Peter Pakesch

Peter Pakesch first studied architecture, but was active as an artist even in the early days. He had his first taste of curating exhibitions from 1976 to 1979, at the Forum Stadtpark and the steirischer herbst (Styrian Autumn) festival in Graz. In 1980, he made a study trip to New York, which led to some important encounters and participation in activities associated with Fashion Moda and the Times Square Show.
On his return to Austria, Pakesch opened his own gallery in Vienna in 1981, putting on exhibitions with artists such as John Baldessari, Herbert Brandl, Ilya Kabakov, Mike Kelley, Martin Kippenberger, Sol LeWitt, Albert Oehlen, Franz West and Heimo Zobernig.
In 1986, he and Graz cultural politician Helmut Strobl set up the Grazer Kunstverein art society, which he was artistic director of until 1988. Part of his work there included publishing the interdisciplinary periodical Durch. For the Vienna Festival, he and Hubert Klocker organized the Protect me from What I Want project, involving Jenny Holzer and Keith Haring. In 1990, he and Johannes Schlebrügge set up the Fama & Fortune Bulletin.
In 1993, Pakesch closed his gallery in Vienna. During the twelve years of its existence, the gallery had established the international reputations of Austrian artists such as Franz West and Heimo Zobernig. In the following years, Pakesch worked as a freelance curator for the National Gallery in Prague, and in 1996 took over as director of the Kunsthalle in Basel. During his time there, he put on the first museum exhibitions of young artists such as Olafur Eliasson, Michel Majerus and Pawel Althamer, and reorganised the local annual exhibition into a format that still constitutes a significant large-scale regional exhibition involving Mulhouse, Freiburg and Basel. From 1996-1998, he travelled around countries of the post-Communist world as a member of the Soros International Advisory Board.
Since 2003, Pakesch has been one of the two executive directors of the Joanneum Universal Museum in Graz, the other being Wolfgang Muchitsch. Pakesch is also chairman of the Regionale (Styrian Festival of Contemporary Art) advisory board.

Area of responsibility
Intendant’s Office
Supervision of all artistic matters
Exhibition programme
Head of External Relations and Visitors’ Services departments