Sunday morning, just before ten o’clock. Two men and two women are standing in the Buchheim Museum parking lot. Daniel J. Schreiber’s portrait adorns the posters they have hung around their shoulders. The Bernried circle of friends of the museum does not want to accept the immediate dismissal of the museum director and has called for a “silent protest action”. The date was deliberately chosen, after all, the “Musicals Swings” are to be opened this morning down by the lake, an interactive swing work of art and a building block of the future “Wunderwelt Bernried”, which is intended to bring the village and museum closer together through an artwork course . A matter close to Schreiber’s heart and a plan that he has been pursuing since 2014.
“We cannot imagine that there is any misconduct on the part of the director that would justify immediate dismissal,” says Klaus Steffens, the chairman of the circle of friends. He is not satisfied with the Buchheim Foundation’s previous statement that the dismissal was unavoidable due to serious misconduct, particularly in the management of employees. “As long as no board member comes out and provides more precise reasons, we will stick with the presumption of innocence.”
Most of the passers-by who stream past the small group want to go to the Otto exhibition. Many people stop and express their sympathy, but only a few want to take part. But the number of people who consciously take action is constantly growing. Gisela Geiger is among them, the former director of the Penzberg Campendonk Museum. She says it’s close to her heart to get involved with “one of the few really imaginative colleagues.” The protesters used the waiting time to speculate about the background to the dismissal, which they perceived as unfair.
The harmony is suddenly disrupted when Reinhard G. Wittmann, chairman of the Forum Humor and Comic Art, passes the group and refuses to take part in the solidarity campaign. Wittmann has curated two exhibitions (Peter Gaymann / Rudi Hurzlmeier) at the museum. Schreiber has clear weaknesses as a director, especially when it comes to personnel management and finances, he claims. “You don’t seriously believe that the termination will be revoked?” “Yes,” says Steffens decidedly. Ultimately, it would be a major damage to the museum’s image if the support group were to withdraw on a large scale.
At the inauguration of “Musical Swings”, half of the guests carry a Schreiber poster
Down by the lake stands Walter Schön, chairman of the board of the foundation, who calmly accepts the protest demonstration. He doesn’t want to say any more about the termination than before. Just this much: “There is an outside view and an inside view.” The opening guests are gradually gathering under the museum’s large walkway, at least half of them carrying a Schreiber poster. The Bernried clubs have canceled their participation in solidarity with the former director.
Erich Schneider, the interim director, who has been at the museum for three days, received a few heckles and boos when he was greeted when he explained his short-term replacement. There is applause for Bernried’s mayor Georg Malterer when he is happy that he can welcome Daniel J. Schreiber so many times thanks to the circle of friends. “You all have him with you.”