Obrist-isms
By (Author) Hans Ulrich Obrist
Edited by Larry Warsh
Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press
2nd January 2026
United States
General
Non Fiction
The arts: general topics
History of art
Hardback
180
Width 108mm, Height 133mm
A thought-provoking collection of quotations from one of the most influential figures in the contemporary art world
Hans Ulrich Obrist is one of the most celebrated curators working today and has twice been ranked #1 on ArtReview's annual list of the most important people in the art world. As the primary or lead author of more than forty volumes of interviews with contemporary artists, of numerous exhibition catalogues for museums around the world, and of influential books on curation, he has established himself as a pivotal figure in contemporary art and culture. Drawn from Obrist's writings, interviews, and other sources, Obrist-isms gathers a wealth of fascinating quotations from across his career, offering insights on everything from his approach to curating and his affinity with philosopher douard Glissant to his interest in artists' unrealized projects.
Obrist-isms is organized into seven thematic sections: Early Years; Curating and Exhibitions; Artists and Conversations; Archiving, Collecting, and Unrealized Projects; douard Glissant and Mondialite; On Sleep and Time; Art and the Environment; and Technology and the Future of Art. The book also features an introduction and a brief chronology of Obrist's life and career.
Hans Ulrich Obrist is a Swiss-born curator, critic, and art historian, and the artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries in London. His many books include 140 Artists' Ideas for Planet Earth; Lives of the Artists, Lives of the Architects; Ai Weiwei Speaks; Ways of Curating; and A Brief History of Curating. Larry Warsh has been active in the art world for more than thirty years as a publisher and artist-collaborator. He is the editor of many books, including Abramovi-isms, Basquiat-isms, Haring-isms, Holzer-isms, Ono-isms, Warhol-isms, and Weiwei-isms (all Princeton).