Eike Schmidt to Lead Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna in 2019
In 2019, Eike Schmidt, who previously served as the director of the Uffizi in Florence, will take on the role of general director at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) in Vienna. Schmidt, a Freiburg native born in 1968, concluded his four-year tenure at the Uffizi, which began in 2015. His professional background features positions at the National Gallery of Art, Getty Museum, and Sotheby's. The current director, Sabine Haag, born in 1962 in Bregenz, has been at the helm of KHM since 2009, successfully boosting annual attendance from 550,000 in 2008 to approximately 800,000. Her tenure included significant projects that connected ancient and contemporary art, as well as major exhibitions featuring Diego Velázquez, Peter Paul Rubens, and a Bruegel showcase in October 2018, which drew 400,000 visitors in just 100 days.
Key facts
- Eike Schmidt becomes general director of Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna starting 2019.
- Schmidt previously directed the Uffizi in Florence from 2015 for one four-year term.
- He worked at National Gallery of Art Washington, Getty Museum Los Angeles, and Sotheby's London.
- Outgoing director Sabine Haag led KHM since 2009, with visitor numbers rising from 550k to 800k.
- Haag introduced modern and contemporary art initiatives in 2012 curated by Jasper Sharp.
- Haag hosted conversations with artists like Jeff Koons.
- Major exhibitions under Haag included Velázquez, Rubens, and German portrait masters.
- The Bruegel exhibition (Oct 2018) featured three-quarters of Pieter Bruegel the Elder's works and drew 400,000 visitors.
- Tickets for the Bruegel show were sold out.
- Schmidt aims to renew museum management concepts and practices.
Entities
Artists
- Eike Schmidt
- Sabine Haag
- Jasper Sharp
- Jeff Koons
- Diego Velázquez
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Albrecht Dürer
- Lucas Cranach
- Hans Holbein
- Pieter Bruegel the Elder
- Wilhelm von Humboldt
- Diego Velazquez
- Peter Bruegel
- Mark Rothko
- Bernini
- Caravaggio
Institutions
- Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM)
- Uffizi
- National Gallery of Art
- Getty Museum
- Sotheby's
- Artribune
- Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
- Uffizi Galleries
- Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage
Locations
- Vienna
- Austria
- Freiburg
- Germany
- Florence
- Italy
- Washington
- United States
- Los Angeles
- London
- United Kingdom
- Bregenz