Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Daniel Baumann appointed new Director of Kunsthalle Zürich




Kunsthalle Zürich is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Baumann as new director. Daniel Baumann will succeed Beatrix Ruf, who will start her new position as director of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam on November 1st, 2014, after her more than successful period as director for Kunsthalle Zürich.

The president of the selection committee and Kunsthalle Zürich Association, Mark Reutter, is enthusiastic about the unanimous vote for the appointment, stating: "Daniel Baumann is among the most innovative and widely respected curators, both in a national, as well as international environment. He has a profound knowledge of contemporary art, can build on a deep and fruitful experience of collaboration with artists and has a well established artistic and institutional experience. Throughout his curatorial career, Baumann has launched and realized projects that have turned out to be exemplary, such as a series of exhibitions in Tbilisi, Georgia, the off-space New Jerseyy in Basel, and last but not least the 2013 Carnegie International Pittsburgh. The latter was highly praised by the New York press, usually known for its rather severe criticism. Baumann has demonstrated both an international vision as well as sensitivity to the particular locations and venues and their possibilities and potentials. All this is exactly in line with the vision and mission of the Kunsthalle Zürich: To be both an internationally leading and the same locally relevant institution."

Daniel Baumann holds a Master's Degree in Art History and German Literature from the University of Geneva. Since 1996 he has been the curator of the Adolf Wölfli Foundation, located at the Museum of Fine Arts Bern, Switzerland. In 2003, he curated the "Young Scene" exhibition at Secession in Vienna, Austria, bringing together artists such as Valentin Carron, Trisha Donnelly, Wade Guyton, Lucy McKenzie, Mai-Thu Perret, and Michael Riedel. Between 2003 and 2010 he directed Kunsttangente, a project for art in public space in Basel, Switzerland; he established an ongoing exhibition series in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2004, which helped put the country back on the map. In 2008 he founded the now legendary exhibition space New Jerseyy together with artist and graphic designer Tobias Madison, Emanuel Rossetti and Dan Solbach. Baumann curated numerous shows in Asia, Europe and the United States, worked for Frieze Art Fair to establish Frame, the section for young galleries, and became a contributor to magazines such asArtforumKunstbulletinMousse,ParkettPiktogramTate Etc. andSpike Art. Together with Dan Byers and Tina Kukielski he curated the 2013 Carnegie International in Pittsburgh, the most important exhibition of contemporary international art in the United States.

Daniel Baumann will start his new position at Kunsthalle in November 2014 on a part-time basis and fully assume his position as new directoron January 1st, 2015.




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