Richard Hamann

Life & Legacy

Heinrich Richard Hamann (29 May 1879, in Seehausen – 9 January 1961, in Immenstadt im Allgäu) was a German art historian.
He attended the Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen in Magdeburg, and later studied Germanistics, art history and philosophy at the University of Berlin. In 1902 he received his promotion with the dissertation-thesis Das Symbol as a student of Wilhelm Dilthey. In 1911 he obtained his habilitation at Berlin, and subsequently became a professor of art history at Posen Academy. In 1913 he relocated to the University of Marburg, where he founded the Bildarchiv Foto Marburg (photo archives). From 1947 to 1957 he served as a guest professor at the University of Berlin.

Since 2009 the "Richard-Hamann-Preis für Kunstgeschichte" has been awarded for outstanding scientific achievements in the history of art or the promotion of art history research.