ESSEN.- Peter Gorschlüter (born 1974, Mainz) has been named as the new Director of Museum Folkwang in Essen. The curator and art historian, who has been acting director of the MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt since 2010, will make the move to Essen on July 1st 2018. His eight-year term fills the vacancy left by Dr Tobia Bezzola, who moved to Lugano at the beginning of the year to take over the Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana. The decision was a reflection of the recommendation of the selection committee, which the board of trustees approved unanimously.

Mayor Thomas Kufen: “I am certain that with his expertise, Peter Gorschlüter will contribute to a revitalization of the museum. Museum Folkwang is a real drawcard for our city, with a profile that extends well beyond the confines of our region. I think this international reputation is in good hands, and at the same time, I am convinced that the people of Essen can look forward to some new directions under this new leadership.”

Dr Ulrich Blank, Chairman of the Folkwang Museumsverein e.V. emphasized: “Peter Gorschlüter boasts impressive curatorial expertise. He has secured a reputation both through exhibition projects in Modernism, and since 2010, through his focus on contemporary art. He has been a member of the leadership teams of a number of notable museums, and brings with him significant international experience. Ideal qualities for a director of Museum Folkwang!”

Peter Gorschlüter: “Taking over the reins at Museum Folkwang, with its impressive history and collection, at a time when museums across the world are repositioning themselves in response to social, technological and artistic developments, is an exciting task. The Folkwang idea is utterly crucial for the museum of the 21st century, and a challenge that I’m as excited about as I am about getting to know the museum team and the city of Essen.”

After studying art history and media theory at the HfG in Karlsruhe from 2002 to 2007, Peter Gorschlüter worked as a research associate and curator at the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf. From 2008 to 2010, he was chief curator at the Tate Liverpool, where was Head of Exhibitions and Displays. In 2010, Gorschlüter was co-curator of the Liverpool Biennale. At the MMK in Frankfurt, from 2010 onwards, he conceived numerous monographic and thematic exhibitions, involving artists such as Rineke Dijkstra, Jewyo Rhii, Fiona Tan, the fashion designer Kostas Murkudis, and a retrospective on the oeuvre of the Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica. In 2012, Peter Gorschlüter was one of the founders of the Photography Triennial RAY Frankfurt/RheinMain, which he continues to co-curate. In 2016 at the MMK, he curated the exhibition An Imagined Museum in collaboration with the Tate and the Centre Pompidou. Gorschlüter is a research associate at the Research Centre for Historical Humanities and teaches at the Goethe Universität Frankfurt Am Main in the course on Curatorial Studies: Theory – History – Critique. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation.