„I live and breathe in the artists world“
(Isabel Bernheimer)
Photo: (c) Kareen Kittelmann
In 2014 Isabel Bernheimer founded the contemporary artist agency Bernheimer Contemporary and ventures beyond the traditional profession of a gallerist. With the agency she developed a differentiated model suiting today’s global art market and the highly complex forms of production artist face now. With its integrative approach, Bernheimer Contemporary promotes cooperations with organizations, artists, galleries, museums and corporations permanently seeking novel ways for contextualizing and conveying contemporary art in the 21st century.
„The White Cube now becomes an option among many others. Today, artists work in a global multimedia environment at multiple locations for short time-spans with varied partners, from museums to collectors and companies. Depending on the topic and the project, artists employ different kinds of formats simultaneously. I see myself as a presenter, manager and producer of the concepts and ideas of the artist, but also as a translator in dialogue with the partners and their ideas.“
Isabel is uniquely positioned to successfully launch Bernheimer Contemporary due to her well-trained eye, familiarized with the highest quality since her early childhood and the fifteen years of working in the international contemporary art world. From an early stage on, she was already managing major projects. As the assistant to the registrar of Haus der Kunst in Munich for the spectacular exhibition „Lala Land Parodie Paradise“ from Paul McCarthy, she was responsible for transport, insurance, customs, assembly and dismantling, logistics and communication between artists and technical teams. From 2005 through 2007 she was responsible for all organizational and administrative processes of the three galleries of London Hauser & Wirth, from where she continued until 2009 to the Berlin gallery, owned by Esther Schipper. From 2009 through 2011, she was head of organization for the coordination of loans for the gigantic exhibition „WeltWissen. 300 Jahre Wissenschaften in Berlin“ at the Martin-Gropius-Bau with over 1600 objects and 210 lenders, and until 2012 heading the organization of the administration for the KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin and for the Berlin Biennale 2012. Isabel’s greatest passion, however, is the close cooperation artists. „I live and breathe their world.“After exhibiting Jan Kuck’s contemporary artwork „Broken promises“ in the Vanitas exhibition, Isabel Bernheimer was invited to show it on the Fine Old Masters fair Highlights in Munich. The contemporary artwork was shown in combination with an old master, also attributing to the family background of Isabel Bernheimer – working in contemporary art and having a father dealing with fine old masters. When Ernst Freiberger spotted this unique approach, he offered Isabel an exceptional space at the Residenz Monbijou in the very center of Berlin next to Bodemuseum. Thanks to his kind support, Bernheimer Contemporary will opened on July 10, 2015, with Isabel’s Berlin exhibition premiere “Who Cares? Social Responsibility in Contemporary Art.”
