COLOGNE.- Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has appointed Dr. Yilmaz Dziewior, director of the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, as curator of the official German contribution to the fifty-ninth Venice Biennale in 2021. The appointment is based on a recommendation by the Art and Exhibitions Committee of the German Federal Foreign Office, which includes leading experts on art and museums.

Foreign Minister Maas stated today in Berlin: “Yilmaz Dziewior is an outstanding curator and expert on museums. As the current director of the Museum Ludwig in Cologne as well as before as director of the Kunstverein in Hamburg, Mr. Dziewior has demonstrated his great understanding of art as well as his ability to successfully manage large projects. So I am particularly delighted that Mr. Dziewior is taking on the role of curator, and I wish him every possible success.”

Mayor Henriette Reker is also pleased: “This is a great honor for Cologne as an art destination, and I am proud that the director of a local museum, which is among the most important in the world, is taking on this task.”

“This appointment recognizes the great work by Yilmaz Dziewior and his team here at the Museum Ludwig. I would like to offer my warmest congratulations,” said Susanne Laugwitz-Aulbach, Head of Cultural Affairs for the city of Cologne.

Yilmaz Dziewior: “It is my great pleasure and honor to be appointed curator for the German contribution to the fifty-ninth Venice Biennale in 2021. At the same time, I am aware of the responsibility and challenges that this entails. An essential question will surely be the social importance of cultural production, which is more relevant than ever in these challenging times.”

Dr. Yilmaz Dziewior has been director of the Museum Ludwig in Cologne since 2015. Previously he was director of the Kunstverein Hamburg from 2001 to 2008, director of the Kunsthaus Bregenz from 2009 to 2015, and worked as a freelance curator in various art projects.

Along with Documenta in Kassel, the Venice Biennale is the world’s most important exhibition of contemporary art. Every two years, artists and art enthusiasts from all over the world meet there to discover and discuss the latest trends in art. Germany is represented at the Biennale with its own pavilion.

The Venice Biennale is the only international art exhibition to feature contributions from individual countries in national pavilions. The German pavilion, originally built in 1908 as the Bavarian pavilion, underwent extensive renovations in 1938 and was given to the German Empire shortly thereafter. Since 1950 the property has belonged to the German Federal Foreign Office, which also provides financial support for the German contribution as part of its cultural relations policy. The German contribution will be realized in cooperation with the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) in Stuttgart.