Successful balance sheet - "Great response" - museum director expects even more visits
With increased visitor numbers, the outgoing director of the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Ralph Gleis, bids farewell to Museum Island. "The exhibition program is receiving great resonance," Gleis told the German Press Agency in Berlin.
"When I took over in 2017, we had 316,000 visitors. Last year, there were 530,000 visitors," the 50-year-old said. "This year, we will likely exceed that with Casper David Friedrich and a focused exhibition on 'Monet and the impressionist city'."
Complex audience magnets
Gleis drew a positive balance after seven years in Berlin. "We have also dealt with topics that were considered marginal or too complex (...). And yet they were crowd-pullers," the museum director remarked, for instance, regarding the exhibition "Secessionen. Klimt, Stuck, Liebermann," which focused on Vienna, Munich, and Berlin as art metropolises at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The regained Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, which is now being used as an exhibition space for sculptures that were previously hidden, according to Gleis, also contributed to the success. The church building opposite the Foreign Office is once again being used as an exhibition space for sculptures that would otherwise be invisible. Ultimately, it's all about making the collection visible and researching it.
Gleis also feels secure within the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the associated State Museums. "I have managed to better position the Alte Nationalgalerie within the foundation, which is in the midst of transformation," he said.
Autonomy to be implemented
Gleis welcomed the necessary autonomy for the institutions of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. "There will be more room for maneuver in the future, which is very positive. I really wish my successor determination and a great ability to position themselves within the foundation," he said.
"It is to be hoped that this promised autonomy of the museums will actually be implemented. The houses are really autonomous when they manage their own budgets." The museums could make better use of their possibilities if they received corresponding resources. "For years, cuts have been made in all areas while the tasks have grown."
Vienna, a special paving stone
The art historian is taking over as general director of the Albertina in Vienna at the turn of the year. "Vienna is certainly a special paving stone because the focus in Austria is still much stronger on Vienna than in Germany on Berlin," Gleis said. "One must also look at how an esteemed institution like the Albertina faces the challenges of the 21st century, for example, in terms of sustainability in the ecological and economic sense." Gleis intends to take good experiences with him: "Thinking in cooperations is essential for me here, and I want to bring that to Vienna."
- The German Press Agency reported that Gleis highlighted the resonance of the Alte Nationalgalerie's exhibition program in Berlin.
- With over 530,000 visitors last year, the Alte Nationalgalerie in Museum Island surpassed the visitor numbers from 2017 under Gleis's leadership.
- The exhibition "Secessionen. Klimt, Stuck, Liebermann" focused on Vienna, Munich, and Berlin as art metropolises at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, attracting a crowd despite its complex theme.
- Caspar David Friedrich's art and an exhibition on "Monet and the impressionist city" are expected to further boost the Alte Nationalgalerie's visitor numbers in Germany this year.
- In addition to Museum Island, the regained Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, now used as an exhibition space for sculptures, has also contributed to the museum's success in Berlin.
- As the new general director of the Albertina in Vienna at the beginning of the new year, Gleis expressed his anticipation for navigating the challenges of the 21st century within Austria's cultural landscape.
- In discussing his new role, Gleis emphasized the importance of collaboration and sustainable practices in overcoming challenges faced by museums in Vienna and Berlin.
