On the death of Stephan Waetzoldt
Press release from 05/28/2008
Prof. Dr Stephan Waetzoldt died on 25 May 2008 at the age of 88. He was General Director of the Staatliche Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz from 1965 to 1983.
With foresight and skill, he turned the museums in West Berlin, scarred by the division of the city and its collections, back into a cornerstone of cultural life in Berlin and throughout Germany. In doing so, he always had the entire Berlin museum landscape in mind, for whose reunification he unwaveringly hoped. He drove forward the major building projects, the expansion of the Dahlem museums for the non-European collections, the Kulturforum, including the new National Gallery by Mies van der Rohe, and the remodelling of the museums in Charlottenburg with immense energy. It is thanks to his international reputation that the museums were able to realise important exhibitions with outstanding loans, such as "Tendencies of the Twenties" (exhibition of the Council of Europe 1977), "Images of Man in the Art of the Occident" (for the 150th anniversary of the National Museums in 1980) and "The Horses of San Marco" (1982).
A political masterpiece was the unification of the Gallery of 20th Century Art of the State of Berlin with the Nationalgalerie, which also gained further prominence and international significance with the appointment of the passionate connoisseur of classical modernism, Werner Haftmann, as director of the museum.
Stephan Waetzoldt strengthened the scientific tradition of the National Museums of Prussian Cultural Heritage by founding the Rathgen Research Laboratory, which focussed on the natural sciences and technology, and the Institute of Museum Studies. He secured the admission of the State Museums as a full member of the German Research Foundation. He emphasised the museums' educational mission with the establishment of the Museum Education Service. The art library, which he rebuilt as director (1961 to 1973), also owes a great deal to him.
His services were honoured with the Grand Federal Cross of Merit with Star and the Luther Medal in Gold. The President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Hermann Parzinger, said: "The Foundation owes Professor Waetzoldt a great debt of gratitude for his achievements. He had a decisive influence on the museums and the Foundation and will continue to be remembered for his persuasiveness, which was characterised by his exceptional liberality and great collegiality."