Wieland Schmied

Wieland Schmied (1929–2014) was an Austrian art historian, art critic, exhibition organizer, and writer. He moved to Vienna in 1939 and studied law and art history. He directed the Kestner-Gesellschaft in Hanover until 1973 and was chief curator of Berlin’s Nationalgalerie until 1975. From 1978 to 1986, he headed the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program; he subsequently taught art history at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich. From 1995 to 2004, he served as president of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts. Schmied published poetry and essays on nineteenth- and twentieth-century art. His honors included the Austrian State Prize for Cultural Journalism (1992) and the Grand Silver Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (1998).