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Dietrich "Dieter" Wolfgang von Graffenried (22 July 1953 – 19 December 2021) was a Swiss art historian, and longtime publisher and co-founder of the international art journal Parkett.
Early Life
editvon Graffenried was born in Basel, Switzerland, on July 22, 1953. His father, Rene von Graffenried, was a successful lawyer and the head of the legal department for the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche. In 1979, he graduated from the University of Bern with a PhD in Economics, History, and Law. After completing his Doctorate, von Graffenried worked in the film industry, producing projects for Condor Films, a Zurich based production company.
Career
editIn 1984, von Graffenried founded Parkett along with editor-in-chief Bice Curiger, and editor Jacqueline Burckhardt. The publication ran for over 33 years in collaboration with more than 240 artists from 60+ countries, including well-known figures like Sigmar Polke (Vol. 2, 30, & 40/41), Andy Warhol (Vol. 12), Gilbert and George (Vol. 14), Jeff Koons (Vol. 19 & 50/51), Louise Bourgeois (Vol. 27 & 82), Cindy Sherman (Vol. 29), Christopher Wool (Vol. 33 & 82), Richard Prince (Vol. 34 & 72), Gerhard Richter (Vol. 35), Jenny Holzer (Vol 40/41), Damien Hirst (Vol 40/41), Thomas Schütte (Vol. 47), Raymond Pettibon (Vol. 47), Wolfgang Tillmans (Vol. 53), Yayoi Kusama (Vol. 59), Maurizio Cattelan (Vol. 59 & 100/101), Chuck Close, (Vol. 60), Tracey Emin (Vol. 63), Anish Kapoor, (Vol. 69), Marilyn Minter (Vol. 70), Ai WeiWei (Vol. 81), and Rashid Johnson (Vol. 90).
Many credit Dieter von Graffenried as Parkett's "frontman". With unfailing energy, he built up an international network for the Parkett project, representing the firm at international art fairs such as Art Basel. From 1984 to 2017, 101 volumes of contemporary art were published and distributed in 60 countries containing some 1500 texts by the world's most renowned writers and accompanied by custom-made 270 art objects, including unique pieces, prints, and editions. The production of these works is largely indebted to Dieter. He was quick to recognize the singular potential of artist's editions within the framework of Parkett and ensured that they could be produced within the most generous context possible. The result - an exceptionally unique and ambitious collection - is indebted to Dieter's empathetic and farsighted collaboration with the contributing artists.
von Graffenried cultivated contact with museums all over the world, thanks to which exhibitions of their editions have been organized not only from Marseilles to Los Angeles but also in Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. In addition, the entire collection of editions has been acquired by such renowned museums such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, Getty Center in Los Angeles, Kunsthaus Zürich, the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca, Spain, and the LUMA Foundation in Arles, the latter also housing the Parkett Archive.
Parkett's print run ended in December 2017 with its 100th and 101st edition (a double-issue).
In 2018, the Swiss National Library digitized Parkett, faithfully reproducing every volume in its original, double-page format.
Shortly before he died, von Graffenried produced a 360° digital tour of the exhibition "All Works Made by Women for Parkett", which was on view in the Musée des beaux-arts MBAL on the occasion of the Triennial in Le Locle (Switzerland) from October 2021 to January 2022.
In 2000, von Graffenried became co-chairman of the Swiss Institute in New York City, a position which he held until 2008.
Death
editOn December 19, 2021, von Graffenried suffered a fatal heart attack while cross-country skiing near St. Moritz in the Engadin valley in the Swiss-Italian Alps, a region he had visited since his childhood. He left behind two children, Alma and Max, and his wife, Carolina Nitsch, a renowned German print dealer and editions publisher based in Soho, New York.