"Wir müssen die Türen öffnen"
Petra Lewey, who led the Kunstsammlungen Zwickau for over 40 years until the end of 2025, and her successor Fanny Stoye, who took over in January 2026, discuss the museum's history, its collection, and its role in a region where the far-right AfD party is strong. The interview covers the museum's origins in 19th-century bourgeois collecting fueled by coal mining wealth, the influence of director Hildebrand Gurlitt in the 1920s who introduced Bauhaus concepts and exhibited Max Pechstein, and the challenges of art during the GDR era. They also touch on contemporary issues like the NSU and artist Henrike Naumann.
This conversation matters because it highlights how a regional museum in Saxony navigates its complex past—from Nazi-era provenance questions surrounding Gurlitt to its identity in post-reunification Germany—while facing current political pressures. The leadership transition at a museum with a significant but underrecognized collection underscores broader debates about cultural institutions in regions where populist parties gain ground, and how museums can remain relevant and open to diverse audiences.