In the case of the newly appointed director of the State Museum of Egyptian Art, describing him as a “real homegrown” is quite appropriate. Arnulf Schlueter, previously deputy director and chief curator at the SMÄK, likes to use the term himself – well aware of the reputation that often attaches to in-house appointments. But the 43-year-old Egyptologist, who has a doctorate, is not afraid of him. In a year-long application and selection process, he prevailed against numerous international candidates and will succeed the director of the Egyptian Museum, Sylvia Schoske, who retired last year, on March 1st. On Thursday afternoon he was introduced by Art Minister Bernd Sibler with the words: “You’ve got it.” Schlueter is a “personality with great expertise” who will “successfully master the challenges of the house”.
Schlueter grew up in Munich, studied and received his doctorate at the LMU. His interest in antiquity research was sparked during a student exchange: “At the time, I went over the excavations with a city archaeologist in Rhodes, and that’s when my career aspirations came about,” he reports during the press conference. The fact that the father was involved in the circle of friends of the Egyptian Museum and that the library at home had corresponding illustrative material probably met this wish. With his later boss Sylvia Schoske, he went to student counseling and was not deterred by the slim prospects of a renowned position in the relatively small discipline of Egyptology.
Schlueter is a “true homegrown product”
His professional career then went dead straight towards the goal he has now achieved. In 2003 he started as a research assistant at egyptian museum, from 2014 he was deputy director, soon after curator, then senior conservator, associate at the highly respected Naga project in Sudan, whose management he finally took over in 2021. He knows the museum and its employees as well as the circle of friends very well. Which is why it is probably no wonder that his application was supported by the concentrated power of the household. Schlüter has played a key role in the realization of the new building in the Kunstareal since 2013 and contributed to the profile of the house. A house that Sibler predicts will have a “great future”.
“I stand for continuity, but I also want to further sharpen the profile of the museum,” emphasizes Schlueter. “I see the museum as a place of culture, as an educational and research institution.” It is good that contemporary art in the vicinity of the art area has a place in the museum. He also wants to further strengthen the network with the universities, where he also teaches. “I would like to bring even more Egyptian themes into the museum and push publications more.” He wants to bring the Naga project to Munich with the help of a special exhibition. He promises to build up an online collection, he wants to push digitization even further and try out many new formats.
Schlueter is also a representative of a modern work-life balance
Social participation and inclusion are also very important to him: “I have made it my mission to make a visit to the museum something of an everyday occurrence.” There are still too many inhibitions, especially among children, adolescents and young adults. Interesting techniques such as VR and AR can be used to attract parts of society to the museum that cannot be reached with exhibitions or guided tours. He is also thinking about the topic of sustainability and wants to continue promoting the green museum. In the short term, however, the task must be to connect to pre-pandemic times with the number of visitors – up to 100,000 – and the range of events – up to 1000 per year. The now announced withdrawal of the corona restrictions should help to achieve these goals, as Schlueter noted.
The new director, with whom a change of generations is also taking place in the Egyptian Museum, will certainly not run out of work. “But there has to be time for the family,” says Arnulf Schlueter. He likes to go cycling and sailing with his two children and his wife, who is also an Egyptologist and has partly Finnish roots. And traveling – in addition to Finland, Italy is very popular here – should not be neglected. Because despite all the fascination for ancient Egypt: A modern work-life balance is also important to Arnulf Schlueter.