Harald Szeemann

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Harald Szeemann (June 11, 1933 in Bern – February 18, 2005 in Tegna, Ticino) was a Swiss curator and art historian.

In 1961, Szeemann became curator of the museum Kunsthalle in Bern.
In 1968, he gave Christo and Jeanne-Claude their first opportunity to package an entire building: the Kunsthalle.
In 1972, Szeemann was the youngest artistic director at documenta in Kassel. He revolutionised the concept. Conceived as a hundred-day event, he invited the artists to present not only paintings and sculptures, but also performances and "happenings".
In 1982 Szeemann commissioned a three-dimensional reconstruction of Kurt Schwitters Hannover Merzbau (as photographed in 1933) for the exhibition 'Der Hang zum Gesamtkunstwerk' in Zurich, 1983. It was built by the Swiss stage designer Peter Bissegger and is now on permanent display in the Sprengel Museum Hannover.
In 1999 and 2001, he was director of the Venice Biennale.
In 2000, he was awarded the Max Beckmann prize.