Debate: Should Germany Establish a National Portrait Gallery?

Germany's Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, has proposed creating a national portrait gallery modeled on the British National Portrait Gallery (NPG), aiming to narrate Germany's history through depictions of significant figures. Weimer, a former editor of 'Cicero' magazine, envisions the gallery as a platform to tell the country's 'great traditions' including Jewish-Christian roots, the Enlightenment, and the Reformation. A test exhibition by historian Christopher Clark and art historian Julia Voss is planned for 2028 at the German Historical Museum in Berlin. However, critics argue that Weimer overlooks the artistic dimension of portraiture and the complex German historical context of nationalism and person cults. The NPG, founded in 1856, initially prioritized the fame of the sitter over artistic merit, but now focuses on the art form itself. The article highlights the recent renaissance of portraiture, driven by identity politics, and cites Amy Sherald's 'Trans Forming Liberty' as a landmark work. It also notes the success of the official portrait of Angela Merkel at the Bode Museum, which saw an 85% increase in visitors, suggesting that a German portrait gallery could thrive if it embraces artistic and democratic narratives.