New appointment - From Kiel to Berlin: Alte Nationalgalerie gets a new boss
The leadership levels in Germany's most important cultural institutions are increasingly in women's hands. Following Marion Ackermann's election as the future President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, two more top positions are being filled by art experts.
As the new Director of the Alte Nationalgalerie, Anette Hüsch, Director of the Kunsthalle zu Kiel, is moving to Museumsinsel in Berlin. She will take over from Ralph Gleis on March 1, 2025. The Director of Collections for Art Crafts and Design, Sculptures and Plastics at Hessen Kassel Heritage, Antje Scherner, is taking over as the new Director of the Sculpture Collection and Museum for Byzantine Art of the State Museums to Berlin. She is succeeding Julien Chapuis, who left the museum in 2023.
Developing from a contemporary perspective
Born in Hannover, Hüsch worked at the Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart from 2007 to 2008. As a freelance curator, she designed exhibition projects in Berlin, New York, Bonn, or Brussels. Since 2010, she has been leading the Kunsthalle zu Kiel. According to the statement, she is responsible for organizing several exhibitions and initiating national and international cooperation projects each year.
Hüsch is also a member of the Cultural Foundation of the States and the Chairman of the Expert Committee for Cultural Heritage in Schleswig-Holstein. She announced that she intends to further develop the Alte Nationalgalerie from a contemporary perspective, "especially since it was founded as a place for contemporary art."
Addressing people with migration backgrounds
Scherner is from Stuttgart. She worked at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden from 2001 to 2006, with a focus on the Grüne Gewölbe. After her work in the Collection of Applied Art of the Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, she took over the leadership of the current Collections of Art Crafts and Design, Sculptures and Plastics at Hessen Kassel Heritage in 2010.
According to the statement, Scherner is a specialist in early modern Italian sculpture. She announced that she intends to make the scientific discussion of the works in the Berlin Collection more concrete and tangible for a broader audience. "It is particularly important to me to address people with migration backgrounds," Scherner said in a statement.
- Marion Ackermann's election marks a significant shift in women's representation at the helm of Germany's prominent cultural institutions.
- The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, a key player in Germany's cultural policy, will soon be led by Ackermann.
- In Vienna, known for its rich museum culture, Museum Island is preparing for a change with Anette Hüsch's appointment.
- Hüsch's move to Berlin is a part of a broader trend of women taking up top positions in German museums.
- The National Gallery, a hub of German art history, will be under Hüsch's leadership from March 1, 2025.
- Antje Scherner, a specialist in early modern Italian sculpture, will be replacing Julien Chapuis at the Sculpture Collection and Museum for Byzantine Art.
- Scherner's aim is to make the scientific analysis of the Berlin Collection more accessible to a diverse audience, including people with migration backgrounds.
- The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, based in Schleswig-Holstein, is a significant contributor to Germany's cultural heritage and has appointed a new Director of Collections for Art Crafts and Design.
- Hesse, another German state known for its rich cultural scene, has recently announced a new appointment to its cultural sector, further showcasing women's growing influence in Germany's cultural institutions.
