Christian Saehrendt studied Fine Arts at Hamburg Hochschule für bildende Künste, History and Art History (focused on 19th and 20th centuries) at Humboldt-Universität Berlin and at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg. In Heidelberg he received his PhD in 2002 with a research work about the expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. His work as a scholar refers to the following issues:
- Art history and culture of the 20th century (specially Expressionism, political monuments, art in GDR)
- Contempory Art and sociology (specially the structure and functions of Biennals and of documenta as well as contemporary identity of artists and kurators)
- Art as a political tool or weapon (politics of collecting, cultural exchange and art exhibitions as parts of diplomatic strategies, Art as tool of nation building).