Kasper König
- August 9, 2024
- 80 years
About Kasper König
Kasper König, 80, German museum director (Museum Ludwig) and curator.
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Full Biography
|Rudolf Hans "Kasper" König (German pronunciation: [ˈʁuː.dɔlf ˈhans ˈkas.pɐ ˈkøː.nɪç]; 21 November 1943 – 9 August 2024) was a German museum director and curator. He curated exhibitions of works by Claes Oldenburg and Andy Warhol in the 1960s, initiated the Skulptur Projekte Münster in the 1970s, founded the Portikus hall and became a professor at the Städelschule in Frankfurt in the 1980s, and was director of the Museum Ludwig in Cologne from 2000 to 2012.
Early life
Rudolf Hans König was born in Mettingen, Germany on 21 November 1943, the youngest of six children.
Career
König worked as a volunteer at the Rudolf Zwirner gallery in Cologne in 1962, focused on pop art and other current art. In 1963 he moved to London where he worked for galleries Annely Juda and Robert Fraser, and also attended lectures in art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art. He was set-up assistant at the Documenta III in 1964, on a recommendation by Arnold Bode.
In 1965, he travelled to New York City, as a courier on behalf of the Robert Fraser Gallery, where he then lived intermittently until 1978. He adopted the given name Kasper in the mid-1960s. He worked on exhibition and publication projects for European museums and as an art dealer. He established contacts with artists including Carl Andre, Richard Artschwager, Hanne Darboven, Dan Graham, On Kawara, Sol LeWitt, Gordon Matta-Clark, Bruce Nauman, Claes Oldenburg and Andy Warhol. He attended lectures in anthropology at the New School in New York City.
König was an assistant to Oldenburg, and he represented Stockholm's Moderna Museet in New York. He curated his first exhibition with works by Oldenburg at the Moderna Museet in 1966. In 1968 he founded a publishing firm together with his brother Walter. In 1969, he curated a major exhibition of works by Warhol in Stockholm.
From 1973 to 1975, König taught as an associate professor at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, Canada. Also in 1973, he founded a publishing firm there, Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, publishing a series of art books names Source Materials of the Contemporary Arts. Invited by Klaus Bußmann [de] from Münster, he initiated and directed Skulptur Projekte Münster in 1977, an exhibition of large sculptured in public space in the town, which has been held regularly in a cycle of ten years, and is regarded as one of the most important open-air exhibitions of the world.
König became professor at the Düsseldorf Art Academy in 1985. He founded Portikus, an exhibition hall for contemporary art in Frankfurt, in 1987. He taught as professor at the Städelschule in Frankfurt from 1988 to 2000, heading it as its rector from 1989. From 2000 to 2012, he was director of the Museum Ludwig in Cologne.
Personal life
König was married to Ilka Schellenberg who was the daughter of Walter Schellenberg. Their son is the New York City-based art gallerist Leo Koenig. He was later married to the actress Edda Köchl-König [de]. Their son Johann König is a Berlin-based art dealer. The marriage ended in divorce. His third wife, Barbara Weiss, a gallerist from Berlin, died in 2016. His fourth wife was Heidi Specker. König lived in New York, Antwerp, Frankfurt, Cologne, and finally in Berlin.
König died in Berlin on 9 August 2024, at the age of 80.
Legacy
Before his death, König donated around 50 works from his art collection to Museum Ludwig, including pieces by Pawel Althamer, Maria Eichhorn, Isa Genzken, Dan Graham, Thomas Hirschhorn, Jenny Holzer, Richard Long and Jeremy Deller. In 2024, shortly after his death, around 400 works sold from König's private holdings – including works by Richard Artschwager, Thomas Bayrle, William Copley, On Kawara and Sigmar Polke – raised around €6 million ($6.5 million) during a series of sales that took place at the headquarters of Van Ham auction house in Cologne. Kawara’s May 7, 1967, the sale’s top lot, went for €1.06 million with fees, setting a record for one of the artist’s date-centered works
Exhibitions
- 1966: Claes Oldenburg, at Moderna Museet in Stockholm
- 1968: Andy Warhol, Stockholm
- 1973: A. R. Penck
- 1974: On Kawara
- 1976: Aspects of Recent Art from Europe, Sperone Westwater Fischer, New York City
- 1976: Donald Judd
- 1976: Michael Asher
- 1981: Westkunst. Zeitgenössische Kunst seit 1939, Rheinhallen Cologne, with Laszlo Glozer
- 1984: von hier aus – Zwei Monate neue deutsche Kunst in Düsseldorf, hall 13 of the Messe Düsseldorf
- 1993: Der zerbrochene Spiegel, Kunsthalle Wien, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, with Hans Ulrich Obrist
- 1993: Gerhard Richter
- 1997: Gregor Schneider
- 1997: Sultan's Pool, Jerusalem Biennale
- 2000: Art program of the Expo 2000 in Hanover
- 2003: Austrian pavilion at the 50th Venice Biennale
- 2014: (as chief curator) Manifesta 10, Saint Petersburg
Awards
- 2000: Award for Curatorial Excellence from the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College
- 2005: Honorary doctorate Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax
- 2009: Lifetime Achievement Award from the Guggenheim Foundation
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Articles & News
- zeit.de"Kunstsammler: Kurator Kasper König ist tot"
- faz.net" "Einer der ganz Großen" – Kasper König gestorben"
Reported coverage of Kasper König; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasper_K%C3%B6nig
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Kasper König's archived record and the sources above.
1.When did Kasper König curate his first exhibition featuring works by Claes Oldenburg?
- A.1972
- B.1969
- C.1963
- D.1966correct
Kasper König curated his first exhibition with works by Oldenburg at the Moderna Museet in 1966.
Source: Career section
2.Who was Kasper König's third wife?
- A.Barbara Weisscorrect
- B.Heidi Specker
- C.Ilka Schellenberg
- D.Edda Köchl
Kasper König's third wife was Barbara Weiss, a gallerist from Berlin who died in 2016.
Source: Personal life section
3.What was the total approximate value of the art sold from Kasper König's private holdings in 2024?
- A.€4 million
- B.€10 million
- C.€6 millioncorrect
- D.€2 million
The sale of around 400 works from Kasper König's private holdings raised approximately €6 million.
Source: Legacy section
4.In which German town was Kasper König born?
- A.Frankfurt
- B.Cologne
- C.Mettingencorrect
- D.Berlin
Kasper König was born in Mettingen, Germany, on 21 November 1943.
Source: Early life section
5.What role did Kasper König hold at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne?
- A.Head of security
- B.Chief donor
- C.Museum directorcorrect
- D.Public relations manager
Kasper König served as the director of the Museum Ludwig in Cologne from 2000 to 2012.
Source: Career section
6.During which year did Kasper König work as a volunteer at the Rudolf Zwirner gallery in Cologne?
- A.1962correct
- B.1960
- C.1958
- D.1964
Kasper König worked as a volunteer at the Rudolf Zwirner gallery in Cologne in 1962.
Source: Career section
7.When did Kasper König adopt the name Kasper?
- A.In the early 1970s
- B.In the early 1950s
- C.In the mid-1960scorrect
- D.In the late 1980s
Kasper König adopted the given name Kasper in the mid-1960s.
Source: Career section
8.Who recommended Kasper König to be a set-up assistant at the Documenta III in 1964?
- A.Arnold Bodecorrect
- B.Klaus Bußmann
- C.Walter König
- D.Rudolf Zwirner
Kasper König was a set-up assistant at the Documenta III in 1964 on a recommendation by Arnold Bode.
Source: Career section
9.Which institution did Kasper König serve as an associate professor at from 1973 to 1975?
- A.Nova Scotia College of Art and Designcorrect
- B.Courtauld Institute of Art
- C.Städelschule
- D.Düsseldorf Art Academy
Kasper König taught as an associate professor at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, Canada, from 1973 to 1975.
Source: Career section
10.What is the name of the recurring exhibition Kasper König initiated in Münster in 1977?
- A.Manifesta
- B.Documenta
- C.Westkunst
- D.Skulptur Projekte Münstercorrect
Kasper König initiated Skulptur Projekte Münster in 1977, an exhibition held in a cycle of ten years.
Source: Career section
11.Who was the father of Kasper König's first wife, Ilka Schellenberg?
- A.Walter Schellenbergcorrect
- B.Arnold Bode
- C.Hans König
- D.Klaus Bußmann
Kasper König was married to Ilka Schellenberg, who was the daughter of Walter Schellenberg.
Source: Personal life section
12.Which of these individuals was the son of Kasper König and his second wife, Edda Köchl-König?
- A.Walter König
- B.Thomas König
- C.Leo Koenig
- D.Johann Königcorrect
Johann König is the son of Kasper König and the actress Edda Köchl-König.
Source: Personal life section
13.In which city did Kasper König die?
- A.Cologne
- B.Frankfurt
- C.New York City
- D.Berlincorrect
Kasper König died in Berlin on 9 August 2024 at the age of 80.
Source: Personal life section
14.What award did Kasper König receive from the Guggenheim Foundation in 2009?
- A.Foundation Prize
- B.Curatorial Excellence Award
- C.Lifetime Achievement Awardcorrect
- D.Distinguished Educator Award
Kasper König received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Guggenheim Foundation in 2009.
Source: Awards section
15.Which of these artists' works were sold from Kasper König's private holdings in 2024?
- A.Jenny Holzer
- B.Isa Genzken
- C.Thomas Hirschhorn
- D.Sigmar Polkecorrect
Works by Sigmar Polke were among those sold from Kasper König's private holdings after his death.
Source: Legacy section
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