From Concept to Exhibition: On Curating Modern and Contemporary Art from an
Institutional Perspective
Wykład otwarty doktory Veroniki Rudorfer, zorganizowany dzięki wsparciu Austriackiego
Forum Kultury w Warszawie
Termin: 1 grudnia 2026, 17.00-18.30
Budynek H, I piętro, sala 1
From Concept to Exhibition: On Curating Modern and Contemporary Art from an
Institutional Perspective
This lecture will focus on curating exhibitions of modern and contemporary art in an
international institutional context. Particular attention will be paid to the specific
institutional frameworks of exhibitions, ranging from publicly funded museums with in-
house collections to privately funded exhibition halls without collections. Additionally, and
from an international perspective, the reception of art exhibitions curated in and for
different local contexts will be investigated. The first part of the lecture will present the
exhibition tour of Museum Berggruen (Berlin) as a case study, analyzing curatorial
requirements and challenges in presenting a former privately owned collection in diverse
contexts – examining exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, Shanghai, and Beijing. The second part of
the lecture will use the exhibition David Hockney. INSIGHTS at Kunstforum Wien (Vienna) as
a case study on a retrospective solo exhibition at a privately funded exhibition hall. In this
connection, questions such as institutional cooperation and loan procedures will be
addressed. The lecture will comprise an analysis of the case studies, followed by a discussion
with students.
Bio:
Dr. Veronika Rudorfer works as a curator and art critic and is based in Berlin and Vienna. She
has curated exhibitions such as David Hockney. INSIGHTS (2022) at Kunstforum Wien,
Vienna; Heinz Berggruen. Un marchand et sa collection at Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris
(2024/25); Modern Time at UCCA Edge, Shanghai, and UCCA Center for Contemporary Art,
Beijing (2023/24); and Picasso and His Time at The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo,
and The National Museum of Art, Osaka (2022/23). She has taught classes on art theory and
art history at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Her research focuses on theories of curating,
Conceptual Art, Institutional Critique, and the relationship between art and memory.
