Dietlinde Behncke founded BEHNCKE GALLERY on January 31, 2023. The gallery is situated in the center of Munich/Germany in a historic Klenze Palais at Odeonsplatz and hosts innovative and pioneering exhibitions. As an Oxford graduate with over 30 years of professional experience in the art, gallery and culture scene, Behncke is establishing a gallery program featuring national and international artists, whose work continue to shape global conversations in contemporary art or art historical traditions. In an unique approach, Behncke Gallery positions itself as an international "think tank" by presenting carefully curated art positions of emerging and established artists of different generations and placing them in dialogue through artist talks and talks with international guests from art, culture or economics, such as Dr. Andrea Lissoni (Artistic Director Haus der Kunst Munich) or Prof. Monika Schnitzer (Chairwoman of the German Council of Economic Experts) - see gallery talks ....Dietlinde Behncke feels committed to both artists and collectors, conveying their perspectives and connecting them – with the art scene and, beyond that, with society. The gallery does work within the representational model.
BEHNCKE GALLERY celebrates its Various Others (VO) debut in May 2026 with the invitation of the renown Berlin-based gallery SEXAUER, founded in 2013.
Before founding her own gallery, cultural manager Dietlinde Behncke and her communications agency behncke communications had successfully bridged the gap between culture and business in Berlin and Munich for over 20 years. Interested in art, literature, theater and opera since her youth, she has worked at many important institutions such as Suhrkamp Verlag, the culture department of the ZDF capital studio in Berlin, the Deutsche Guggenheim Museum and with Roman Soukup (former managing director of documenta X). On the other hand, through her studies at Oxford University and INSEAD Business School, she can draw on extensive alumni networks in broad economic sectors and has further deepened these business contacts and experiences through her professional positions. She is an active member of various national and international friends and support groups for art and culture.
Voluntary work: Advisory board member of PIN. Friends of the Pinakothek der Moderne e.V.. 2009 Founder PIN. Young Circle, leader until the end of 2012 with approx. 160 members (PIN. YC celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021 (postponed due to Corona) with more than 200 members).
- 2017 and 2018 future conference of the Pinakothek der Moderne Munich (co-founder), talk marathon & moderation with guests including Bernhart Schwenk, Edeltraud Leibrock, Stefan Burdach, Julia Leeb, Gordon Cheng, Angelika Nollert
- 2016 Relaunch of the agency in Munich under the name behncke communications
- 2014 Founding Munich Speech® (non-profit platform for contemporary art, economics and society) with guests including Bart van der Heide, Wolfgang Heubisch, Roger Diederen, Angelika Nollert, Alexander Liebreich, Maurin Dietrich, Bernhard Maaz, Andrea Lissoni , Eva Krauss, Sarah Haugeneder, Karen Pontoppidan, Serge Dorny, Oliver Kase, Markus Michalke & Anna Kleeblatt, Max Wagner, Rüdiger Schöttle, etc.
- 1999 Founding agency stephan communications in Berlin
- INSEAD General Management Program Leipzig/ Fontainebleau Paris
- Cooperation with Roman Soukup (Arts Management GmbH). Opening exhibition Capital of Culture Weimar 1999 with Ute Klophaus (Joseph Beuys photographer) in cooperation with FAZ, Walther König and Haus der Kunst/ Hubertus Gaßner (main curator)
- Gallery Manager Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin. Founding phase with Max Hollein, Thomas Krenz, Hilmar Kopper and US architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, NY
- Culture Editor ZDF Capital Studio Berlin/ for ZDF, 3sat, arte and moderation with Carola Wedel. Interviews/ reporting on Klaus Biesenbach/ Dan Graham Café Bravo, Christoph Schlingensief, gallery scene (including neugerriemschneider/ Tim Neuger, Burkhard Riemschneider, Eigen + Art/ Judy Lybke, Max Hetzler, Martin Klosterfelde, Galerie Neu/ Alexander Schroeder, Thilo Werke)
- Film directing New York University
- M.A. in economics, politics, philosophy (PPE) with an EU scholarship, Oxford University
- Internship (New German Literature, Christian Döring) followed by position of Editor for series st, Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main. Editing among others: Durs Grünbein (Georg Büchner Prize, Friedrich Nietzsche Prize, Friedrich Hölderlin Prize, among others) or Thomas Hettche (2021 Tübingen poetry lectureship with Eva Manesse)
- Apprenticeship Buchhandlung Kaiser/ Goltz am Marienplatz, Munich
Behncke Gallery does not accept unsolicited submissions of works of art, whether pysically or electronically.
Dietlinde Behncke ©Marcus Schlaf