Klaus Biesenbach

Biesenbach founded Kunst-Werke (KW) Institute for Contemporary Art[3] 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.[7]

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.[1] 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.[8]

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.[9] 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.[1] 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.[10]

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, signed by celebrities including Lady Gaga, Madonna, James Franco, Gwyneth Paltrow and Patti Smith.[11]

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).

In 2018, Biesenbach was appointed director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.[8]

During his time as director, Biesenbach introduced free admission to the museum with a $10 million gift from Carolyn Clark Powers,[12][13] founded the first Environmental Council at any American museum and started the Performance Space Wonmi's Warehouse Programs[14] while commissioning Larry Bell’s, Bill and Coo and Untitled by Barbara Kruger as public art projects.[15]

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.[16]

In September 2021, Biesenbach was appointed as new director of both the Neue Nationalgalerie and the future Museum of the 20th Century.[17][18][19]

2018

• Klaus Biesenbach, “We Had to Create Something New’: Klaus Biesenbach on Inventing the Berlin Biennale,” ARTNews, June 7, 2018[23]
• Klaus Biesenbach, “In Puerto Rico, Artists Rebuild and Reach Out,” The New York Times, January 25, 2018[24]

2016

• “Klaus Biesenbach Recalls the Founding of KW in Berlin 25 Years Ago, a Moment of ‘Radical Change and Freedom’,” ARTNews, Nov. 25, 2016[25]

2021

• Klaus Biesenbach, co-editor, 30 Years KW Berlin: A History, Berlin: Kunst-Werke.[26]

2019

• Klaus Biesenbach and Bettina Funcke, MoMA PS1: A History. New York: Museum of Modern Art. ISBN 978-1-63345-069-1

2015

• Klaus Biesenbach and Christophe Cherix, Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960-1971. New York: Museum of Modern Art. ISBN 9780870709661
• Klaus Biesenbach et al., Björk: Mid-Career Retrospective With New Commissioned Pieces for MoMA. New York: Museum of Modern Art. ISBN 9780870709609

2014

• Klaus Biesenbach et al., 14 Rooms. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz. ISBN 978-3-7757-3915-3

2013

• Klaus Biesenbach et al., Christoph Schlingensief. London: Koenig Books. ISBN 3863354958

2010

• Klaus Biesenbach, Neville Wakefield and Cornelia Butler: Greater New York 2010. New York: MoMA PS1, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9841776-2-2
• Klaus Biesenbach, Agustin Perez Rubio, Beatrix Ruf and Ugo Rondinone: The Night of Lead: Ugo Rondinone. Edited by Beatrix Ruf, Osterlilden: Hatje Cantz, 2010. ISBN 978-3-7757-9006-2
• Klaus Biesenbach and Mark Godfrey (Ed.): A Story of Deception: Francis Alÿs. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2009. ISBN 978-0-87070-790-2

2009

• Klaus Biesenbach (Ed.): The Artist is Present: Marina Abramović. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2009. ISBN 978-0-87070-747-6
• Klaus Biesenbach: Henry Darger. München/New York: Prestel, 2009. ISBN 978-3-7913-4210-8
• Klaus Biesenbach, Michael Aupingen, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Cornelia H. Butler, Judith B. Hecker and William Kentridge: Five Themes: William Kentridge. Edited by Mark Rosenthal, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 2009. ISBN 978-0-300-15048-3
• Klaus Biesenbach, Kelly Taylor and Jonathan Horowitz: And/Or. Edited by Lionel Bovier, Zürich: JRP Ringer, 2009. ISBN 978-3-03764-018-0
• Klaus Biesennbach (Ed.): Political, Minimal. Nürnberg: Verlag für moderne Kunst, 2009. ISBN 978-3-941185-07-4

2008

• Klaus Biesenbach, Marina Abramović, Chrissie Iles and Kristine Stiles: Marina Abramović. New York: Phaidon, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7148-4802-0
• Klaus Biesenbach, Daniel Birnbaum, Jenny Dirksen, Philipp Fürnkäs, Kaye Geipel and Ulrike Groos: Julia Stoschek Collection Number One: Destroy, she said. Osterfilden: Hatje Cantz, 2008. ISBN 978-3-7757-2231-5

2007

• Klaus Biesenbach, Peter Eleey, Glenn Lowry and Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers: Doug Aitken. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2007. ISBN 978-0-87070-045-3
• Klaus Biesenbach: Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Berlin Alexanderplatz. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2007. ISBN 978-3-8296-0253-2
• Klaus Biesenbach, Georges Bataille and Susan Sontag: Into Me / Out of Me. Edited by Klaus Biesenbach, Ostfilden: Hatje Cantz 2007. ISBN 978-3-7757-2041-0
• Klaus Biesenbach: In Bildern denken – Kunst, Medien und Ethik: Ist die Kunst den Medien noch gewachsen?. Regensburg: Lindinger + Schmid Kunstprojekte und Verlag, 2007. ISBN 978-3-929970-66-1

2006

• Klaus Biesenbach (Ed.): Timeline: Douglas Gordon. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2006. ISBN 978-0-87070-390-4

2005

• Klaus Biesenbach and Alanna Heiss (Ed.): Close-Ups: Katharina Sieverding. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2005. ISBN 978-3-9804265-5-8
• Klaus Biesenbach, Alanna Heiss and Anthony Huberman (Ed.): Animations. New York: P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, 2003. ISBN 978-3-9804265-0-3
• Klaus Biesenbach, Mary Lea Bandy and Laurence Kardish (Ed.): Motion Pictures: Andy Warhol. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2005. ISBN 978-3-9804265-4-1
• Klaus Biesenbach (Ed.): Greater New York 2005. New York: P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center 2005. ISBN 978-0-87070-987-6
• Klaus Biesenbach and Matthew Monahan: Fragile Kingdom: Lara Schniger. Amsterdam: Artimo, 2005. ISBN 978-90-8546-001-5
• Klaus Biesenbach, Vanessa Adler, Ellen Blumenstein and Felix Ensslin (Ed.): Zur Vorstellung des Terror: RAF. Göttingen: Steidl, 2005. ISBN 978-3-86521-102-6

2004

• Klaus Biesenbach (Ed.): Disasters of War: Henry Darger. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2004. ISBN 978-3-9804265-3-4
• Klaus Biesenbach (Ed.): Die Zehn Gebote. Osterfilden: Hatje Cantz, 2004. ISBN 978-3-7757-1453-2

2003

• Klaus Biesenbach and Alanna Heiss (Ed.): Video Acts. New York: P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, 2003. ISBN 978-0-9704428-5-7
• Klaus Biesenbach, Alanna Heiss and Anthony Huber (Ed.): Mexico City. New York: P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, 2003. ISBN 978-0-9704428-4-0

2001

• Klaus Biesenbach (Ed.): Loop - Alles auf Anfang. New York: Klaus Biesenbach for P.S. 1 / MoMA, 2001.
• Klaus Biesenbach (Ed.): KW Magazine #02/01 Special Issue Mediarealities. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2001.
• Klaus Biesenbach (Ed.): KW Magazine #01/01. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2001.

1997

• Klaus Biesenbach and Emma Dexter: Chapmanworld. London: ICA London, Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 1997.
• Klaus Biesenbach and Ulrike Grossarth: Reste vom Mehrwert: Ulrike Grossarth. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 1997.

1996

• Klaus Biesenbach and Nicolas Schafhausen (Ed.): Nach Weimar. Osterfilden: Hatje Cantz, 1996.

1994

• Klaus Biesenbach, Christine Hill and Barbara Steiner: Christine Hill. Berlin: Eigen+Art/ KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 1995.
• Klaus Biesenbach and Harald Fricke (Ed.): Joseph Kosuth. Berlin Chronicle – A Temporary Media Monument for Walter Benjamin. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 1994.

1992

• Klaus Biesenbach (Ed.): Berlin 37 Räume. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 1992.

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.