COLOGNE.- Rita Kersting will take over for Katia Baudin, who will begin serving as the new director of the Kunstmuseen Krefeld on September 1. Kersting (born in 1969) studied art history in Cologne. From 2001 to 2006 she served as director of the Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen in Düsseldorf, where she and Anette Freudenberger began with the exhibition Zero Gravity (including Isa Genzken, Martin Kippenberger, Georg Herold, Thea Djordjadze, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Martin Boyce, Nicole Wermers, and Wolfgang Tillmans, among others). She is a supervisory board member of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and a fellow of the International Curatorial Institute at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Since 2012 she has served as Landeau Family Curator of Contemporary Art at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. There she curated numerous exhibitions, including Georges Adéagbo: Africa in Jerusalem and we the people with Danh Võ, Melanie Gilligan, Artur Zmijewski, Shilpa Gupta, Susan Hefuna, and others.

“With Rita Kersting the Museum Ludwig has gained an extraordinary international expert on contemporary art who is known for her close cooperation with artists as well as her excellent contacts with private and public collections,” says Director Yilmaz Dziewior.

“Besides her proven expertise, Rita Kersting is also known for her experience with a variety of committees, for which she is also well regarded by leading figures in art and politics. She is another fine addition to the Museum Ludwig and the city of Cologne,” states Susanne LaugwitzAulbach, councilor for art and culture for the city of Cologne.

“During her time in Jerusalem, Rita has done a superb job of fine-tuning our approach to contemporary art – preserving our commitment to acquiring emerging artists before their international stature has been affirmed, while also deepening our focus in Europe and America and expanding our commitment in Asia and Africa. While we will miss her greatly, we are deeply appreciative of her major contribution to our museum – and of the way in which she engaged so closely with our own staff, with Israel's creative community, and with our friends worldwide – and we look forward to a productive cooperation with her and the Museum Ludwig,” says James S. Snyder, director of the Israel Museum.

Rita Kersting is looking forward to the new challenge in Cologne: “The Museum Ludwig is strong and radiant; not only its modernist art and Pop Art collection are extraordinary, but also its contemporary art. What makes the Museum Ludwig special is its close cooperation with artists.

I’m looking forward to working with the director and the excellent team to anchor the Museum Ludwig even more strongly in the hearts of the people of Cologne and beyond as a wonderful destination for art.”