Life in Progress

by Hans Ulrich Obrist

World-renowned curator Hans Ulrich Obrist for the first time grants a private view of his life, and his journey towards art and artists

When Hans Ulrich was six years old, he was knocked down by a speeding car as he was crossing the street. Hospitalized for weeks, a sense of urgency was instilled in him. Enraptured by the healing powers of art from this young age, he began to travel across Europe on night trains, visiting artists’ studios.

In a book that is part unputdownable coming-of-age story, part tour de force of the contemporary art world, part user’s manual on how to live a life driven by curiosity, conversation, and not least hope, Obrist takes us through the formative experiences that made him. From his first exhibition in his Zurich kitchen to penning 250 postcards while trapped by an avalanche in Val Bregaglia, Life in Progress is an enchanting ode to the healing properties that engaging with art and the people around us boundlessly affords.

Genres: Art, Memoir

155 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2025

About the author

Hans Ulrich Obrist is co-director of the Serpentine Gallery in London. Prior to this, he was Curator of the Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris from 2000 to 2006, as well as curator of Museum in progress, Vienna, from 1993 to 2000. Obrist has co-curated over 250 exhibitions since his first exhibition, the Kitchen show (World Soup) in 1991: including 1st Berlin Biennale, 1998; Utopia Station, 2003; 1st & 2nd Moscow Biennale, 2005 and 2007; Lyon Biennale, 2007; and Indian Highway, 2008-2011.
Obrist is the editor of a series of conversation books published by Walther Koenig. He has also edited the writings of Gerhard Richter, Gilbert & George and Louise Bourgeois. He has contributed to over 200 book projects, his recent publications include A Brief History of Curating, dontstopdontstopdontstopdontstop, The future will be…with M/M (Paris), Interview with Hans-Peter Feldmann, and Ai Wei Wei Speaks, along with two volumes of his selected interviews (Interviews: Vol. 1 & 2). The Marathon series of public events was conceived by Hans Ulrich Obrist in Stuttgart in 2005. The first in the Serpentine series, the Interview Marathon in 2006, involved interviews with leading figures in contemporary culture over 24 hours, conducted by Obrist and architect Rem Koolhaas. This was followed by the Experiment Marathon, conceived by Obrist and artist Olafur Eliasson in 2007, the Manifesto Marathon in 2008, the Poetry Marathon in 2009, Map Marathon in 2010, and the Garden Marathon in 2011.
In 2009, Obrist was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). In March 2011, he was awarded the Bard College Award for Curatorial Excellence.

Reviews

[Vlad · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.75)

[Kym · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an untrained-but-always-learning “hobby art historian,” I was eager to read an ARC edition of Hans Ulrich Obrist’s soon-to-be-published (April 14, 2026; Crown Publishing) memoir Life in Progress to learn more about his life story and curatorial processes. Although I found this memoir an enjoyable read, I also found it . . . challenging. Not because of the writing, the style, or the subject matter – but because I lacked the background to fully grasp and appreciate many of the artists and other curators in Obrist’s world. As I read, I spent considerable time researching artists, galleries, curators, geography . . . but ultimately, it overwhelmed me.

I’m afraid I was not the “right” reader for this memoir, although I am pleased to have added so much information to my “hobby art historian” repertoire, and I do appreciate Obrist’s work and world much more now that I’ve read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of Hans Ulrich Obrist’s new memoir in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published on April 14, 2026.

3 stars.

[Cheryl Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obrist's passion for art as a lens through which to view the world is contagious. This book made me want to see things and make things. At the same time, I found it a little opaque; Obrist's prose is plainspoken, but he doesn't share a lot about his personal life or inner landscape. This is an artist's-artist book (I'm not a visual artist), and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who creates or curates visual art.

[Mahatma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very lovely and inspiring encounter with one of the most influential people in art. I loved almost every bit of it, but the last few chapters read more like 'I need to mention these people' than really necessary.

[Weronika · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir of Hans Ulrich Obrist, one of the most famous and productive art curators. It was told in short vignettes and I was pleasantly surprised by how succint and quick read it was.

[JXR · Rating 5 out of 5]

gorgeously well-written memoir about a very intriguing curator. would definitely recommend this one. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.