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 Miesbach - “Without sponsors, we can do nothing at the moment” says Eckhart Schwab from the Christian Schad Museumsfreunde. It still is uncertain how the works of art from
the world-famous, Miesbach-born painter can be secured for the town. Nikolaus Schad, the son of the artist, will donate 70 to 80 works from his collection as a gift to the town,
provided that there will be a museum which will continually exhibit a portion of the collection.
Combining these works with the Heimatmuseum, a museum of local, traditional folk art, is
a possibility. The Schlossmuseum in Murnau has taken a similar approach, where the paintings from Gabriele Münter and the circle “Der blaue Reiter” are joined with the collections from the Schlossmuseums.
The stock of the Miesbach Heimatmuseum, which includes the greatest collection of
historic folk costume in Bavaria, is stored in the firehouse, in unbearable conditions. Humidity is destroying the irreplaceable collection.
This museum would be a great tribute to the late mayor Gerhard Maier, who donated much of the holdings to the
Heimatmuseum. His successor, Ingrid Pongratz, is very involved in the project. “Momentarily nothing concrete is going
on”, says Pongratz. There are rooms in the Old Hospital, a beautiful Jugendstilbuilding from 1900 that we can use. Costs
for the reconstruction are covered by the savings from Bürgerfeste – citizen feasts, which is a fundraising event for the
museum. “But then there are the expenses to operate the Museum”. The Christian Schad Museum could use volunteer
staff and be open at least two days a week. It could also arrange the transport of the paintings from Vienna, where they
are currently. Still, operating costs such as insurance is a problem. “The financial situation is worse than ever”, says
Pongratz. “At the moment the town cannot afford anything.” The establishment of a citizens’ foundation would be a way to help with this.
In the meantime, Nikolaus Schad waits for a decision about the Museum so that he can decide how many and which pieces
of his father’s work of he can offer to the Museum in Miesbach.
Schad, who lives in Vienna, just celebrate his 80th birthday. He understands the situation of the town.
The Museum in Miesbach, with Christian Schad as a “drawing horse”, could become an important part of a ”
Museumsstreet”, surrounding Munich in the south. Along the Alp side, leading from Murnau ( Gabriele Münter) to the
Franz-Marc-Haus in Kochel, Buchheims Museum in Bernried on the Starnberger See, Gulbransson-Museum in Tegernsee and finally Christian Schad Museum in Miesbach. A successful marketing strategy could be created to
promote tourism to the town. Many art lovers and bus tours could make a stop on this Museumsstraße. “A pearl necklace around Munich” as Bettina Schad, Christian Schad’s widow once said.
So, Schwab hopes for sponsors, companies and private persons, who want to establish a personal monument to their cultural heritage.
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