Staff at the Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art (MMK) have claimed for the second time that the institution promotes a toxic work environment.
A six-page letter signed by about 80 percent of employees reiterated the grievance against the toxic workplace environment that was first filed in 2019, when the museum’s director, Susan Pfeiffer, was just one year into her tenure. The new letter details allegations of physical and emotional abuse, mismanagement, and an unequal power dynamic with institutional leadership, with some accusations centering specifically on Pfeffer.
according to German port FAZthe internal letter, signed anonymously, was delivered to Pfeffer on April 5 with a request to process its contents within two weeks.
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“Regular crossing of boundaries and complete disregard for the needs of employees,” the letter says, has led to “a waste of skills and also a blatant loss of motivation to physical and mental disturbances such as anxiety and permanent sleep disturbances.”
“We are ready to work with you to solve the problems,” he continues. When the museum’s leadership failed to respond to their concerns within the deadline, the staff released the message to the public.
Among the grievances mentioned in the letter is the mismanagement of museum programming. The signatories claim that decisions about exhibitions are made behind closed doors without the involvement of staff. “The planning associated with the exhibition or project is largely absent or under constant review,” the letter reads.
ARTnews Contact the Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art for comment.
In a statement to FAZPfeiffer said it published an internal response on May 13 that outlined the robust structural reforms it had planned to implement.
A veteran of the German art community, Pfeffer was the curator for Anne Imhof’s Golden Lion-winning show at the German Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale. She was appointed Director of MMK in 2017 after a period as President of Kassel’s Fridericianum.
In 2019, she curated The Museum, a well-received show at MMK that sought “in a time of constant change and a present sense of powerlessness”, to propose a new institutional structure based on activism, protest and inclusiveness. Last year, she and Anna Seiler co-organized “Crip Time,” an acclaimed survey focusing on “the vulnerability of our bodies as a foundational thing.”
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