HATJE CANTZ MOURNS THE DEATH OF PETER WEIBEL

Today we received the sad news that Peter Weibel passed away in Karlsruhe on March 1, 2023, at the age of 78, after a short and serious illness. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues.

Peter Weibel was one of the most highly regarded media scientists and artists of our time. Very early on, the big digital issues drove him. Beginning in 1999, he developed the legendary ZKM into an internationally acclaimed art institution with a profile that is unique worldwide. His versatile oeuvre, which includes exhibitions, texts, catalogs, and books, made him internationally famous and influenced all media and art discourses. 

"The sudden death of Peter Weibel is actually unimaginable. His voice, his power of initiative, his positive energy have always been with us. Mediality is Peter Weibel—and we only just heard that he—and his books—were about to move to Vienna. The minute the news of his death became known, a void opened up." (Nicola von Velsen)  

Peter Weibel published his comprehensive Enzyklopädie der Medien (media encyclopedia) with Hatje Cantz, beginning in 2015. He had an intense and unwavering relationship with publishing and the medium of books. Volume five, entitled Politik und Medien (Politics and the Media), is currently at the printers in Stuttgart. It once again illustrates that he was always a visionary when it came to contemporary issues and had his finger on the pulse of the times. 

March 2, 2023