Dr. Langfeld was appointed as a specialist in international modernism at the University of Amsterdam in August 2011.

One of his areas of interest within this field is modern German art. In addition, he is interested in the interaction between art, politics, and society during particular periods, among them the years of National Socialism; in the history of art collecting; and in the formation of canons in modern European art. His aim is to understand why certain works of art, artists, and art movements are included in the canon, in other words, why these are regarded as authoritative while others are not.

Gregor Langfeld, born in Germany and formed in The Netherlands, has lived in Amsterdam since 1989. He was the Managing Editor at the publishing house Castrum Peregrini, founded by artists, writers, and intellectuals who fled Nazi Germany, and also served as the Editor of the review Castrum Peregrini , which was devoted to art, literature, and cultural history. In addition he was studying Art History and Literary Theory at the Free University Amsterdam: his MA thesis investigated the philosophico-aesthetic principle of romantic irony in the literary and expressive work of the Dadaist artist Kurt Schwitters.

After receiving his MA, he started extensive research into the reception of modern German art in The Netherlands, focusing on the manner in which it was first collected here. Once begun, all the major Dutch modern art museums came to participate in the inquiry, which resulted in the book and exhibition Duitse Kunst in Nederland: Verzamelen, tentoonstellen, kritieken, 1919-1964 (Gemeentemuseum The Hague/Groningen Museum). Subsequently, for his Ph.D. at Leiden University he turned his attention to the procedures of canonisation in modern art, completing a dissertation entitled Die Kanonisierung moderner deutscher Kunst in New York, 1904-1957 . 

Deutsche Kunst in New York. Vermittler - Kunstsammler - Ausstellungsmacher, 1904-1957.

Berlin: Reimer Verlag, 2011. 240 pp.

• Reimer Verlag Berlin

Duitse kunst in Nederland. Verzamelen, tentoonstellen,kritieken, 1919-1964.

The Hague: Gemeentemuseum, and Zwolle: WaandersUitgevers, 2004. 408 pp.

This book presents the turbulent history of the permanent collections of modern German art in Dutch museums during three distinct periods: 1919-33, 1934-45, and 1946-64. In addition to its focus on their collection and exhibition policies regarding German art, the book discusses a number of aspects of the reception of modern art generally.

Selected Articles

• "'Hitler hield niet van groene luchten': Kentering in de waardering van de Duitse avant-garde in Nederland na 1945." Jong Holland, vol. 18, no. 2 (2002).

• "Die Rezeption des Expressionismus in den Niederlanden." Nolde im Dialog: 1905-1913 . Exhibition catalogue. Karlsruhe: Städtische Galerie, in collaboration with the Stiftung Seebüll Ada und Emil Nolde, and Munich: Hirmer Verlag, 2002.

• "Vier kunsthandelaren van moderne Duitse kunst in Nederland." Nederland en Duitsland in het interbellum: Wisselwerking en contacten: van politiek tot literatuur . Frits Boterman and Marianne Vogel, eds. Hilversum: Uitgeverij Verloren, 2003.

• "Paula Modersohn-Becker in den Niederlanden." Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876-1907) . Exhibition catalogue. Rotterdam: Chabot Museum, 2006.

• "Bij de Max Beckmann tentoonstelling in Amsterdam." De Witte Raaf , vol. 22, no. 129 (2007). Also available online: http://www.dewitteraaf.be/artikel/detail/nl/3228 .

• "German Art in The Netherlands Before and After World War II." Avant-Garde and Criticism . ( Avant-Garde Critical Studies , vol. 21.) Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, 2007.

• "Max Beckmann und seine Zeit: Aus Anlaß der Amsterdamer/Münchner Ausstellung." Kunstchronik , vol. 61, no. 3 (2008).    

• "Rudolf Bauer tussen Berlijn en New York." Simulacrum, vol. 21, no. 1 (2012).

• ''Expressionist Visions of Utopia." Utopia 1900-1940: Visions of a New World. Rotterdam: nai010, 2013.

• "Bedeutungsveränderung und Kanonisierung des deutschen Expressionismus in den USA." The Aesthetics of Matter: Modernism, the Avant-Garde and Material Exchange (European Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies). Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2013.

BA Seminar Museum Collections and Canonisation of Art (Werkgroep museale collecties en canonisering van kunst)

Why do some art works, artists, or movements belong to the canon, and why are others marginalized? Is it a question of aesthetic autonomy or are aesthetic experiences the result of historical and social influences? What authorities play a decisive role in the process of canon-formation? Participants in this seminar will try to answer these questions by means of research at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven.

Common opinion notwithstanding, canons are not eternally fixed, but changeable and dynamic. In the field of art, there are certain closely-knit groups that have strong preferences which influence the process of canon-formation, to which artists, private collectors, gallery owners, museums, critics, and art historians all belong. Empirical research can determine the influence each has had on the evaluation and valorization of modern art.

Theoretical lectures will supplement this research into the museum archives.

BA Excursion to Berlin (Excursie Berlijn)

Hardly any other European metropolis reflects the vicissitudes of the twentieth century as does Berlin. The Wilhemine Empire, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, the division of the city during the Cold War, and the reunification have all left their marks on the city, for better and for worse: this is the city of the Wall, the Reichstag, Prussian palaces, Hitler's megalomaniacal projects, and exceptional experiments of modern architecture. Moreover, Berlin has unique museums that provide a wide-ranging overview of non-western and western art from ancient times up until the present day.

During the excursion the vast cultural diversity of Berlin will be sampled, given that in the city there is a great deal of room for new ideas and creativity, a fact that finds expression in a variety of youth culture and alternative ways of life. With the fall of the Wall, Berlin has become one of the world's most important centers for artists, and the number of new galleries is continuously increasing. In addition to meetings with artists, gallery owners, staff members of museums, scholars, and other representatives of art and culture, the visit will include trips to Potsdam and to the Bauhaus in Dessau. However, for the most part, the program will be devised by the students themselves.

MA Seminar Modernism and its Institutions: Artists, Galleries, Collectors, Art Critics and Museums

BA Seminar Art since 1900

Dr. Langfeld is part of a team of instructors for the following courses:

• Introduction to art history ( Inleiding in de kunstgeschiedenis) 
• Art techniques and visual analyses ( Kunsttechnieken & Visuele analyse)
• Approaches in art history ( Benaderingen in de kunstgeschiedenis)
• Art in The Netherlands ( Kunst in Nederland)
• Philosophy of science ( Wetenschapsfilosofie)
• Honors seminar (in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum)
• Excursion to Paris ( Parijs excursie)

Theses (Scripties)

Dr. Langfeld supervises the whole spectrum of theses in the field of modern art.

Research

• Gregor Langfeld is currently working on several projects concerning canon-formation in modern European art.
• The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam has commissioned him to conduct research on the provenance of works in the museum's collection that were acquired either during the years of National Socialism or subsequently in the aftermath.
• A project on the issue of the authenticity of a painting by Jan Wiegers, until recently attributed to another artist.

• Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
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