The Basel Art Museum is to become a place of the living present
Published: Wednesday, Apr 24th 2024, 18:10
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The new director of the Basel Art Museum, Elena Filipovic, wants to turn the traditional museum into a place of the living present. In her first special exhibition, she will present Medardo Rosso, a pioneer of modern sculpture.
Filipovic, who has been Director of the Kunstmuseum Basel since April 1, told the media on Thursday that she had only been in the job for a few weeks. It is a great honor that she has been able to take on this position in this wonderful museum.
She first visited a museum at the age of 15, Filipovic continues. It was love at first sight. She believes in the museum as an institution. She believes that museums should be open institutions and not mausoleums or monuments. She wanted to transfer her experience as a curator of institutions and contemporary art projects to a museum that brings together unique art treasures from over 500 years of art history.
She intends to usher in an era of change, to rethink the museum to a certain extent, but without throwing everything overboard, she said. At a time when everything is becoming more complex, the art museum must be a place where the present is lived.
With this in mind, she will initially tackle new additions to the collection of art dating back to the 1960s in the new building. She also wants to break new ground with blockbuster exhibitions: "There are more than just the same five names that are always mentioned in this context," she said in June 2023 after announcing her election.
Pioneer of modern sculpture
She brought in a new name for Basel for her first special exhibition scheduled for spring 2025: Medardo Rosso (1858-1929). The Italian-French sculptor and photographer is considered one of the inventors of modern sculpture alongside his much better-known contemporary Auguste Rodin. With his original busts and sculptures, Rosso defied all conventions of traditional sculpture.
Not only artistic challenges await the new 51-year-old director - as Helfenstein's successor, she will have big shoes to fill. Her time as director will also include the comprehensive renovation of the main building from 2027, which will result in the building being closed for three to four years.
Filipovic studied art history at Princeton University in the USA and graduated with a doctorate on Marcel Duchamp. From 2014 to 2024, she was Director and Chief Curator of Kunsthalle Basel, where she realized numerous internationally acclaimed exhibitions.
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