Views from the Top – Follow Your Art
Alistair MacQueen is a writer, editor, and communications consultant based in London.
Giorgia von Albertini, Hauser & Wirth
Whether you are a regular visitor to the Hauser & Wirth gallery on Via Serlas or are visiting for the very first time, you may see its director, Giorgia von Albertini, informing art lovers about a new exhibition or walking around the gallery discreetly. Von Albertini is one of the most distinguished, passionate and youngest art curators in the country, and in this interview she takes us through the gallery’s history and future.
What makes St. Moritz such a creative and receptive place for art?
For centuries, St. Moritz has been an enclave of creativity and a popular destination for artists, inspired by the magnificent mountains and stunning natural beauty. The Engadin, home to the Giacometti family and the painter Giovanni Segantini, has inspired generations of intellectuals, from Friedrich Nietzsche and Thomas Mann to artists such as Gerhard Richter and Joseph Beuys.
As a gallery founded in Zurich, Hauser & Wirth has deep roots in Switzerland. It is part of the vibrant art community in the Engadin, alongside art spaces, renowned private foundations, and national and international galleries. The diverse cultural scene is further enriched by institutions such as the Segantini Museum and the Nietzsche House. Art lovers can immerse themselves in a whole world of cultural activities and exhibitions up here.
The Engadin has a rich history of creativity and artists. How does the gallery decide which ones to showcase?
Prior to the opening of Hauser & Wirth St. Moritz in 2018, many of our artists and estates were excited by the idea of exhibiting in an Alpine gallery. Since then, the gallery has hosted exhibitions featuring the work of 20th-century masters, including Louise Bourgeois, Philip Guston and Alexander Calder, as well as contemporary artists such as Isa Genzken, Stefan Brüggemann, Maria Lassnig and Cindy Sherman.
In 2024, the gallery hosted an exhibition showcasing works by Jean-Michel Basquiat that were painted in Switzerland and inspired by his visits there. The previous year, we dedicated an exhibition to Gerhard Richter's Engadin works. This December, we will open an exhibition called ‘Alberto Giacometti: Faces and Landscapes of Home’, which is devoted to the artist’s intimate portrayals of his family and his native region Val Bregaglia and the Engadin.
What are the key ingredients for a successful show or exhibition?
Great art speaks for itself, but to curate an exhibition, you need a brilliant team – from gallery managers to registrars. I work closely with our Swiss partners and our presidents on our programming in St. Moritz. The gallery also has the pleasure of collaborating with world-renowned curators to bring these exhibitions to life.
If you had to describe Hauser & Wirth to someone who had never been there before, what three words would you use?
Artists first, always!
The exhibition “Alberto Giacometti: Faces and Landscapes of Home” opens on 13 December 2025 and will be on view until 28 March 2026.
Photo: Alessandro Timpanaro
Dr Peter Robert Berry IV – The Berry Museum
It’s a family affair at this small museum, located in Villa Arona behind the Hotel Schweizerhof in the heart of St. Moritz Dorf. This former clinic-turned-museum celebrates the work of Peter Robert Berry II, one of the area’s most formidable and exciting painters (and a spa physician). The museum presents his delicate and powerful landscapes, portraits and much more. Today this panoply of treasures is run by the artist’s grandson, Dr Peter Robert Berry IV, who describes it as a ‘St. Moritz Ontogenesis of Alpine Destinations’.
When did you know you wanted to be a museum director?
It wasn’t just one moment, but rather a series of them that began in my childhood home, the Villa Montagna, which was designed by my grandfather and built in 1908. He had his impressive atelier in the attic, so I was surrounded by his paintings for my entire life.
My family and visitors kept asking, “Why aren’t these being shared with the public?” I started to think, “If not now, then when? If not by me, then by whom?” So, around the year 2000, I ended my clinical and pre-clinical emergency medical work and changed the clinic’s purpose completely. Between October 2003 and August 2004, my former Berry clinic was transformed into the Berry Museum.
What was your ancestors’ connection to this area?
The Berrys and the Badrutt family are closely linked to the birth of modern-day St. Moritz. In the mid-19th century, this village transformed from a small farming community into a world-renowned, glitzy destination within 20 years. My great-grandfather, Dr Peter Robert Berry I, played a key role in attracting English tourists to St. Moritz. Having been a regiment surgeon in the British Swiss Legion during the First Crimean War, he was well acquainted with the habits and mannerisms of the English nobility and the military. His sister Maria Berry was also married to Johannes Badrutt (of the Kulm Hotel) in the late 1840s, which strengthened the ties between the families and the area as a whole.
What does the museum offer that others in the area don’t?
It offers visitors a kaleidoscope of the Alps, providing a rich source of descriptive and figurative art alongside genuine St. Moritz history. Its collection of more than 2,000 figurative objects includes sketches and charcoal studies, as well as hundreds of texts, musical notation, opera lyrics, poems, philosophical fragments, hikers’ elegies and more.
How would your friends or colleagues describe you as a gallery director?
They would say that I am full of energy and ideas and that I am a rational optimist. I am perhaps not always easy to handle, but I admit my errors and I am direct with my contemporaries. I am also a good-hearted and well-meaning occasional contrarian.
Which person would you most like to see walk into your gallery?
Clint Eastwood or the American Chemist Jennifer Doudna.
The Berry Museum will be open for the winter season from 15 December 2025 to 10 April 2026.
Christina Marx – Karsten Greve Gallery
Christina has been the director of the Karsten Greve Gallery for five years, and has been part of the gallery itself for almost 20 years. While it would be disrespectful to imply that she’s part of the furniture, she can certainly be found there almost all year round, welcoming locals and visitors alike and offering trusted advice on all the works and artists exhibited by the gallery.
When did you know that you wanted to become a gallery director?
It was a gradual process. After studying interior design in Milan, I started working independently in the Engadin. As it’s a small town, I often ran into Karsten and Claudia Greve. One day, they asked me if I knew anyone who might be interested in a full-time position at the St. Moritz gallery. Intrigued by the idea of doing something new and different, I suggested that I could give it a try. I started in an entry-level position and gradually worked my way up.
What is the most exciting aspect of your role?
I wouldn’t describe it as “exciting” in the traditional sense, but representing the soul of the gallery is deeply rewarding. Every client, friend, or visitor knows exactly who they will meet, which builds trust – a quality that I believe is essential today.
Who is an artist doing something interesting at the moment?
There is a local artist called Daniel Meuli whose work I really admire. His project in Soglio, focusing on the old chestnut trees that were planted by the Romans almost 1,600 years ago, is very fascinating. Hidden within the trees is a fungus that is threatening their survival due to climate warming. Using his camera obscura, he documents this extraordinary phenomenon. In many of his photographs, the trees appear to have souls – they look vibrant and alive! Others seem quite faded, yet they still evoke a visual and philosophical reflection on life, time and resilience.
Which person would you most like to see walk into your gallery?
I think it would be the American painter, Georgia O’Keeffe. As well as being such an amazing artist, she also had an interesting and somewhat mystical quality that is clearly evident in her work.
If you had to describe your gallery to someone who had never been there before, what three words would you use?
Exceptional. Timeless. Intimate.
The exhibition “Autumn Whispers” at Galerie Karsten Greve will be on view from 13 September to 15 December 2025, followed by the winter exhibition.