When Dianne Vanderlip announced her retirement after nearly 30 years as founding curator of modern and contemporary art, the Denver Art Museum faced the question of how to replace someone who has become an institution locally and beyond.
The answer came Wednesday, and the museum looked across the ocean to Germany, hiring Christoph Heinrich, chief curator of contemporary art, collections and exhibitions at the Hamburg Kunsthalle in Germany. He will begin his duties in September.
“The opportunity to have someone come from abroad and bring that broader perspective and those relationships to the Denver Art Museum – I think it’s so exciting,” said director Lewis Sharp.
Heinrich, who was born in Frankfurt in 1960 and earned a doctorate from Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität München, possesses a vast range of international experience with artists, collectors and museums.
He has organized more than 40 exhibitions during his 12-year curatorial career, including “Andy Warhol – Photography” (1999), which traveled to the United States. In addition, he has contributed to a range of books and other publications, including “Family Values: American Art in the Eighties and Nineties” (1997).
Heinrich attended the inauguration of the Denver Art Museum’s $110 million addition last year and became enamored with the institution and city.
“My wife Kira and I came for the opening last October, and we were enthralled by the whole situation: a breathtaking new museum, a great collection with a lot of artists I highly appreciate and a very passionate staff – and audience,” he said via e-mail.
Sharp placed Heinrich’s hiring among the most important decisions he has made during his 18-year tenure.
“Dianne is one of the major personalities in the history of this institution,” he said. “The challenge of replacing her and, then, the opportunity of replacing her – it’s enormous.”
Since arriving in 1978, Vanderlip not only oversaw the creation of a collection that numbers more than 5,000 objects, she also became a major figure on the international scene.
“I think Dianne did a wonderful job, and it will be quite a challenge to follow her,” Heinrich said. “The collection has strong legs to stand on.”
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
