Biesenbach was born in 1966,[1] inBergisch Gladbach,West Germany. From 1987, he began studying medicine in Munich. He moved to Berlin in the mid-1990s,[7] where he shared an apartment with artistAndrea Zittel at one point.[8]
Biesenbach founded Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art (KW)[5] in Berlin in 1991, as well as theBerlin Biennale in 1996, and remains Founding Director of both entities. Under his artistic and executive directorship, KW and the Berlin Biennale were started as self-inventive initiatives and are now federally and state funded institutions.[9]
Biesenbach joined MoMA PS1 as a curator in 1996; the museum's directorAlanna Heiss had hired him part-time while allowing him to maintain his directorship in Berlin.[1] Working with Heiss, he created the "Warm Up" outdoor summer series of live music and helped found the "Greater New York" exhibition series, which showcases emerging talent in the metropolitan area.[10]
In 2004, Biesenbach was appointed as a curator in theMoMA's "Department of Film and Media". He was named Chief Curator of MoMA's newly formedDepartment of Media, in 2006; it was the first new curatorial department since photography, in 1940.[1] By 2009, it was subsequently broadened to theDepartment of Media and Performance Art to reflect the Museum's increased focus on collecting, preserving, and exhibiting performance art.[1] As Chief Curator of the department, Biesenbach led a range of pioneering initiatives, including the launch of a new performance art exhibition series; an ongoing series of workshops for artists and curators; acquisitions of media and performance art; and the Museum's presentation in 2010 of a major retrospective of the work ofMarina Abramović.[11]
In addition to his role at MoMA, Biesenbach served as member of the International Jury at theVenice Biennale (1997) and as co-curator of the Berlin Biennale (1998) and 2002Shanghai Biennale (2002).
During his time as director, Biesenbach introduced free admission to the museum with a $10 million gift fromCarolyn Clark Powers,[14][15] founded the first Environmental Council at any American museum[16] and started the Performance Space Wonmi's Warehouse Programs[17] while commissioningLarry Bell's,Bill and Coo andUntitled byBarbara Kruger as public art projects.[18]
As part of a 2021 reorganization, Biesenbach was later named artistic director, with a mandate to focus on setting the artistic vision for the museum, overseeing exhibitions and collections. Shortly after,Johanna Burton was appointed as executive director.[22]
Klaus Biesenbach is a prominent figure in climate activism within the art world, particularly through his work at major institutions likeMOCA in Los Angeles and theNeue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. Biesenbach co-initiated the Environmental Council at MOCA,[26] marking it as the first sustainability-focused group within a U.S. art museum. His activism is rooted in integrating ecological and social issues into the fabric of museum programming, as seen in projects like the ecological festival EXPO 1 and post-Hurricane Sandy art initiatives.[27] His approach underscores the vital role museums play in addressing pressing global challenges, including the climate crisis, by fostering spaces for public engagement and protest.[28]
Klaus Biesenbach's lifestyle reflects his deep-rooted non-materialism and focus on the essentials.[29] He is known for living in minimalist spaces,[30] devoid of excess, where every object serves a purpose or holds personal meaning. His homes, whether in Los Angeles or New York,[31] are curated with a stark simplicity, emphasizing functionality[32] and the presence of art over material accumulation. Biesenbach's approach to living underscores his belief in the value of experiences and intellectual engagement over the pursuit of material possessions, aligning with his broader philosophy of intentional living and his dedication to the arts.[33]
In addition, Biesenbach received theInternational Association of Art Critics (AICA) award for the exhibitions Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present,Pipilotti Rist: Pour Your Body Out (7354 Cubic Meters), andFassbinder: Berlin Alexanderplatz. He also received AICA awards for co-curating the exhibitionsKenneth Anger, 100 Years (version #2, ps1, nov 2009), and Roth Time: ADieter Roth Retrospective and100 Years (version #2 PS1, Nov 2009) at MoMA PS1 and MoMA QNS, as well asKenneth Anger (2009) at MoMA PS1 and100 Years (version #2 PS1, Nov 2009) at MoMA PS1 and MoMA QNS, as well asKenneth Anger (2009) at MoMA PS1.
Our Space to Help: Fundraiser at the Neue Nationalgalerie, initiated by Klaus Biesenbach, in collaboration withAnne Imhof andOlafur Eliasson (2022)[82]
»Sound in the Garden«, series of events with MARYAM.fyi, caner tekker: KIRKPINAR, Älice, Wandermüd, Imran Ayata & Bülent Kullukcu with Cavidan Ünal, and Deep Gold Band[90]
Reference Festival x Neue Nationalgalerie: Transition (2023)[91]
Dialog imBode Museum mitIsa Genzken,Klaus vom Bruch, Svetlana und Igor Kopystiansky, Strawalde, Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Bode-Museum Berlin (1992)[95]
Christo vor der Verhüllung, Marstall Berlin with Gabriele Muschter (1993)
Deutschland wird Deutscher, a project throughout Berlin organized in collaboration withKatharina Sieverding andUdK (1993)
Klaus Biesenbach, Neville Wakefield and Cornelia Butler: Greater New York 2010. New York: MoMA PS1, 2010.ISBN978-0-9841776-2-2
Klaus Biesenbach, Agustin Perez Rubio,Beatrix Ruf and Ugo Rondinone: The Night of Lead: Ugo Rondinone. Edited by Beatrix Ruf, Osterlilden:Hatje Cantz, 2010.ISBN978-3-7757-9006-2
Klaus Biesenbach and Mark Godfrey (Ed.): A Story of Deception: Francis Alÿs. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2009.ISBN978-0-87070-790-2
Klaus Biesenbach (Ed.): The Artist is Present: Marina Abramović. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2009.ISBN978-0-87070-747-6
Klaus Biesenbach: Henry Darger. München/New York: Prestel, 2009.ISBN978-3-7913-4210-8
Klaus Biesenbach, Michael Aupingen, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Cornelia H. Butler, Judith B. Hecker and William Kentridge: Five Themes: William Kentridge. Edited by Mark Rosenthal, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 2009.ISBN978-0-300-15048-3
Klaus Biesenbach, Kelly Taylor and Jonathan Horowitz: And/Or. Edited by Lionel Bovier, Zürich: JRP Ringer, 2009.ISBN978-3-03764-018-0
Klaus Biesennbach (Ed.): Political, Minimal. Nürnberg: Verlag für moderne Kunst, 2009.ISBN978-3-941185-07-4
Klaus Biesenbach, Marina Abramović, Chrissie Iles and Kristine Stiles: Marina Abramović. New York: Phaidon, 2008.ISBN978-0-7148-4802-0
Klaus Biesenbach, Daniel Birnbaum, Jenny Dirksen, Philipp Fürnkäs, Kaye Geipel and Ulrike Groos: Julia Stoschek Collection Number One: Destroy, she said. Osterfilden: Hatje Cantz, 2008.ISBN978-3-7757-2231-5
Klaus Biesenbach, Peter Eleey, Glenn Lowry and Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers: Doug Aitken. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2007.ISBN978-0-87070-045-3
Klaus Biesenbach: Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Berlin Alexanderplatz. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2007.ISBN978-3-8296-0253-2
Klaus Biesenbach, Georges Bataille and Susan Sontag: Into Me / Out of Me. Edited by Klaus Biesenbach, Ostfilden: Hatje Cantz 2007.ISBN978-3-7757-2041-0
Klaus Biesenbach: In Bildern denken – Kunst, Medien und Ethik: Ist die Kunst den Medien noch gewachsen?. Regensburg: Lindinger + Schmid Kunstprojekte und Verlag, 2007.ISBN978-3-929970-66-1
Klaus Biesenbach and Alanna Heiss (Ed.): Close-Ups: Katharina Sieverding. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2005.ISBN978-3-9804265-5-8
Klaus Biesenbach, Alanna Heiss and Anthony Huberman (Ed.): Animations. New York: P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, 2003.ISBN978-3-9804265-0-3
Klaus Biesenbach, Mary Lea Bandy and Laurence Kardish (Ed.): Motion Pictures: Andy Warhol. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2005.ISBN978-3-9804265-4-1
Klaus Biesenbach (Ed.): Greater New York 2005. New York: P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center 2005.ISBN978-0-87070-987-6
Klaus Biesenbach and Matthew Monahan: Fragile Kingdom: Lara Schniger. Amsterdam: Artimo, 2005.ISBN978-90-8546-001-5
Klaus Biesenbach, Vanessa Adler, Ellen Blumenstein and Felix Ensslin (Ed.): Zur Vorstellung des Terror: RAF. Göttingen: Steidl, 2005.ISBN978-3-86521-102-6
Klaus Biesenbach, Christine Hill and Barbara Steiner: Christine Hill. Berlin: Eigen+Art/ KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 1995.
Klaus Biesenbach and Harald Fricke (Ed.): Joseph Kosuth. Berlin Chronicle – A Temporary Media Monument for Walter Benjamin. Berlin: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 1994.
"Klaus Biesenbach Recalls the Founding of KW in Berlin 25 Years Ago, a Moment of 'Radical Change and Freedom'," ARTNews, Nov. 25, 2016[108]
Klaus Biesenbach has also contributed texts to exhibition catalogs as well as edited volumes, and he has published articles in art journals, includingArt & Australia,Artforum International, andFlash Art International. He wrote the monthly column "Erdkunde" for the German art magazineMonopol.
^"Andy Warhol".Prestel Publishing. Retrieved12 August 2024.
^Warhol, Andy (2024). Biesenbach, Klaus (ed.).Andy Warhol - Velvet rage and beauty: Neue Nationalgalerie, June 9 - October 6, 2024. Nationalgalerie. Munich London New York: Prestel.ISBN978-3-7913-7765-0.