Women Make History

Women Making History

In her new project Welcome, commissioned for our current exhibition, London-based artist Marysia Lewandowska re-imagined the 1923 Kestner Gesellschaft’s history, creating a new role for Sophie Küppers, art historian, collector and future wife of El Lissitzky, by “appointing" her as its first female director. In her opening speech, performed by Medea Stabbert, the artist confronts us with a narrative regarding the effects institutions and their governance has on propagating cultural values, while reflecting on omissions in acknowledging less well documented contributions by women. Marysia Lewandowska will be in conversation with curator and writer Frances Morris (CBE) the first woman to be appointed in 2016 as Director of Tate Modern, who has after 7 years stepped down from the role. In 2001 she has established the Contemporary Interventions series at Tate Modern, to which Marysia Lewandowska contributed Capital project. She is well known for increasing the visibility of women artists through exhibitions, publications and collection acquisitions.

Frances Morris, curator, writer and broadcaster is currently Director Emerita, Tate Modern, after leading the institution as Director for 7 years.  Frances has made many exhibitions and publications, including acclaimed retrospectives of Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama, and Agnes Martin, most recently co-curating Hilma Af Klint & Piet Mondrian: Forms of Life. As Director of Collections, International Art from 2006 to 2016 Frances led the transformation of Tate’s International Collection, strategically broadening and diversifying its international reach and representation, as well as bringing photography, moving image and live art into the institution for the first time through acquisitions, displays and exhibitions.  Since 2019 Frances has championed Tate's responses to climate and ecological emergency, exploring how cultural institutions can best respond to the complex social impact of the crisis.     Among external roles Frances Morris is currently a member of the Advisory Committee, Serralves Museum, Porto; the Scientific Board, MNAC, Bucharest; the International Advisory Committee, Mori Art Museum Tokyo and the Scientific Committee, MUDAM, Luxembourg, as well as Guest Professor at SAFA, Shanghai.