The Düsseldorf Art Academy has been left without leadership since acting rector Johannes Myssok announced his resignation in a letter to Science Minister Ina Brandes (CDU) this week. He is also no longer available for the office of pro-rector, as dpa reports. The academy in the state capital is one of the oldest and most important art schools in Europe, and this summer it was supposed to celebrate its 250th anniversary.
But apparently there is neither time nor personnel for preparations: Myssok’s resignation follows weeks of quarrels, triggered by the premature departure of Rector Karl-Heinz Petzinka in summer 2022. The art historian Johannes Myssok, who has since acted as acting director of the academy, was then defeated the new election in December, his colleague, the architect Donatella Fioretti, who has been a professor of architecture since 2017. However, the NRW Ministry of Science declared their election invalid at the beginning of February due to procedural errors. It should be repeated, which led to protests from students and colleagues.
The date of the election, which was planned for the end of April, is now uncertain again. “My concern was to let this house shine in its anniversary year,” explains Myssok. It was “very sad” that the situation had taken such a turn. For him, “the limit of what can be endured has been reached”. Internationally renowned artists such as Gerhard Richter, Joseph Beuys, Andreas Gursky and Jörg Immendorff studied and taught at the Düsseldorf Academy. Previous rectors include Markus Lüpertz and Tony Cragg.