ByQuotes

Hans-Ulrich Obrist Quotes

Powerful Hans-Ulrich Obrist for Daily Growth

I would go from one city to the next, inspired by the monks in the Middle Ages, who would carry knowledge from one monastery to the next monastery.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

City, Middle, Next, Monks

Most cities have a centre surrounded by suburbs, but London has numerous centres: it's the model of a twenty-first century metropolis.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

London, Surrounded, Suburbs, Metropolis

My job is art curator, not artist. All I have ever wanted to do is immerse myself in art, to enjoy it, to learn about it, to write about it, to talk to others about it.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Art, Learn, Artist, Immerse

The 21st-century curator works in a supremely globalised reality.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Curator, 21st-Century, Works, Supremely

For me, it's always been very essential to work on projects that one can work on almost for their entire life.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Always, Been, Very, Essential

At a certain time, an artist needs a big retrospective. At other times, they need a more focused exhibition. It's a different story each time; it's about establishing a dialogue.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Big, Needs, Exhibition, Retrospective

I still remember my first Giacometti exhibition, and going back to the museum every day, whenever I could, to look again and again at these long, thin stick figures, so beautiful, so graceful. That, I think, was the moment I became really obsessed by art.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

I Think, Became, Figures, Graceful

At Performa in New York, there are a lot of commissions, but Manchester Festival is the only festival where everything is fully produced by the festival.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

New, Festival, Produced, Manchester

Since 2000, I've been based in Paris at the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville, curating the programme there. Internationally, it's a very open situation that goes beyond national boundaries; directors and curators move from one country to another, which has opened up the museum landscape.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Country, Been, Very, Internationally

I'm trying to expand the notion of curating. Exhibitions need not only take place in galleries, need not only involve displaying objects. Art can appear where we expect it least.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Art, Need, Objects, Displaying

My great inspiration has always been Studs Terkel, who is a wonderful American oral historian. He was a radio DJ at first, interviewed a lot of jazz musicians, and at some point started to interview Americans about work.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

DJ, Some, Been, Interview

Alex Poots has always made a bridge between highly experimental and the mainstream.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Always, Made, Mainstream, Alex

Numerous are the posthumous museums and memorials devoted exclusively to one artist, architect or author and designed to preserve or artificially reconstruct the namesake's original working or living conditions.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Living, Original, Devoted, Reconstruct

I spent 250 to 300 days of every year on the road. But in the end, I felt something was missing. I needed to be anchored so I could concentrate, so in 2000, I established a new methodology - the one I use today. I spent the week in my office and travelled every weekend, even at Christmas.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Week, Year, Needed, Travelled

For me, the making of exhibitions has always had to do with dialogue: a concentrated, in-depth, focused dialogue with artists, who keep teaching me that exhibitions should always invent new rules for the game.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

New, Always, Making, Concentrated

The non-utility of my kitchen could be transformed into its utility for art. To do a show there would mix art and life, naturally.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Art, Show, Could, Transformed

I'm very interested in the idea of unusual museums, ones that are not necessarily contemporary art museums - more like historical collections or house museums.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Art, Like, Very, Contemporary Art

Our economy's growth functions by inciting us to produce more and more with each passing year. In turn, we require cultural forms to enable us to sort through the glut, and our rituals are once again directed towards the immaterial, towards quality and not quantity.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Year, Through, Functions, Passing

I met Gerhard Richter and Alighiero Boetti when I was a teenager, and I was really inspired by them. When Boetti died, I realized I only vaguely remembered so many things he told me. It was such a pity. Had I only recorded his voice, he would still be with me, and I could listen to it from time to time.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Voice, Pity, Had, From Time To Time

I founded a club, which is called the Brutally Early Club. It's basically a breakfast salon for the 21st century where art meets science meets architecture meets literature.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Art, Which, Meets, 21st Century

Switzerland felt incredibly narrow, growing up. It was good, in a way. There were so many museums. But it was always a no-brainer that I would have to leave, and I'm grateful for that.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Grateful, Always, Felt, No-Brainer

I see a curator as a catalyst, generator and motivator - a sparring partner, accompanying the artist while they build a show, and a bridge builder, creating a bridge to the public.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Artist, Show, Motivator, Generator

My most famous show is the 'Kitchen Show.' More famous than any gallery show or museum show I curated.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Famous, Museum, Most, Kitchen

When I was a kid and started to be obsessed by art in the 1980s, the art world was in this polarity Warhol/Beuys, Beuys/Warhol. Both expended the notion of art extremely, but in very different ways.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Art, Obsessed, Very, 1980s

When I was 17, I met many artists, and it started to become this conversation with artists out of which all of my exhibitions grew.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Started, Which, Many, Conversation

During my time at high school and university in Kreuzlingen and St. Gallen, I traveled around Europe looking at art, visiting artists, studios, galleries and museums.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Art, Studios, Visiting, Traveled

I really do think artists are the most important people on the planet, and if what I do is a utility and helps them, then that makes me happy. I want to be helpful.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Think, The Most Important, Important People

I remember going to a monastery library when I was very young and being surrounded by ancient books. I fell in love.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Love, I Remember, Very, Monastery

I started going to exhibitions in Switzerland when I was 10 or 11. As a schoolboy, I would go every afternoon to see the long, thin figures of Giacometti.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Switzerland, Going, Figures, Thin

Fly-in, fly-out curating nearly always produces superficial results; it's a practice that goes hand in hand with the fashion for applying the word 'curating' to everything that involves simply making a choice - radio playlists, hotel decor, even the food stalls in New York's High Line Park.

- Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Practice, Line, Nearly, Produces

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.