Draft:Hans Maria De Wolf

• Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Justyna Gajko Berckmans (talk) 21:35, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

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Hans Maria De Wolf

Hans Maria De Wolf (1961 – 2024) was a Belgian art historian, curator, and professor known for his scholarship on Marcel Duchamp, his role in advancing artistic research in higher education, and his work in international cultural diplomacy. He was a professor for art history and aesthetics at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and held a guest professorship at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing.

Education and Academic Career

De Wolf studied at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Columbia University in New York. In 2002, he obtained a doctorate with a comprehensive and innovative interpretation of The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (La mariée mise à nu par ses célibataires, même), also known as The Large Glass (Le Grand Verre) by Marcel Duchamp. Some of his ideas were published in various articles, like the posthumous publication “DECORUM or The Duchamp-Courbet Case: A Short Presentation Outlining a Fundamental Confrontation between the 19th and 20th Century, in which M. Broodthaers Intervenes in the Role of a Negotiator a posteriori," edited by MER. Books.

A film recording where he explains his vision on the Large Glass has been done with the support of Menuetto film and will be edited and further produced by a.p.r.e.s.

Between 1998 and 2004, De Wolf lived in Berlin where, after finishing his doctorate, he was involved in the development and realisation of various exhibition projects in the Neue Nationalgalerie im Hamburger Bahnhof, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Berlin as well as teaching theoretical art seminars at the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin. In 2004, he was appointed professor of art history and aesthetics at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. That same year, he was invited by the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels (BOZAR) as a senior consultant to the former CEO, Paul Dujardin, to further develop relations with Germany.

Brussels Arts Platform

In 2005, De Wolf was commissioned within the University Association of Brussels to set up the Arts Platform (known as the "Brussels model"). The aim was to create an institutional environment in which artists from the Schools of Arts of Erasmushogeschool Brussel (EhB)—the Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound and the Royal Conservatory—could conduct artistic research together with scientists at the VUB, including through doctorates in the arts.

De Wolf played a leading role in launching several research projects involving Belgian artists. His approach encouraged exchanges between artists and scientists. Examples include exchanges between Luc Tuymans and art historian Gottfried Boehm, and between composer Jean-Luc Hervé and philosopher Anne Cauquelin. De Wolf emphasised that artists should not be required to write an extensive theoretical text to obtain a doctoral degree, as their artistic practice should demonstrate their mastery. He withdrew from the project after six years.

Curatorial Work and International Projects

From 2009 onwards, De Wolf focused more on curating exhibitions and developing his idea of cultural diplomacy. He was commissioned by the Brussels Regional Government to create an exhibition project for the 2010 Shanghai Expo. He subsequently developed other projects according to a structure he developed:

• A concept or assignment for an exhibition project;
• Identification of partners in the host country, with attention to a specific societal theme relevant to both countries;
• An exhibition adapted to the local context, involving Belgian and local artists;
• Inclusion of students as guides, and organisation of conferences, seminars, and lectures;
• Creation of a sustainable network.

He presented exhibitions featuring Belgian artists in a number of cities including Beijing, Hangzhou, Seoul, Gwangju, and Chengdu. In 2018, he was appointed guest professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, where he gave seminars on Marcel Duchamp. He was appointed several times as guest curator in China for major exhibition projects. Unfortunately, a planned exhibition on Marcel Duchamp was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and De Wolf’s illness.

His last three exhibition projects took place in Belgium, amongst which a first retrospective of Géraldine Tobe.

Selected Projects

• Brussels Body Speech, Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai (2010)
• Jeff Wall: The Crooked Path, BOZAR, Brussels (2011)
• Wanderlust, Artsonje Center, Seoul (2012); Gwangju Museum of Art, Gwangju (2013); Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Chengdu (2013)
• Master Mould & Copy Room, CAFA Museum, Beijing (2014)
• Chinese Utopias Revisited – The Elephants, BOZAR, Brussels (2015)
• Forme e Anti Forme, Fonderia Artistica Battaglia, Milan (2015)
• The Revenge of the Common Place, Collateral exhibition of Flanders at the 56th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Venice (2015)
• Worlds of Words, Goods of Gods (Xu Bing), Triennale di Milano (2016)
• Gemischte Gefühle, Flughafen Tempelhof, Berlin (2017)
• Confusing Public and Private, 3rd Beijing Photo Biennial – guest curator (2018)
• JRSLM – Paradise Lost Again, VUB (Pilar/USquare), Brussels (2019)
• Harmo-power, 1st Jinan International Biennale – guest curator (2021)
• Paradise Projects, VUB (USquare), Brussels (2021)
• KALUNGA – Vous n’êtes pas prêts pour ça (Géraldine Tobe), VUB–The Lever House, Brussels (2022)
• Laetoli Amfitheater, VUB–Theater Aan Zee, Ostend (2022, with Honoré d’O)

Unfinished Projects

• Dritte Romantik, with Eugen Blume, for the German EU Presidency (2007)
• Esprit des Ancêtres, an exhibition project by Géraldine Tobe addressing African artists and the restitution debate

External links

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