Stephan Berg

Prof. Dr. Stephan Berg, born in 1959 in Freiburg im Breisgau, has been the director of the Kunstmuseum Bonn since April 2008.

Berg completed his studies of German, English and history in Tübingen, Berlin and Freiburg in 1989 with a PhD in German language and literature. From the mid-1980s onwards he also worked as a freelance writer, contributing to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper and the art journal Kunstforum International, among others. In 1990 he was appointed director of the Kunstverein Freiburg, and held this post until 2000. In 1997 he oversaw the relocation of the Kunstverein from its original premises in the Schwarzes Kloster to a new exhibition space in the Marienbad, a former swimming pool that was renovated with private funds.

From 2001 to 2008 Stephan Berg was the director of the Kunstverein Hannover. During this time he was also actively involved in shaping arts development policy in Lower Saxony as chairman of the state’s art committee. In 2007 he organized the widely acclaimed exhibition “Made in Germany” in collaboration with the Sprengel Museum and the kestnergesellschaft.

Stephan Berg has been an honorary professor at Braunschweig University of Art since 2004. He has published numerous essays and catalogues on the theme of contemporary art. Berg also sits on various boards of directors and committees, including the Advisory Board for Visual Arts of the Goethe-Institut, the purchasing committee of the Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung and the purchasing committee for the contemporary art collection of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Exhibitions (selected)

• “Through the Looking Brain”, Kunstmuseum Bonn, 2011
• Katharina Grosse, Kunstmuseum Bonn, 2011
• “The Luminous West”, Kunstmuseum Bonn, 2010
• Julian Rosefeldt, Kunstmuseum Bonn, 2009
• Nedko Solakov, Kunstmuseum Bonn, 2008
• Aernout Mik, Kunstverein Hannover, 2007/2008
• Mark Manders, Kunstverein Hannover, 2007
• Julie Mehretu, Kunstverein Hannover, 2007
• John Armleder, Kunstverein Hannover, 2006/2007
• Jörg Sasse, Kunstverein Hannover, 2006
• Corinne Wasmuht, Kunstverein Hannover, 2006
• Marcel van Eeden, Kunstverein Hannover, 2006
• “Night Sites”, Kunstverein Hannover, 2005/2006
• Georg Herold, Kunstverein Hannover, 2005
• Gregory Crewdson, Kunstverein Hannover, 2005
• Antje Schiffers, Kunstverein Hannover, 2005
• “Tauchfahrten (Diving Trips) – Drawing as Reportage”, Kunstverein Hannover, 2004/2005
• Leni Hoffmann, Kunstverein Hannover, 2004
• Mathilde ter Heijne, Kunstverein Hannover, 2004
• Peter Kogler, Kunstverein Hannover, 2004
• “Die Sehnsucht des Kartographen (The Cartographer’s Longing)”, Kunstverein Hannover, 2003/2004
• Luc Tuymans, Kunstverein Hannover, 2003
• Mark Dion, Kunstverein Hannover, 2003
• Franziska & Lois Weinberger, Kunstverein Hannover, 2003
• “On Stage”, Kunstverein Hannover, 2002/2003
• David Reed, Kunstverein Hannover, 2002
• Kara Walker, Kunstverein Hannover, 2002
• David Claerbout, Kunstverein Hannover, 2002
• Peter Pommerer, Kunstverein Hannover, 2002
• “Archisculptures”, Kunstverein Hannover, 2001/2002
• Dan Peterman, Kunstverein Hannover, 2001
• Stephan Huber, Kunstverein Hannover, 2001
• “Close Up”, Kunstverein Hannover, 2001 (in cooperation with the Kunstverein Freiburg)
• “Unschärferelation – Zum Verhältnis zwischen Fotografie und Malerei”, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1999
• Tracey Moffat, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1999
• Beat Zoderer, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1999
• Simone Mangos, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1999
• Thomas Demand, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1998
• Matthew McCaslin, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1998
• Jochen Lempert, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1998
• Pia Fries, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1997
• Richard Wentworth, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1997
• Christopher Muller, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1996
• Guillaume Bijl, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1996
• Alexander Roob, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1996
• Erwin Wurm, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1995
• Tim Head, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1995
• Urs Lüthi, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1994
• Daniel Buren, Kunstverein Freiburg, 1994