SPK Director Marion Ackermann on Trump, AfD Attacks, and Pergamon Museum Reopening
Marion Ackermann has been at the helm of Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (SPK) for one year. She labeled the proposal by US President Donald Trump to install warning signs at the Smithsonian as ridiculous, stressing the importance of safeguarding artistic expression. Ackermann also denounced the AfD's assault on Bauhaus in Saxony-Anhalt, comparing it to Nazi-era rhetoric, and expressed her faith in Germany's constitution to uphold cultural principles. The Pergamonmuseum is set to partially reopen next summer, with a complete reopening scheduled for 2037. Meanwhile, the Staatsbibliothek will shut down for eleven years starting in 2030. SPK is grappling with a structural deficit of approximately 20 million euros but received 21 million euros in funding last year and is contemplating property sales to cut costs.
Key facts
- Marion Ackermann has led the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz for one year.
- Trump plans to put warning signs at the Smithsonian Institution.
- Ackermann calls the Trump plan absurd and fears the power of art.
- The AfD attacks the Bauhaus as an 'Irrweg der Moderne' in Saxony-Anhalt.
- First parts of the Pergamonmuseum reopen next summer, including the altar hall.
- The Pergamonmuseum will fully reopen in 2037.
- The Staatsbibliothek will close from 2030 for eleven years.
- The Alte Museum needs urgent renovation, planned for the 2030s.
- Ticket prices for the Museumsinsel were raised earlier this year.
- Group bookings for the Pergamonmuseum are strong.
- Berlin Modern construction has moisture damage, delaying completion by months.
- SPK has a structural deficit of about 20 million euros.
- SPK received 21 million euros in aid last year.
- About six percent of online ticket buyers donate to SPK.
Entities
Artists
- Marion Ackermann
Institutions
- Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz
- Smithsonian Institution
- AfD
- Bauhaus
- Pergamonmuseum
- Museum für Islamische Kunst
- Staatsbibliothek
- Alte Museum
- Neue Nationalgalerie
- Berlin Modern
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Dessau
- United States