Tatjana Bartsch

Tatjana Bartsch is Deputy Head of the Photographic Collection at the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History. She holds a PhD in Art History and German Literature from Humboldt University Berlin and the University of Pisa. Her research focuses on 16th-century Italian and Dutch art, Renaissance drawings, reception of antiquity, and the history of photography. She has led major projects like Faktizität und Gebrauch früher Fotografie and authored/co-authored books on Maarten van Heemskerck's Roman sketches and early photography archives.

Education:

• PhD: Humboldt University Berlin & University of Pisa (2010), Thesis: Die römischen Studien Maarten van Heemskercks zwischen Sachlichkeit und Imagination
• Magister (MA): Humboldt University Berlin & University of Pisa (1997)

Professional Experience:

• 2011–Present: Scientific Staff Member, Photographic Collection, Max Planck Institute for Art History
• 2009–2011: Coordinator at Excellence Cluster TOPOI, Berlin
• 2000–2008: Researcher at Census of Antique Works of Art and Architecture

Research Interests: Her work bridges art history, material culture, and digital archives. She investigates Renaissance artistic practices, early photographic archives, and the role of images in preserving cultural memory. Key themes include Antikenrezeption, cartography in early modern Europe, and the intersection of art with historical documentation.

Grants & Projects:

• Principal Investigator for Brautstiftung mit Obelisk (2021)
• Co-author of Faszination Rom exhibition catalog (2024)
• Edited volumes on Maarten van Heemskerck's Roman works (2019, 2024)

Labs/Teams: Leads the Photographic Collection department, managing over 500,000 images documenting art and architecture. Collaborates with the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut on early photography research.