Dr. Klaus Ottmann Appointed Adjunct Curator

Parrish Art Museum Executive Director Mónica Ramírez-Montagut, Ph.D., announced the recent appointment of Dr. Klaus Ottmann as Adjunct Curator of the Collection as of May 1. Previously the Robert Lehman Curator at the Parrish (2008 to 2010), Ottmann will work with Ramírez-Montagut and the curatorial team to reevaluate the museum’s guidelines on acquiring new work, and organize annual exhibitions based on the Parrish permanent collection and art and artists of the East End.

“It’s exciting for me to be back at the Parrish — particularly at this historic moment as the museum celebrates its 125th anniversary — working strategically on its collection with Mónica and Corinne to launch new initiatives to strengthen and diversify its renowned collection,” said Ottmann.

This summer, he is guest curator of “James Brooks: A Painting Is a Real Thing,” opening August 6 at the museum. In 2013, Ottmann organized two exhibitions shown at the Parrish and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia: the critically acclaimed “Jennifer Bartlett: History of the Universe — Works 1970–2011,” and “Savages: Pollock, Ossorio, Dubuffet.”

“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Klaus Ottmann to the Parrish curatorial team,” said Ramirez-Montagut. “He brings scholarly and academic depth to our institution, extraordinary wealth of knowledge specific to the artists in our collection, and an unparalleled vision of excellence.”

“Through his contributions to exhibitions and publications, Klaus Ottmann’s history with the Parrish makes him an invaluable member of the curatorial department,” said Corinne Erni, Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Chief Curator of Art and Education, and Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs. “I look forward to working with him on growing a robust collection, and on exhibitions that will increase the Museum’s relevance on the East End and in the global art world.”

As Adjunct Curator of the Collection, Ottmann will propose and spearhead temporary exhibitions focusing on works from the collection in dialogue with contemporary and historical artists and themes. For acquisitions, he will focus on developing strategies that deepen and broaden the scope of the museum’s holdings of significant artists through the lens of DEAI (Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion); participate in the museum’s Collections Committee; and reestablish the Parrish Collector’s Circle.

“James Brooks: A Painting Is a Real Thing,” which runs August 6 to October 15 at the Parrish, is a comprehensive survey of Brooks’s seven-decade career, comprising over 100 paintings, prints, and works on paper drawn from public and private U.S. collections. The first full-scale retrospective organized in some 35 years, the exhibition will provide an overdue reappraisal of the artist who boldly disrupted any tendency toward repeated formula or purely formal decisions in his work, extending the vitality and validity of Abstract Expressionism well beyond its textbook limits. “A Painting Is a Real Thing” will be accompanied by a fully-illustrated 176-page catalogue with interpretive essays by Dr. Ottmann and Mike Solomon, plus a detailed chronology and bibliography.

The Parrish Art Museum is at 279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill. Visit parrishart.org for more information on the museum.