The Blanton Museum of Art Hannah Klemm as curator of modern and contemporary art. Currently associate curator of modern and contemporary art at the Saint Louis Art Museum, Klemm will join the Blanton in April. She succeeds Veronica Roberts, who last year was named director of the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University.
At the Saint Louis Art Museum, Klemm curates the museum’s longstanding Currents series of new works by contemporary artists,in addition to the New Media Series, a showcase of single-channel video works in the museum’s media gallery. She has co-organized such major exhibitions as Storm of Progress: German Art after 1800 from the Saint Louis Art Museum, Oliver Lee Jackson, Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis, Sun Xun: Time Spy, and the forthcoming The Culture: Hip-Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. Prior to her role at the Saint Louis Art Museum, Klemm held curatorial fellowships at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Smart Museum of Art. She holds a doctorate in Art History from the University of Chicago and a master’s in Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art.
“We are delighted for Hannah Klemm to join the Blanton at this transformational moment, as we begin to welcome visitors to experience the museum in a new, expanded way,” said director Simone Wicha. “She brings a passion for contemporary art bolstered by rigorous knowledge in art history and strong professional expertise—plus a commitment to engaging audiences through unexpected and unique experiences with art.”
At the Blanton Klemm will oversee the presentation and development of the Blanton’s collection of U.S. and international modern and contemporary art. She will also manage and develop sound art commissions for the museum’s forthcoming Butler Sound Gallery, an outdoor space in the Blanton’s new grounds dedicated to sound art, the first of its kind at a major museum.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the exceptional team at the Blanton at such an exciting time for the museum,” said Klemm. “It’s clear that everyone at the Blanton is dedicated to creating culturally responsive programming that is collaborative, diverse, and inclusive and that showcases contemporary art, from established to cutting edge, within the broader context of art history.”
