Klaus Biesenbach (born 1966) is a German-American curator and museum director. He is the Director of the Neue Nationalgalerie, with Berggruen Museum and Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection, as well as the berlin modern under construction. Previously, Biesenbach had been serving as the director of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), from 2018 to 2021. He is also a former Chief Curator at Large at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City and former director of MoMA PS1. He is also the founding director of Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art (KW) in Berlin, and the Berlin Biennale.

Early life

Biesenbach was born in 1966, in Bergisch Gladbach, West Germany. From 1987, he began studying medicine in Munich. He moved to Berlin in the mid-1990s, where he shared an apartment with artist Andrea Zittel at one point.

Career

Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art

Biesenbach founded Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art (KW) in Berlin in 1991, as well as the Berlin Biennale in 1996, and remains Founding Director of both entities. Under his artistic and executive directorship, KW and the Berlin Biennale were started as self-inventive initiatives and are now federally and state funded institutions.

MoMA, and MOMA PS1

Biesenbach joined MoMA PS1 as a curator in 1996; the museum's director Alanna Heiss had hired him part-time while allowing him to maintain his directorship in Berlin. Working with Heiss, he created the "Warm Up" outdoor summer series of live music and helped found the "Greater New York" exhibition series, which showcases emerging talent in the metropolitan area. In 2004, Biesenbach was appointed as a curator in the MoMA's "Department of Film and Media". He was named Chief Curator of MoMA's newly formed Department of Media, in 2006; it was the first new curatorial department since photography, in 1940. By 2009, it was subsequently broadened to the Department of Media and Performance Art to reflect the Museum's increased focus on collecting, preserving, and exhibiting performance art. As Chief Curator of the department, Biesenbach led a range of pioneering initiatives, including the launch of a new performance art exhibition series; an ongoing series of workshops for artists and curators; acquisitions of media and performance art; and the Museum's presentation in 2010 of a major retrospective of the work of Marina Abramović. In 2012, Biesenbach turned MoMA P.S. 1 into a temporary day shelter for displaced residents after Hurricane Sandy. He drafted an open letter to the then New York City Mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg and fellow New Yorkers that called for help in the Rockaways, where he had purchased a house in early 2012, signed by celebrities including Lady Gaga, Madonna, James Franco, Gwyneth Paltrow and Patti Smith. In addition to his role at MoMA, Biesenbach served as member of the International Jury at the Venice Biennale (1997) and as co-curator of the Berlin Biennale (1998) and 2002 Shanghai Biennale (2002).

MOCA

In 2018, Biesenbach was appointed director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. During his time as director, Biesenbach introduced free admission to the museum with a $10 million gift from Carolyn Clark Powers, founded the first Environmental Council at any American museum and started the Performance Space Wonmi's Warehouse Programs while commissioning Larry Bell's, Bill and Coo and Untitled by Barbara Kruger as public art projects. As director, Biesenbach diversified the collection and exhibition program by supporting exhibitions with artists like Xu Zhen, Jennifer Packer, Pipilotti Rist, Henry Taylor, Tala Madani, Judy Baca, Annika Yi, Garrett Bradley, Cao Fei, and Simone Forti. During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Biesenbach pivoted the museum programs online to virtual MOCA where he conducted twenty-five studio visits with international artists that were distributed on the museum's website, social media, and YouTube. In addition, he fundraised with artists' designed facemasks by Yoko Ono, Catherine Opie, Pipilotti Rist, Mark Grotjahn, Barbara Kruger, Hank Willis Thomas, Virgil Abloh, Alex Israel and sold them internationally in collaboration with the Warhol Foundation, the Qatar Museums and the K11 Hongkong. As part of a 2021 reorganization, Biesenbach was later named artistic director, with a mandate to focus on setting the artistic vision for the museum, overseeing exhibitions and collections. Shortly after, Johanna Burton was appointed as executive director.

Neue Nationalgalerie

In September 2021, Biesenbach was appointed as new director of both the Neue Nationalgalerie with Berggruen Museum and Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection and the future Museum of the 20th Century.

Climate activism, anti-materialism and other commitments

Klaus Biesenbach is a prominent figure in climate activism within the art world, particularly through his work at major institutions like MOCA in Los Angeles and the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. Biesenbach co-initiated the Environmental Council at MOCA, marking it as the first sustainability-focused group within a U.S. art museum. His activism is rooted in integrating ecological and social issues into the fabric of museum programming, as seen in projects like the ecological festival EXPO 1 and post-Hurricane Sandy art initiatives. His approach underscores the vital role museums play in addressing pressing global challenges, including the climate crisis, by fostering spaces for public engagement and protest. Klaus Biesenbach's lifestyle reflects his deep-rooted non-materialism and focus on the essentials. He is known for living in minimalist spaces, devoid of excess, where every object serves a purpose or holds personal meaning. His homes, whether in Los Angeles or New York, are curated with a stark simplicity, emphasizing functionality and the presence of art over material accumulation. Biesenbach's approach to living underscores his belief in the value of experiences and intellectual engagement over the pursuit of material possessions, aligning with his broader philosophy of intentional living and his dedication to the arts. Board and advisory roles:

Recognition

Biesenbach is the recipient of the following awards and honorary degrees: In addition, Biesenbach received the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) award for the exhibitions Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present, Pipilotti Rist: Pour Your Body Out (7354 Cubic Meters), and Fassbinder: Berlin Alexanderplatz. He also received AICA awards for co-curating the exhibitions Kenneth Anger, 100 Years (version #2, ps1, nov 2009), and Roth Time: A Dieter Roth Retrospective and 100 Years (version #2 PS1, Nov 2009) at MoMA PS1 and MoMA QNS, as well as Kenneth Anger (2009) at MoMA PS1 and 100 Years (version #2 PS1, Nov 2009) at MoMA PS1 and MoMA QNS, as well as Kenneth Anger (2009) at MoMA PS1.

Exhibitions

Exhibitions organized and co-organized by Biesenbach at KW Institute for Contemporary Art

Exhibitions organized and co-organized by Biesenbach at MoMA PS1

Exhibitions organized and co-organized by Biesenbach at MoMA

Exhibitions organized and co-organized by Biesenbach at Neue Nationalgalerie

Additional solo and group exhibitions organized and co-organized by Biesenbach

Publications

Selected digital content for MOCA

25 Virtual Studio Visits

Season 1

Season 2

Selected publications

2024

2021

2019

2015

2014

2013

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2001

1997

1996

1994

1992

Selected recent contributions

2018

2016

Klaus Biesenbach has also contributed texts to exhibition catalogs as well as edited volumes, and he has published articles in art journals, including Art & Australia, Artforum International, and Flash Art International. He wrote the monthly column "Erdkunde" for the German art magazine Monopol.