The Fondation Beyeler and the Fondation Chanel Culture have appointed the first Director of the Chanel Botanical Collection, setting a new model for how museums interact with the natural environment and elevate nature as part of their collections.
Rahel Kesselring, a researcher at Humboldt University Berlin who studies regeneration and rewilding practices in contemporary art, will take over the position effective November 1. The curation, a first for a major arts institution, extends the museum’s programming beyond its galleries and into the surrounding landscape.
Kesselring will work with artists, scientists, and the foundation’s curatorial and educational teams to develop conservation plans for the museum’s flora and fauna and oversee public programs centered on ecology and sustainability. This role builds on the vision of founders Ernst and Hildy Beyeler, who believed that art and nature were equally important to the museum’s mission.
“This is a moment we’ve been moving toward for a long time,” said Sam Keller, director of the Beyeler Foundation. “The creation of the position of Curator of Botany – the first of its kind – is more than just a new position. It is a recognition that nature is not the context in which we work, but a living part of it.”
Adjacent to a nature reserve and overlooking the Black Forest foothills, the Fondation Beyeler Park has hosted site-specific works by the duo Christo, Fischli and Weiss, Olafur Eliasson, Precious Okoyomen and Fujiko Nakatani. With Kesselring’s appointment, the museum formally commits to a curatorial form that treats the landscape itself as an evolving exhibition space.
Yana Peel, global head of arts and culture at Chanel, said: “Nature has long been one of the greatest sources of artistic inspiration; our founders shared a deep passion for both.” art news. “The appointment of the first Chanel Botanical Curator marks a seminal moment in a time when art and nature have never been more important for joy, health and community. We look forward to working with Fondation Beyeler to expand our curatorial expertise beyond the gallery and into the natural environment.”
