Petra Giloy-Hirtz, The Painted Desert Project, American Southwest

Petra Giloy-Hirtz, Dr. phil., is a curator, writer, editor, and advisor in the field of the visual arts and has produced numerous monographic and thematic exhibitions and publications. She lives and works in Munich.

For ten years Petra Giloy-Hirtz was an assistant and associate professor of medieval literature at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and a lecturer at the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich. Since 1993 she has been active as an independent curator for contemporary art.

Her exhibitions and publications are dedicated to artists such as Anselm Kiefer(„The Women“, Prestel 2025), Berlinde De Bruyckere („City of Refuge II“, Diözesanmuseum Freising, 2023), Kiki Smith („Empathy“, Diözesanmuseum Freising, 2023; „I am a Wanderer“, Modern Art Oxford, 2019; „Procession“, Haus der Kunst, Munich, 2018; Sara Hildén Museum, Tampere, 2019; Belvedere Vienna, 2019; Prestel 2018 and 2019), Dennis Hopper („The Lost Album“, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, 2012; Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2014), David Lynch („The Factory Photographs“, The Photographers’ Gallery, London, 2014; MAST, Bologna, 2014), Julian Schnabel („Polaroids“, NRW-Forum Düsseldorf; Hague Museum of Photography, The Hague; FORMA Centro Internationale di Fotografia, Milan; Centro Niemeier, Avilés/Asturias, 2010/2011).

Since 2017 Petra Giloy-Hirtz is Artistic Advisor of the Alexander Tutsek-Foundation in Munich and she is active as an independent curator for contemporary art for the Diocesan Museum of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising since 2019.

Recent Exhibitions

Kiki Smith, Empathy, Diözesanmuseum Freising (2023), Berlinde De Bruyckere, City of Refuge II, Diözesanmuseum Freising (2023), Kiki Smith, I am a Wanderer. Tapestries, prints, photography, sculpture, Modern Art Oxford, Oxford (2019), Kiki Smith, Procession, Belvedere, Vienna (2019), Sara Hildén Museum, Tampere/Finland (2019), Haus der Kunst, Munich (2018); Dennis Hopper, The Lost Album, Royal Academy of Arts, London (2014), Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin (2012); David Lynch, The Factory Photographs, The Photographers’ Gallery, London, MAST, Bologna (2014); Julian Schnabel, Polaroids, NRW-Forum Düsseldorf / Hague Museum of Photography, The Hague, Netherlands / FORMA Centro Internationale di Fotografia, Milan, Italy / Centro Niemeyer, Áviles, Asturias, Spain / Colnaghi, London, 18Gallery, Bund 18, Shanghai. (2010/2011).

At the Diocesan Museum of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising (1998-2005) Petra Giloy-Hirtz curated numerous single-artist and thematic exhibitions with artists such as Kai Althoff, Lawrence Carroll, Olafur Eliasson, Gloria Friedmann, Geoffrey Hendricks, Mischa Kuball, Christina Kubisch, Wolfgang Laib, Robert Longo, Julian Opie, David Reed, Lisa Ruyter, Kiki Smith, Pia Stadtbäumer, Bill Viola.

Recent Publications

Anselm Kiefer. The Women (Prestel 2025), Stephan Huber. Gran Paradiso (ed., Hirmer, 2023), Acosta Danza. Fusion. The Vision of Carlos Acosta's Dance Company (Prestel 2022), Mark Harrington. Degi-Degi (Zweigstelle Berlin, Munich 2020), Kiki Smith. Procession (Prestel 2018, 2. edition 2019), Elke Härtel. Rapunzel (Hirmer 2017), Julian Schnabel. CVJ, Nicknames of Maitre D’s & Other Excerpts from Life, Facsimile of the out-of-print, original bibliophile edition from 1987 (editor, epilogue, Hatje Cantz 2015), Roland Fischer. Facades (ed., Hirmer 2014, 2. edition  2015), Dennis Hopper. The Lost Album (Prestel, 2012, 2. edition, exhibition catalogue  Royal Academy of Arts, London, Prestel 2014), David Lynch. The Factory Photographs (Prestel 2014), Hassel Smith. Paintings 1937-1997 (ed., Prestel 2012), Julian Schnabel. Polaroids (Prestel 2010), Stefan Hunstein. „Schön war’s!“ (ed., Hatje Cantz 2009), Lucas Reiner. Los Angeles Trees (Prestel 2008). 

Essays on Silvia Bächli, Marcia Hafif, Eva Hesse, Kiki Smith, Nancy Spero, Julian Schnabel, David Lynch, Lawrence Carroll, Hassel Smith, Mark Harrington, Lucas Reiner, Thomas Lehnerer, Julia Mangold, Lilian Moreno Sánchez, Elke Härtel, Berlinde De Bruyckere and many others. Lectures and artist talks, recently with Robin Rhode, Monica Bonvicini, Jitka Hanzlová, Mona Hatoum (2021/2022), Constanza Camila Kramer Garfias, Silvia Levenson, Vera Lutter (2023), Ju Young Kim (2025).

Selected Collaborations

  • Acosta Danza, La Habana, Cuba
  • Archiv Thomas Lehnerer München
  • Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung, München
  • Belvedere, Wien
  • Centro de Arte, Convento Santo Domingo, Teguise
  • Centro Niemeyer, Áviles, Asturias
  • Dennis Hopper Art Trust
  • Diözesanmuseum Freising
  • Evangelische Akademie Tutzing
  • FORMA Centro Internationale di Fotografia, Mailand
  • Fotomuseum Den Haag
  • Hassel Smith Foundation
  • Hatje Cantz Verlag
  • Haus der Kunst, München
  • Hirmer Verlag
  • Katholische Akademie in Bayern
  • KBB Verwaltungs-GmbH
  • Landeshauptstadt München
  • Loup Design, Lausanne
  • Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin
  • MAST, Bologna
  • Modern Art Oxford, Oxford
  • Nicola Erni Collection, Switzerland
  • Northern Michigan University, MI, USA
  • NRW-Forum Kultur und Wissenschaft Düsseldorf
  • Paul Hartmann AG
  • Phlox Films, Berlin
  • Prestel Verlag
  • Royal Academy of Arts, London
  • Sara Hildén Museum, Tampere/Finland
  • Strange Matter, New York
  • The Photographers’ Gallery, London
  • Verein Ausstellungshaus, München
Petra Giloy-Hirtz Speech at Kiki Smith Exhibition at Belvedere Vienna

Dr. phil. Petra Giloy-Hirtz

Maximilianstr. 26
80539 Munich
Germany

Phone: +49 89 982 82 83
Cell: +49 170 282 1591
Email: petra@curators.de

The Painted Desert Project, American Southwest
Photo courtesy: Claudia Müller, November 2018

Petra Giloy-Hirtz and Julian Schnabel
Photo courtesy: The New York Public Library

Petra Giloy-Hirtz and Kiki Smith
Photo: Marion Vogel, courtesy: Haus der Kunst, Munich

Marina Abramović, Petra Giloy-Hirtz, Jeanette Fischer
Photo courtesy: Fondation Beyeler

Opening Kiki Smith . Procession, Belvedere, Vienna
Photo courtesy: Belvedere, Vienna