Kestnergesellschaft

Kestner Gesellschaft (Kestner Society) is an art institution in Hanover, Germany, founded in 1916 to promote the arts. Its founders included the painter Wilhelm von Debschitz (1871–1948). The association blossomed under the management of and , pioneering modern art.

After World War II, took over the management in 1947, followed by . In 1997 the Kestner Gesellschaft moved into new premises at Goseriede 11, the former site of the Goseriede Aquatic Center. The new gallery is next to the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, Hanover's newspaper.

The institution hit the headlines in 2005 when it exhibited a mud house created by Spanish artist Santiago Sierra featuring a room with mud floor reminiscent of Hanover's Maschsee, an artificial lake.

From 2015 to 2019, institution’s first female director was Christina Végh.

Adam Budak was the director of the Kestner Gesellschaft between 2020 and 2024. Budak developed a wide-ranging curatorial program centered on themes such as tenderness, ''anabasis'', and ''amor mundi''. His approach emphasized critical intimacy, performative space, and interdisciplinary dialogue. Highlights of his tenure include solo exhibitions by Roger Hiorns, Rebecca Ackroyd, Samson Young, Klára Hosnedlová, and Paula Rego, as well as group shows exploring the legacy of El Lissitzky and the political thought of Hannah Arendt. His directorship marked a period of increased international visibility for the institution, including its first participation in the Venice Biennale and the receipt of the Dezeen Architecture Award for the Paula Rego exhibition. Locally, Budak strengthened ties with Hannover’s cultural scene through partnerships with institutions such as ''the Staatsoper, Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien, and the Bund Bildender Künstlerinnen und Künstler''. He also initiated structural and social innovations, including the Café Tender Buttons, a curated Bookshop, the Cinémathèque helping to open the institution to a broader and more diverse public.

Eva Birkenstock is the new Director from August 2025. Provided by Wikipedia