Peter Assmann
1963– · Austrian art historian, curator and writer
Peter Assmann (born 28 August 1963 in Zams, Austria) is an Austrian art historian, curator, writer and visual artist. Although his name is mostly linked to museum management, his written work and his activity as a visual artist are also part of his profile. He studied art history, history and German studies at the University of Innsbruck, where he earned a doctorate with a thesis on the historical fresco murals of the Santa Maria Novella monastery.
He has been a writer since 1995, with titles such as Orte (2011), Der Maler Aloys Wach (2007) and Bereits Bemerktes (2006). Much of his professional career has been in museums. He led the Upper Austrian State Museums, directed the Museum Angerlehner in Thalheim in 2013 and 2014, and became director of the Ducal Palace in Mantua in 2015, a post he lost and later regained after court proceedings. From 2019 he managed the company operating the Tyrolean State Museums, a contract he ended in late 2022. He was president of the Museumsbund Österreich, the Austrian Museum Association, from 2002 to 2012, and sat on the board of the Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO) from 2009 to 2014.
The sources consulted say little about specific works of visual art, so his activity as a visual creator is poorly documented. His legacy is mainly tied to museum management in Austria and Europe, and to a body of writing that combines reflection on art with literary creation.