During the Corona pandemic, museums were closed and hardware stores were open. “It was absurd,” recalls Rostock’s art gallery director. He wonders why cultural centers in particular had to close for so long.
Neumann, director of the Kunsthalle since 2009, pointed out that the rules were applicable in different areas. “A good hardware store has more visitors in one day than the Kunsthalle has in a month. But the hardware stores stayed open at the time. For me, that was a very difficult way of dealing with art.” Museums, with their large areas, could have ensured compliance with distance rules or the requirement to wear masks very well. “We also have a restaurant in our building. I would have been allowed to reopen it, but not the museum. It was absurd,” the 63-year-old recalls.
The necessary evaluation and review process is not about being a know-it-all. The situation was new for everyone at the time. “But you have to ask yourself: why did museums have to be closed for such a long time?” Only if the procedure is well explained can it be understood in retrospect, stressed the art gallery director. If it cannot be explained, then the necessary conclusions must be drawn so that such mistakes are not repeated in comparable situations.
