Forum

The Bucerius Kunst Forum is an international exhibition centre funded by the ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS. It is a forum for all the arts, characterized by focused exhibition concepts and an interdisciplinary programme of events. The Bucerius Kunst Forum transcends conventional boundaries between different art forms and epochs, questioning the relevance of familiar topics and offering new ways for a broad audience to engage with art. High-quality exhibition and event programmes present thought-provoking ideas that generate discussion about important social issues and values as well as the role of art in a globalized world.


Located in the heart of Hamburg next to the city hall, the Bucerius Kunst Forum organizes four exhibitions each year, presenting world-class works of art from antiquity to the present day. It is a place to exchange ideas and encounter a broad range of visual arts. In just a few years, the Bucerius Kunst Forum has won the trust of the world’s leading museums and can rely on them for priceless loans. The exhibition centre has become a favourite destination for art lovers in Hamburg and across the whole of Germany. The most visited exhibitions showed the works of Frida Kahlo (2006), Edward Hopper (2009), Joseph Mallord William Turner (2011), Joan Miró (2014) and Pablo Picasso (2016).

The Bucerius Kunst Forum presents outstanding art in new contexts. Its exhibitions highlight artistic relationships across different eras and disciplines, drawing connections between today’s art and that of the past. Works are considered from new theoretical perspectives and from a concrete point of view: for instance, an exhibition on Henri Matisse brought together his portraits for the first time; an exhibition on Frida Kahlo was unique in examining the links between Mexican and European art, and an exhibition on Pablo Picasso was the first to highlight the window as a central motif in all periods of the artist’s work. Even art connoisseurs come away from the exhibitions with fresh impressions and new knowledge.

The Bucerius Kunst Forum stages a lively calendar of events in the auditorium, which can seat up to 199 people. The programme of chamber concerts, lectures, readings and talks is carefully curated to illuminate the themes of each exhibition from different artistic angles. By demonstrating that the visual arts do not exist in isolation, the events inspire visitors with exciting new insights and experiences.

In June 2019 the Bucerius Kunst Forum moved to new rooms on Alter Wall – just a few metres from the previous location.

The four storeys behind the historical façade have been reconceived expressly for the arts. The exhibition gallery extends across a single level, which can be used in its entirety or divided into several more intimate spaces. A separate storey with auditorium and atrium is available for events such as concerts, readings, discussions, lectures or poetry slams. The service areas are more spacious, and the Bucerius Book Shop has more room for content ranging from art to music. A glazed studio at canal height offers space for creative work.

More about the new premises

Directorate 

Dr. Kathrin Baumstark
Director

 

Marie Kemper
Assistant to the director

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 76

Finances and administration 

Evelyn Bertz
Head of Finance and Administration

Artistic Department 

Dr. Katrin Dyballa
Curator

 

Dr. Daria Dittmeyer-Hössl
Research Associate

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 67

 

Dagmar Steffens
Registrar and Assistant to the director

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 30

Communication 

Miriam Abada
Head of Online Communication

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 35

 

Evelyn Kritzokat
Head of Marketing

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 77

 

Robin Hofstetter
Communications Officer, Press Relations

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 78

 

Ineke Rickert
Head of Press (on parental leave)

Events & Education 

Lena Schütte
Head of Events & Education

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 72

 

Dorothee Kröber
Events & Education, Project Manager Multimediaguide

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 79

Bucerius Kunst Club 

Stefanie Lüdeking
Managing Director

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 31

 

Dr. Viola Kundrun
Department

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 31

 

Natalie Bachmann
Department and Young Member

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 31

Young Member 

Natalie Bachmann
Young Member

+49 (0)40 36 09 96 31

Accounting 

Kirsten Wittek

System Administration 

Thomas Gland

The Board of Trustees advises the artistic direction and management of the Bucerius Kunst Forum on artistic, economic and organizational issues. It submits proposals for exhibition projects and plays a central role in networking with museums, exhibition houses and private lenders on a national and international level.


More about the Board of Trustees

The two sculptures Gesellschaftsspiegel by the artist Olafur Eliasson line the Alte Wall. These are two nine-meter-high towers in which various kaleidoscopes are framed. When passers-by look up at the sky through the kaleidoscopes, they gain new perspectives on their familiar surroundings and become an active part of the installation.

More about the Gesellschaftsspiegel (in German)