Gianni Jetzer is the New Director of Kunstmuseum St. Gallen
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Gianni Jetzer is the New Director of Kunstmuseum St. Gallen
An era of more than 30 years is coming to an end: Roland Wäspe, Director Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, will retire at the end of November 2022. The Foundation Kunstmuseum St. Gallen is pleased to announce the appointment of Gianni Jetzer as its new director.
Gianni Jetzer, 52, has more than two decades of experience as a director and curator of museum exhibitions in Europe and North America. After making a name for himself as curator at the Migros Museum in Zurich, he was elected the youngest director of the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen in 2001. During his five-year tenure, he raised the Kunst Halle's profile, realized a renovation, and made it a widely respected institution. In 2006, he became director of the Swiss Institute in New York, which he successfully repositioned in the art metropolis. Since 2013, Gianni Jetzer has worked as an independent curator for the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. From 2012 to 2019, he also curated Art Unlimited at the Art Basel art fair.
Unanimous election
A five-member selection committee was appointed to succeed Roland Wäspe, with the president of the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen Foundation Board, Angela Hensch, the president of the Kunstverein, Gaby Senn, Foundation Councilor Kristin Schmidt, the director of the Kunst Museum Winterthur, Konrad Bitterli, and former NZZ culture editor Gerhard Mack. The selection committee reviewed nearly 40 applications from Switzerland and abroad. In a two-stage selection process, Gianni Jetzer convinced the committee with his experience and enthusiasm for art, his knowledge of the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen and its collection, and his ideas on how he will lead the Kunstmuseum into the future and continue to radiate beyond Switzerland's borders. With this proposal, the search committee approached the board of the Kunstverein, which unanimously elected Gianni Jetzer and proposed him for election to the Foundation Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, which also agreed on the choice.
From the Kunsthalle to the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen
Gianni Jetzer's professional career has now led him back to St. Gallen. More than 20 years ago, he shaped the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen. Jetzer focused on young artists, also from Switzerland. Thus, his exhibitions featured refreshing names such as Jonathan Horowitz, Gelitin, Andro Wekua, Frank and Patrik Riklin, or the collective etoy - alongside well-known Swiss artists such as Urs Fischer, Markus Raetz, or Josef Felix Müller. During his years in the USA, he has established an excellent international network. Gianni Jetzer has the right sensibility, both in terms of Swiss or local art, as well as in the presentation of groundbreaking international positions. His expertise will continue to be in demand for the further development of the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen.
About Gianni Jetzer, MA Art Historian and Curator
2001-2022
Over 30 exhibitions as a freelance curator in museums, galleries, pop-up spaces in North America, Asia, and Europe. Author of catalog texts, essays, and art criticism
2014-2022
Curator Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC
2012-2019
Curator Art Basel Unlimited
2006-2013
Director and Curator Swiss Institute Contemporary Art, New York
2001-2006
Director and Curator Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen
1998-2001
Curator Migros Museum Zurich
2005
Awarded with the Swiss Art Award
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For further questions please contact
Gaby Senn, President of the Kunstverein St.Gallen T +41 79 421 65 80
Gianni Jetzer T +41 79 780 84 02
Press contact: kommunikation@kunstmuseumsg.ch
Gloria Weiss Kunstmuseum St.Gallen, Head of Communications, T +41 71 242 06 84
Sophie Lichtenstern Kunstmuseum St.Gallen, Communications, T +41 71 242 06 85
