Peter Noever
Peter Noever (born 1941) is an Austrian designer and curator-at-large of art, architecture and media. From 1986 to 2011, he was the artistic director and chief executive officer of the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts and Contemporary Art (MAK) in Vienna.
Also recorded as Peter Never
Peter Noever

Noever · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Birth Name
- Peter Noever
- Birthplace
- Innsbruck, Ostmark, Nazi Germany
- Born
- 1941
- Spouse
- Katarina Noever
- Nationality
- Austria
- Occupation
- architect · designer · exhibition curator
- Honours
- Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the State of Vienna · Austrian Decoration for Science and Art
- Languages
- German
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Documentary summary
Peter Noever (born 1941) is an Austrian designer and curator-at-large of art, architecture and media. From 1986 to 2011, he was the artistic director and chief executive officer of the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts and Contemporary Art (MAK) in Vienna.
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Documentary evidence
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gnd · 10024056-2 · wikidata · Q87895 · wikipedia · Peter Noever
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Birth Name — Peter Noever • Birthplace — Innsbruck, Ostmark, Nazi Germany • Born — 1941 • Website — http: www.noever-design.com/ • Notable Works — The Pit (Breitenbrunn am Neusiedlersee, Austria) • Spouse — Katarina Noever
Career
Career
In 1971, Peter and Katarina Noever co-founded a concept store in Vienna, called "Section N". The building was designed by Hans Hollein. From 1975 to 1993, Noever worked as a lecturer of design analysis at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Starting in the early 1990s, Noever was the editor-in=chief of the architecture magazine titled UMRISS (Outline). Between 1986 and 2011, Noever was the CEO and artistic director of the Austrian Museum for Applied Arts/Contemporary Art, Vienna (MAK). In 1994, Noever acquired and renovated the Schindler House in West Hollywood. There he founded the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, which hosts artists in residence and serves as a gallery space. The activities of the MAK Center in Los Angeles take place at three locations, all buildings designed by the Austrian-American architect Rudolph M. Schindler (1887–1953). • Illustration — “The Pit” land art project in Austria As a curator and exhibition designer, Noever has organized over 300 exhibitions, in Berlin, Budapest, Havana, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, Prague, Shenzhen, St. Petersburg, Venice, Vienna, Tokyo, and other international cities.
Art works
Art works
Noever designed the land art project, The Pit ("Die Grube" in German) located on Lake Neusiedl in Breitenbrunn am Neusiedlersee, Austria. The work was built in the early 1970s; in 2019 the Austrian Federal Office BDA placed it under monument protection. In 1994, Noever had a one person show at the Storefront for Art and Architecture, titled Upstairs Down: The Pit, The Tower, The Terrace Plateau by Peter Noever.
Writing
Writing
Noever has authored and edited many books, including Softspace: From a Representation of Form to a Simulation of Space; Yearning for Beauty: The Wiener Werkstätte and the Stoclet House; and others.
Controversy
Controversy
In February 2011, Noever resigned as director of MAK due to findings related to museum funding and spending, including using funds for a birthday party for his mother during which damage to the museum in Vienna occurred. This also impacted MAK Los Angeles. Noever issued an apology, and helped to pay for the damages. He was thanked by several people in the art world for his 25 years of service. His position was then filled by the acting director, Martina Kandeler-Fritsch, and in September, 2011, Christoph Thun-Hohenstein became the director of MAK.

MAK Plattform/Archiv der Bibliothek, Überdachung der Wien, Gestaltung der Oberfläche durch Lampenskulptur/Chris Burden
Knowledge space · Knowledge space, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1941
Peter Noever was born in 1941 at Innsbruck.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Peter Noever”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q87895: Peter Noever
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 10024056-2, Pressegespräch MAK ohne Kompromisse - Museen ohne Zukunft mit Peter Noever (2001 : Wien).
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Awards and honors
In 1996, Noever received the Museum of the Year Award of the Council of Europe (for the MAK). In 1997, he received the "Kurie für Kunst und Wissenschaft", an award for science and arts in Austria. In 2010 he was awarded with the Golden Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria.
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Peter Noever. ULAN Full Record Display (Getty Research).
- 2.More than just Fashion. Wien Museum.
- 3.Peter Noever. Akademie Schloss Solitude.
- 4.Belogolovsky, Vladimir. Peter Noever: "I like ideas that at first seem impossible". Stir World.
- 5.Elena Sommariva. Conversation with Peter Noever. Domus. 16 March 2009.
- 6.Hadid, Zaha. Zaha Hadid and Peter Noever: Art and Architecture in Conversation: Art and Architecture have always been in conversation throughout history. Angewandte Interdisciplinary Lab. University of Applied Arts Vienna.
- 7.Stein, Jeannine. A life devoted to merging art and architecture. The Los Angeles Times. 73, 78. 2001-10-04.
- 8.Miller, Stephanni. MAK Center Acquires Third Schindler House. Architect Magazine. June 17, 2008.
- 9.Didero, Maria Cristina. 150 years of the MAK. Domus. 24 July 2014.
- 10.Fujio, Tim. Peter Noever's Obsessions In_Focus Exhibition Held at SCI-Arc Gallery. Setting Mind.
- 11.Didero, Maria Cristina. Glasstress 2011. Domus. 20 July 2011.
- 12.Noevers "The Pit" under monument protection. Burgenland.orf.at.
- 13.Upstairs down: The Pit, The Tower, The Terrace-Plateau by Peter Noever. Storefront for Art and Architecture.
- 14.Singley, Paulette. Softspace: From a Representation of Form to a Simulation of Space - Edited by Sean Lally and Jessica Young and The Gen(H)ome Project - Edited by Peter Noever and Kimberli Meyer. Journal of Architectural Education. 61. 1. September 2007. 10.1111/j.1531-314X.2007.00136.x.
- 15.Yearning for Beauty: The Wiener Werkstätte and the Stoclet House. Interior Design. 77. 12. 315. 2006.
- 16.Peter Noever. Kurien der Wissenschaft und Kunst.
- 17.Blue Danube: Trouble in the museums and presidential palaces of Vienna. Frieze. 21 October 2016.
- 18.Ayyüce, Orhan. Earthquake @ MAK: Director Peter Noever Resigns. Archinect. 26 February 2011.
- 19.Austrian Independent. Noever quits over birthday bashes dispute.
- 20.The History of the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art. MAK.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 10024056-2, Pressegespräch MAK ohne Kompromisse - Museen ohne Zukunft mit Peter Noever (2001 : Wien).Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q87895: Peter NoeverWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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