Since the controversial election of the rector, there has been rumbling at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. At the center of the dispute is Donatella Fioretti. Many want the Italian at the top, but who does politics want?
From
Alexander Menden
The year 2023 should be a festive one for the Düsseldorf Art Academy. Founded in 1773, the academy, which is associated with big names such as Adolph von Menzel, Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter, is currently celebrating its 250th anniversary. Or rather, she could celebrate if there hadn’t been fierce arguments about the election of the new rector, Donatella Fioretti, since the beginning of the year. They culminated, provisionally, in the annulment of the election results of December 19, 2022, disciplinary proceedings against the Italian architect and student protests. “We can’t even think about the anniversary at the moment,” say members of the Academy’s Senate, who elect the rector every four years. “The preparations are completely overshadowed by these events.”