
Second opinion: Prof. Dr. Hermann Hipp, Hamburg

June 2006 – July 2006
Research stay at the Warburg Institute, London

Sept. 2006 – Dec. 2006
Research assistant at the University of Siegen,
Faculty 3/Media Studies

Nov. 2006
Doctorate in Art History, University of Hamburg

Jan. 2007 – Sept. 2013
Assistant lecturer (permanent) at the University of Siegen, Faculty of Philosophy, Media Studies Seminar

since Oct. 2011
Member of the Faculty “Visual Competencies” at
Danube University Krems, Department of Art and Visual Studies

April 2012 – March 2013
Visiting Professor at Saarland University, Institute for Art History

March 2013 – Sept. 2013
Substitute Professor (W3) for Art and Design Theory at Pforzheim University, School of Design

since Oct. 2013
Professor (W3) of Art and Design Theory
at Pforzheim University, School of Design

since Oct. 2014
Lecturer for Game Studies at the GameLab of the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design

since Oct. 2016
Director of the Institute for Human Engineering & Empathic Design Pforzheim University (HEED) (with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Engeln); funded by the Karl Schlecht Foundation

June 2016 – May 2018
“LowHighTech. E-waste for 3Dprint Africa!”,
Project management together with Dr. Robert Eikmeyer
(funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation; Pforzheim University)

2017-2021
“Exhibiting design. The Visibility of the HfG Ulm: From Ulm to Montréal”, project management together with Dr. Martin Mäntele (HfG Archive/Ulmer Museum) and Prof. Dr. Steffen Siegel (Folkwang University of the Arts); funded by the Volkswagen Foundation

Oct. 2019 – Dec. 2019
Consultant to the City of Pforzheim for the conception of a recurring festival format ("Ornamenta")

2019 – 2021
New concept and design of the museum in Meßmer MOMENTUM, HafenCity Hamburg

1996 – 1999
Scholarship of the German Research Foundation,
Research Training Group "Political Iconography" at the
Art History Department of the University of Hamburg

1999
Travel grant from the Hanseatic University Foundation

2009
Full funding of the printing costs of the dissertation
by the Science Promotion and Aid Fund
of VG WORT

2012
Aby M. Warburg Prize of the Senate of the Free and
Hanseatic City of Hamburg

June 2013 – July 2013
Fellowship of the Kolleg Research Group
Bildakt und Verkörperung, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
(at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Horst Bredekamp)

July – August 2017;
November 2018 – January 2019;
July 2019
Fellowships of the research group
BildEvidenz. History and Aesthetics, Freie Universität Berlin
(at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Klaus Krüger and
Prof. Dr. Peter Geimer)

January – February 2020
Fellowship of the Centre for Advanced Studies
Cinepoetics - Poetologies of Audiovisual Images,
Freie Universität Berlin
(at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Hermann Kappelhoff and
Prof. Dr. Michael Wedel)