Raphael Suter

The son of an architect from Sursee, Canton Lucerne, with an affinity for art and culture, moved to Basel in 1981, where he studied Classical Archaeology, Egyptology as well as Art History at the University of Basel. He graduated in 1989 and started writing for the local Basel Newspaper, the Basler Zeitung in the 1980’s whilst still being a student.

He later established his reputation as a journalist in various capacities. He was a member of the editor-in-chief’s office for many years. A well-connected local journalist in Basel, he also worked as a cultural journalist with extensive in-depth knowledge. He demonstrated leadership skills and economic understanding after moving from Basler Zeitung to the local radio station, Radio Basilisk, which then belonged to Tamedia, now TX Group. Here, he was responsible for operations from 2003 to 2008 as editorial and programme manager before returning to Basler Zeitung. He has remained faithful to the paper for over 30 years, his love for Basel and its arts and cultural scene having always been his driving force. So, the decision to change sides in 2019 in order to experience the business of art and culture from a new angle and to play an active role in it, suddenly made perfect sense.

As director of the newly founded Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger | KBH.G, which was established in
2019, it is now his task to enrich Basel’s cultural scene with a variety of thematically diverse and innovative exhibitions.
The passionate watch aficionado and collector usually spends his free time travelling and visiting galleries, museums, art exhibitions and fairs around the globe. Together with his wife Stephanie, he loves to discover new artists and exhibition platforms, as well as emerging food trends and restaurants – from hidden gems to celebrated hotspots.