Catherine David

David studied Spanish and Portuguese literature, linguistics and art history at the Université de la Sorbonne and the École du Louvre in Paris from 1972 to 1980.{{Cite web |title=Catherine David - biography. documenta 10, 1997 |url=https://universes.art/en/documenta/1997/catherine-david |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=universes.art |language=en}}

From 1981 to 1990 David was a curator at the National Museum of Modern Art (Musée National d'Art Moderne), Centre Pompidou, Paris.{{cite web|url=http://universes-in-universe.de/doc/e_david.htm |title=Catherine David biographical data| publisher= universes-in-universe.de | accessdate=2014-09-04}}

She curated a number of exhibitions at the museum including "Jean Pierre Bertrand" (1985), "Reinhard Mucha" (1986), "L’Epoque, La Mode, La Moral, La Passion" (1987), and "Passages de L’Image"(1990).

From 1990 to 1994, she worked at the National Gallery of the Jeu de Paume (Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume), also in Paris, where she organized several solo and group exhibitions including: "Reinhard Mucha, Passages de l'image"; "Stan Douglas: Monodramas and Television Spots"; "Marcel Broodthaers"; "Hélio Oiticica"; "Eva Hesse"; "Jeff Wall and Chantal Ackerman: D'Est", among others.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/02/arts/a-paris-museum-reopens-in-a-new-guise.html |title='A Paris Museum Reopens in a New Guise'|publisher=New York Times|date=2 July 1991| accessdate=2014-09-04}} In the 1990s, she took part to a worldwide movement with Okwui Enwezor, judging art according to natural disasters, migration policies and gender war.{{cite journal |last1=Hengevoss-Dürkop|first1=Kerstin|date=2004|title=About Flesh|journal=Beaux-Arts Magazine|issue=special "Philippe Pasqua"}}

In 1994 David was appointed artistic director of documenta X in Kassel, staged in the summer of 1997.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/17/arts/2-top-art-shows-select-french-directors.html | title=Smith, Roberta, '2 Top Art Shows Select French Directors,' New York Times|date=17 March 1994 | publisher=nytimes.com | accessdate=2014-09-04}} She made headlines in the international art world with her original approach to documenta, where she brought her cross-sector discipline to the exhibition, inviting writers, sociologists and architects, as well as artists, to speak over the 100-day exhibition.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/16/travel/a-taste-of-the-zeitgeist.html | title=Cotter, Holland, 'A Taste of The Zeitgeist,' New York Times|date=16 March 1997 | publisher= nytimes.com | accessdate=2014-09-04}} For the first time a website was conceived as a part of the exhibition, curate by the artist and Swiss curator Simon Lamunière. Documenta X still is one of the most relevant major exhibitions of the 20th Century, a place where the ideas of Center and Periphery, Modern and Pre-Modern could be examined and understood.{{Cite web |title=Statements by Catherine David, and comments|url=https://universes.art/en/documenta/1997/statements-comments |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=universes.art |language=en-US}} Catherine David lead the way to show what "political art" means, and inspired the programme of a good number of museums around Europe in the early 21st Century.{{Cite news |last=Allen |first=Jennifer |date=2012-05-31 |title=documenta – Looking Back and Ahead |language=en |work=Frieze |issue=5 |url=https://www.frieze.com/article/documenta-%E2%80%93%C2%A0blick-zur%C3%BCck-nach-vorn |access-date=2022-05-12 |issn=0962-0672}}

In 1999, David went on to curate the film and video program of the XXIV Biennial of São Paulo. The following year she organized "The State of Things" for the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin. In 2002, she took over as Director of the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam where she remained until 2004.{{cite web|url=http://artdaily.com/news/12068/Curator-Catherine-David-Leaves-Witte-de-With | title='Curator Catherine David leaves Witte de With,' Artdaily | publisher= artdaily.com | accessdate=2014-09-04}} David was a Guest professor in 2004 and 2005 at the Humboldt University in Berlin, and she was a fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin in 2005 and 2006.{{Cite web |date=2008-09-13 |title=The Walters Prize 2008 |url=https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/whats-on/exhibition/the-walters-prize-2008 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Auckland Art Gallery |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Catherine Aimée David |url=https://elmuseoreimaginado.com/en/orador/catherine-aimee-david/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=elmuseoreimaginado.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Catherine David |url=https://ccs.bard.edu/people/2313-catherine-david |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=CCS Bard |language=en}} Over several years, she was chief curator of the Musées de France (French Museum Board). She was also artistic director of the 2009 Lyon Biennale.{{cite web | url=http://www.flashartonline.com/interno.php?pagina=news_det&id=245&det=ok&title=Catherine-David-to-curate-Lyon-2009 | title='Catherine David to curate Lyon 2009'| publisher=flashartonline.com | accessdate=2014-09-04 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819194926/http://www.flashartonline.com/interno.php?pagina=news_det | archivedate=August 19, 2014 | df=mdy-all }}{{cite web|url=http://www.e-flux.com/announcements/catherine-david-as-curator-for-2009/ | title='Catherine David as Curator for 2009,' e-flux|date=1 October 2009 | publisher= e-flux.com | accessdate=2014-09-04}}

Turning her focus to the Middle East, David became Director of the long-term project "Contemporary Arab Representations" (Représentations Arabes Contemporaines ) in 1998, an initiative presenting contemporary Middle East and Arab artists, first shown at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies in Barcelona.{{cite web|url=http://www.e-flux.com/announcements/contemporary-arab-representations-the-iraqui-equation/ | title='Contemporary Arab Representations. The Iraqui Equation,' Fundació Antoni Tàpies|date=25 April 2006 | publisher= e-flux.com | accessdate=2014-09-04}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2003/jun/17/artsfeatures | title=Searle, Adrian, 'Stop the racket,' The Guardian, June 17, 2003 | publisher= theguardian.com | accessdate=2014-09-04}} In 2006, she staged the exhibition "The Iraqi Equation" in Berlin and Barcelona.{{cite web |url=http://www.kw-berlin.de/en/exhibitions/contemporary_arab_representations_the_iraqi_equation_108 |title='Contemporary Arab Representations. The Arab Equation.' KW Berlin |publisher=kw-berlin.de |accessdate=2014-09-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054258/http://www.kw-berlin.de/en/exhibitions/contemporary_arab_representations_the_iraqi_equation_108 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }} In December 2007, she curated "DI / VISIONS. Culture and politics in the Middle East" at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, which aimed to break down the Western stereotype of Arab culture. In 2008, she received the Award for Curatorial Excellence from Bard College.{{Cite web |title=Ashkal Alwan - An Artist Talk by Hassan Sharif |url=https://www.ashkalalwan.org/program.php?category=4&id=119 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=www.ashkalalwan.org}} In 2009 she organized a retrospective in honor of the Iranian photographer Bahman Jalali, again at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Barcelona{{cite web | url= http://www.fundaciotapies.org/site/IMG/pdf/ddp_ang-2.pdf | title= 'Bahman Jalali', 28 September-9 December 2007, Fundació Antoni Tàpies | publisher= fundaciotapies.org | accessdate= 2014-09-04 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304050445/http://www.fundaciotapies.org/site/IMG/pdf/ddp_ang-2.pdf | archive-date= March 4, 2016 | url-status= dead }} and was artistic director of the first national presentation of the ADACH (Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage) at the Venice Biennale.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/jun/04/venice-biennale-united-arab-emirates | title=Higgins, Charlotte, 'United Arab Emerites confronts stereotypes in Venice Biennale debut,' The Guardian, June 4, 2009 | publisher= theguardian.com | accessdate=2014-09-04}} In March 2011 she organized Hassan Sharif's exhibition "Experiments & Objects 1979-2011" at the ADACH Exhibition hall in Abu Dhabi and launched the first monographic publication of the artist in Venice Biennale 2011.{{cite web|url= http://universes-in-universe.org/eng/nafas/articles/2011/hassan_sharif_abu_dhabi | title='Hassan Sharif, Experiments & Objects 1979-2011,' April 2011 | publisher= universes-in-universe.org | accessdate=2014-09-04}} In 2013, David presented "MARWAN – Early Works 1962-1972" at the Beirut Exhibition Center and at the Serralves Foundation in 2014.

In 2014 David curated "UNEDITED HISTORY, Iran 1960-2014" at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.{{cite web|url=http://www.mam.paris.fr/en/expositions/exposition-unedited-history | title='Unedited History, Iran 1960-2014,' Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris| publisher= mam.paris.fr | accessdate=2014-09-04}} Earlier in the year it was announced that David would be returning to Centre Pompidou with her appointment as the deputy director and head of global outreach for the National Museum of Modern Art (Musée National d'Art Moderne), replacing Catherine Grenier.{{cite web|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2014/01/22/catherine-david-nommee-directrice-adjointe-du-musee-national-d-art-moderne_4352073_3246.html | title=Lequeux, Emmanuel, 'Catherine David nommée directrice adjointe du Musée national d'art moderne,' Le Monde, January 22, 2014 | publisher= lemonde.fr | accessdate=2014-09-04}}

In 2016, she curated "Reframing Modernism" at the National Gallery Singapore. It was a collaboration with more than 200 art works from the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the National Gallery Singapore.{{Cite web |date=2021-03-06 |title=Catherine David |url=https://ntu.ccasingapore.org/contributor/catherine-david/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore |language=en-US}}

David was a member of the advisory committee of MACBA in Barcelona from 2015-2021.{{Cite web |last=Fernández@@VictorFdez_ |first=Víctor |date=2016-10-04 |title=El Macba enseña sus cartas |url=https://www.larazon.es/local/cataluna/el-macba-ensena-sus-cartas-BB13657363/ |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=La Razón |language=es}} She is member of the advisory committee of the Saradar Collection, devoted to Lebanese art from the contemporary and modern periods,{{cite web |url=http://www.saradar.com/English/SaradarCollection |title=Saradar Collection - Saradar Group |author= |year=2015 |work= |publisher=Saradar |accessdate=26 December 2016 |archive-date=May 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528183521/http://www.saradar.com/English/SaradarCollection |url-status=dead }} and of NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore directed by Ute Meta Bauer.{{Cite web |date=2021-03-02 |title=International Advisory Board |url=https://ntu.ccasingapore.org/international-advisory-board/ |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore |language=en-US}}

In 2018, David was among a group of more than 60 artists and art professionals who spoke out in an open letter against the suspension of Catherine de Zegher as director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent, after news reports revealed that the museum had put on a show including what may be fake artworks attributed to Russian avant-garde artists.Alex Greenberger (10 October 2018), [https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/open-letter-artists-art-professionals-decry-suspension-director-ghents-museum-fine-arts-11142/ In Open Letter, Artists and Art Professionals Decry Suspension of Director of Ghent’s Museum of Fine Arts] ARTnews. Accessed 14 January 2025.

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Category:1954 births

Category:Living people

Category:French art historians

Category:French art curators

Category:Directors of museums in France

Category:University of Paris alumni

Category:École du Louvre alumni

Category:Curators from Paris

Category:French women art historians

Category:French women museum directors

Category:French women curators