DistantNews
Support us
INTERVIEW: Philipp Hildebrand on Kunsthaus Zurich’s financial troubles: ‘I fought against this increase in subsidies’
🇨🇭 Switzerland /Culture & Society

INTERVIEW: Philipp Hildebrand on Kunsthaus Zurich’s financial troubles: ‘I fought against this increase in subsidies’

From Neue Zürcher Zeitung · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Ongoing story
  • Kunsthaus Zurich seeks an additional 7.3 million Swiss francs in annual subsidies as operating and maintenance costs rise after its 2021 expansion.
  • The request would increase Zurich’s annual support to 25.8 million francs, with voters scheduled to decide on Sept. 27.
  • Philipp Hildebrand says he remains skeptical of subsidies but considers the museum’s public-private financing structure distinctive.

Philipp Hildebrand says he is not a fan of subsidies, yet he is asking Zurich voters to approve 7.3 million Swiss francs more each year for Kunsthaus Zurich.

The museum’s operating and maintenance costs have risen sharply since the opening of David Chipperfield’s expansion in 2021. If approved, the request would lift the city’s annual financial support to 25.8 million francs. Zurich residents will vote on the proposal on Sept. 27.

I am not a fan of subsidies. That is still the case.

— Philipp HildebrandHe explained why he remains generally skeptical of public subsidies while seeking additional funding for Kunsthaus Zurich.

In an interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Hildebrand, president of the Kunstgesellschaft, and museum director Ann Demeester addressed the financial difficulties and the possible departure of the Bührle Collection. Hildebrand compared his current role with his former position as president of the Swiss National Bank, saying the two jobs were difficult to compare. He added that running the Kunsthaus had proved more complex than he and Demeester had anticipated.

If the people of Zurich want the Kunsthaus in its current size with the expansion, it needs additional state support to maintain the equal financing structure.

— Philipp HildebrandHe defended the museum’s request for increased annual subsidies.

Hildebrand said his opposition to subsidies had not changed. He criticized the tendency, seen globally since the financial crisis and especially after the coronavirus pandemic, to solve every problem with public money. He argued, however, that Kunsthaus Zurich occupied a special position because it had always relied on a partnership between private initiative and the public sector, with the two sides sharing costs equally.

If Zurich residents want the museum to retain its current scale and expansion, Hildebrand said, additional state support is needed to preserve that equal financing structure. The interview also acknowledges that the museum’s leaders may have needed to examine its finances more closely before taking office.

Perhaps we should have examined the figures even more intensively before taking office.

— Philipp Hildebrand and Ann DemeesterThey acknowledged that the museum’s financial complexity may not have been fully anticipated.
About this summary

Originally published by Neue Zürcher Zeitung in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog