The German Center for Art History (Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte, or DFK Par­is) is an independent art history research institute. Located in the heart of Paris, an art-oriented cosmopolitan metropolis boasting major museums, archives, and research institutes, the DFK Par­is is a forum for experts from around the world to exchange ideas, and its programming reflects this role. 

Here­ French and German intellectual traditions engage in fruitful dialogue with currents of international thought, creating a starting point for innovative interdisciplinary research on the arts of both countries, viewed in a global context.

Every year, new annual themes are selected to echo current debates in the field. The resulting topics then provide a starting point from which an international group of grant recipients conducts research in the framework of a study program. The results of their research projects are then made available to a wider public through specialized symposia, academic conferences, and series published by the German Center for Art History.

The DFK Par­is, like its partner institutes in Beirut, Istanbul, London, Moscow, Rome, Tokyo, Warsaw, and Washington, belongs to the Max Weber Foundation—Foundation of German Humanities Institutes Abroad (DGIA), a public-law foundation under the authority of the German federal government. The DFK Paris is funded through this foundation by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).