Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has reappointed Susanne Gaensheimer, Director of the Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt/Main, as curator of Germany’s official contribution to the 55th International Art Exhibition in Venice in 2013. The appointment was made upon recommendation by the Federal Foreign Office Art and Exhibitions Committee, whose members include art experts and directors of leading German art museums.

In 2011, Dr Gaensheimer successfully curated the German Pavilion at the 54th International Art Exhibition in Venice. That contribution, an installation by performance artist Christoph Schlingensief, who had passed away in August 2010 only nine months before the Exhibition opened, received the Golden Lion for Best National Participation.

The International Exhibition “Biennale di Venezia”, which takes place every two years, is one of the most important international forums for contemporary visual arts. The Federal Republic of Germany traditionally makes a national contribution commissioned and largely co-financed by the Federal Foreign Office. In this way, the Foreign Office helps foster a lively arts scene in Germany and promotes international cultural exchange. The German contribution will be realized in cooperation with the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa).

Dr Susanne Gaensheimer, who has been the Director of the Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt/Main since 2009, has organized numerous exhibitions with internationally renowned contemporary artists as well as projects in public spaces. She has published many works and catalogues on artists, exhibitions, and collections.