Wulf Herzogenrath

Prof. Dr. Wulf Herzogenrath (1944–2026) was among the most influential curators and art historians in the German-speaking world in the fields of video art and the Bauhaus. After studying art history, classical archaeology, and folklore studies in Kiel, Berlin, and Bonn, and completing his doctorate on Oskar Schlemmer in 1970, he became director of the Kölnischer Kunstverein in 1973 at the age of twenty-eight, shaping the institution until 1989. In 1976, he organized the first European solo exhibition of Nam June Paik there; at documenta 6 (1977) and documenta 8 (1987), he was responsible for the video art section. In 1989, he was appointed chief curator of the Nationalgalerie Berlin and developed the concept for the Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart at Hamburger Bahnhof. From 1994 to 2011, he directed the Kunsthalle Bremen; from 2012 to 2021, he served as director of the Visual Arts Section of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin.

Herzogenrath had been closely connected to the ZKM since its founding phase: in 1995, he was a member of the jury for the Siemens Media Art Award, which the ZKM presented jointly with the Siemens Arts Program. The project 40jahrevideokunst.de (2004–2006) was initiated by Herzogenrath; under the project leadership of the ZKM, it brought together five museums dedicated to the preservation and presentation of German video art, and Herzogenrath was a member of its curatorial selection committee.

In 2024, with funds from the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung and the Karin and Uwe Hollweg Foundation, the ZKM acquired a significant group of works by Nam June Paik from the Herzogenrath Collection. His working archive on Nam June Paik was donated to the ZKM.