Barbara Clausen Appointed Rector of Städelschule and Director of Portikus

The Hessian Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts (HMWK) and the Board of the Hochschule für Bildende Künste–Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main are proud to announce the appointment of Prof. Dr. Barbara Clausen to the position of Rector of the Städelschule and Director of Portikus for a five-year term, beginning October 1, 2024.

Clausen succeeds Yasmil Raymond who held the office from 2020 to 2024. On behalf of the Konvent of Städelschule, Prof. Gerard Byrne would like to thank Yasmil Raymond for her tenure as rector of the school: “Raymond provided fearless leadership amidst the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic and has since rejuvenated affiliations with our fellow art schools across Europe through the ambitious project Gasthof in 2022, as well as initiating a new professorship in Cohabitation and a series of wonderful guest professorships. Raymond leaves Städelschule in a healthy space.”

Clausen (b. 1970, Austria) brings with her over two decades of experience as a curator, educator, and art historian. Her academic leadership and research projects are deeply dedicated to relationship building, fostering intergenerational knowledge, dialogue, and experimentation. Byrne continues, “We would like to express our collective excitement that Barbara Clausen will take up the tenure of Rector this autumn. Clausen has an internationally recognized profile as an art historian of the highest caliber, as well as an exciting body of curatorial work engaging contemporary art practices through the prism of previous artistic legacies. Clausen has a track record of working closely with students and with institution building. Her professional interests and her wide international experience make her an ideal candidate to lead the Städelschule into the future.”

Clausen, who has come to know Frankfurt during her time as the Chillida Chair Visiting Professor at the Institute of Art History at Goethe-University Frankfurt in 2023, is excited to shape the future of the school with the students, faculty, and team, stating “Städelschule—with its long and rich history, far reaching international network, independent status, and commitment to experimentation and research—is unique in its dedication to art as an expanded field of practices. I believe art education is a collective and collaborative process that has the power to create inclusive spaces and ways of thinking that critically reflect and shape the present—as well as the past and the future.”

Dr. Ina Hartwig, Deputy Mayor in charge of Culture and Science of the city of Frankfurt, states: “I am delighted that we can welcome Barbara Clausen to Frankfurt. She will greatly contribute to assuring the artistic support and well-being of students, faculty, and employees and forge alliances with respective communities on a local, regional, national, and international level and expand the field of art education and curatorial studies.”

Photo: Julia Marois