"Crown" in New York

“I have come to stay”

Austrian Max Hollein has been the director of one of the world's largest museums - the Metropolitan in New York - for five years.

(Bild: Lelanie Foster)

The "Krone" is a guest of Max Hollein: for more than five years, the Viennese-born director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest museum in the cultural metropolis. In an interview, he revealed his big plans.

Crowds of people fill the opulent entrance hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met). A babble of voices from all over the world. "That's what makes this museum so special. The Louvre in Paris, for example, is driven by French national pride. The Met, on the other hand, is not a purely American institution, it reflects the whole world," says Max Hollein.

For more than five years, the Viennese-born director has been in charge of New York's largest museum - and with a collection of more than two million objects, it is probably also "one of the largest, if not the largest art museum in the world". "The claim of a universal museum is a particular challenge," he admits in the "Krone" interview. "We are currently experiencing a new form of nationalism, which is often strongly supported by populism. We embody the complete opposite here."

One billion dollar investment
At a time of great change, the renowned museum director is also ensuring major change at the Met. "I am trying to shape the entire museum from a more contemporary perspective," explains Hollein. "To this end, we are investing more than a billion dollars over the next six or seven years to completely renovate a quarter of the galleries." All financed without state aid - the Met has always been supported by patronage.

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It all started with the recently reopened European Picture Gallery. "The reason was that we had to renew the entire roofscape. As part of this, we reorganized the entire collection from the perspective of what Europe actually means." For example, art from Latin America, which was strongly influenced by European art, is also on display, with a special focus on female artists and a dialog between Old Masters such as El Greco and 20th century artists such as Picasso.

Home always in the heart 
The Rockefeller Wing with works from Africa, Oceania and Latin America will follow in the next few years. Then a completely new wing for contemporary art. So Hollein still has a lot planned. "I've come to stay," he laughs. Nevertheless, he carries his home in his heart. "My wife and I haven't lived in Vienna since my studies, but I'm still an Austrian in New York. I love the dynamism, internationality and self-confidence here, but I have never lost my ties to Austria."