Art-Histories sets out to broaden our understanding of history by looking at it through artefacts and their histories and works of art and the histories they tell. It takes a broad perspective, looking at art that reflects on history and contemporary events as well as its own involvement. The works examined span the period from the sixteenth century to the present.

How is history written? Whose mission is it to write it? Which tools are used to examine and evaluate historical events and to disseminate knowledge about them? How objective is current scholarly research, and the historic documents on which it is based? A painting by Jörg Immendorff and Felix Droese from 1974 is entitled "New War – New Art". Indeed, the recent troubles in crisis regions have inspired and generated a new wave of contemporary art with innovative ways of portraying history. Art / Histories presents art and artists engaged with history in a broad historical framework, including those looking back and those depicting the harsh realities of the present.