MAN OF VISION.

JENNIFER ALLEN ON UDO KITTELMANN

The fact that Udo Kittelmann--who takes over as director of Frankfurt's Museum fur Moderne Kunst (MMK) in January--was schooled as an optician rather than an art historian has not escaped the exacting eye :of the German press. Upon his appointment last February, newspaper reports invariably noted the unconventional background, but any lingering doubts about credentials were altogether dispelled this summer: As commissioner for the German pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Kittelmann's prescience with regard to contemporary art enjoyed a very public demonstration when Gregor Schneider went on to win the Golden Lion, the exhibition's top prize.

Kittelmann follows founding director Jean Christophe Ammann, who retired after ten years at the helm. The choice did not surprise German art world, which has long respected Kittelmann's curatorial acumen. An independent curator in the '80s (while still writing spectacle prescriptions), he was named director of the Forum Kunst in Rottweil in 1991, and a short stint as head of the Kunstverein in Ludwigsburg preceded his current tenure as director of the Kolnischer Kunstverein. There, Kittelmann has chosen art that crowds--literally. In 1996, Rirkrit Tiravanija built a facsimile of his New York apartment in the museum and held sleepovers; last year, Michel Majerus's muraled half-pipe transformed the exhibition hall Into an arena for skateboarders. These works exemplify the "Ereigniskunst" (event art) that Kittelmann champions, describing Its desired effect this way: "Atmosphere binds spectators to a work; aura creates distance. When the two are brought together, something else happens--first emotional, then inte llectual."

And what effects does Kittelmann hope to provoke at MMK? Exhibition plans are yet to be announced, but the soon-to-be director has promised to take advantage of Hans Hollein's impressive building, which locals have baptized a "piece of cake" on account of its triangular shape. He also welcomes his first chance to manage a permanent collection--one that focuses exclusively on contemporary art. "The Stroher Collection, which forms the basis of the museum's holdings, begins in the '60s; it's just as old as I am," the forty-three-year-old Dusseldorf native noted. Thanks to Ammann, Kittelmann will have not only an exceptional building and collection at his disposal, but also well-stuffed coffers. Ammann recently secured additional funding from the city and initiated a corporate sponsorship program, increasing the museum's annual budget by DM1.8 million ($831,500). Kittelmann, who has a proven flair for financing, will no doubt raise the stakes.

Jennifer Allen is an art historian based in Berlin.