New director of the Museum of Islamic Art
Press release from 07/03/2008
At its meeting today, the Board of Trustees of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation appointed Dr Stefan Weber as the new Director of the Museum of Islamic Art at the National Museums in Berlin.
From 1 February 2009, the 41-year-old will be the immediate successor to the current Director, Prof. Dr Claus-Peter Haase, who is retiring. Stefan Weber is a recognised expert in Islamic art history and archaeology with outstanding international achievements. He also has a wealth of experience in the presentation of works of art and culture and the organisation of international academic events, which makes him ideally qualified for the new post. He is a member of national and international expert committees and societies for Islamic art. He is currently Associated Professor for Material History at the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations at the Aga Khan University in London.
After studying Islamic Studies (Arabic, Persian, Turkish) and Islamic Art History, Stefan Weber was a lecturer at the Oriental Institute of the German Oriental Society in Beirut. He has a wide range of foreign language skills and has managed many international and interdisciplinary documentation, restoration, exhibition and research projects.
He sees it as his task to open up new paths for the Berlin Museum as the most important institution of its kind in Germany in the context of the reorganisation of the Pergamon Museum and the Museum Island. In particular, he sees promising potential for a contemporary form of presentation of Islamic art and culture in the reconstruction of living environments.