"The Mudam is no scandal-ridden place"

Since its opening 20 years ago, the museum has made a name for itself internationally, while also repeatedly finding itself at the centre of controversy. Bettina Steinbrügge, director since 2022, wants to look forward: towards a museum that opens up, broadens its audience and brings contemporary art out of the ivory tower.

Lëtzebuerger Journal: The story of Mudam begins long before its opening. Luxembourg wanted a museum for modern art but had nothing to exhibit and certainly no suitable collection. The planned museum for modern art therefore became a museum for contemporary art. Was Luxembourg perhaps trying to run with the big dogs without being able to keep up?

Bettina Steinbrügge: I think the people of Luxembourg can be truly proud. They have built a great museum in an architectural landmark that also has a very good international reputation. It's simply part of the nature of museums and contemporary art that they get discussed. That's normal. By now, we have between 850 and 870 artworks in our collection. So we've collected very well.

The building by I. M. Pei was highly controversial and sparked fierce political debate: costs, location, the intervention in the historic Fort Thüngen, architecture, size, the choice of the right stones. The museum was built anyway, albeit much smaller than originally planned. Did you hear about any of this controversy abroad?

Of course. When you're facing a position like this, you naturally look at the relevant press coverage. But I also knew a few things already because I had visited the shell construction and had contacts at the Casino, including Enrico Lunghi.

The museum is now considered, alongside the equally iconic Philharmonie, one of Luxembourg's top architectural attractions. Does Pei's architecture influence what kind of art can be shown at Mudam, and what can't?

Certainly. You can't work against the architecture. Pei's architecture is very expressive. There are of course artists who fit better into this architecture than others.