Petra Lewey and Fanny Stoye on the Future of the Kunstsammlungen Zwickau

Petra Lewey, who led the Kunstsammlungen Zwickau from 2003 to 2025, and her successor Fanny Stoye discuss the museum's history, collection, and future in a joint interview. The collection originated from 19th-century bourgeois patronage, fueled by coal mining wealth, and includes works by Max Pechstein and Fritz Bleyl. Hildebrand Gurlitt, director from 1925 to 1930, modernized the museum with Bauhaus concepts and exhibitions of modern art. During the Nazi era, works by Pechstein, Kirchner, and Hofer were confiscated as 'degenerate art.' The museum holds over 4,000 works from 1949–1989, including pieces by Karl Heinz Jakob and Henrike Naumann. After reunification, the collection was restored and expanded. Stoye plans a cultural-historical approach, emphasizing Zwickau's role as a cradle of Expressionism and its mineralogical heritage. The museum is closed for renovation until 2028. Stoye aims to foster dialogue in a region with strong AfD support, avoiding party politics but opening doors for community engagement.