Hartwig Fischer

For the German politician, see Hartwig Fischer (politician).

Hartwig Fischer
Born	(1962-12-14) 14 December 1962 Hamburg, West Germany
Nationality	German
Alma mater	Munich University of Applied Sciences University of Bonn
Occupation	Art historian
Known for	Director of the British Museum
Predecessor	Neil MacGregor

Hartwig Fischer (born 14 December 1962) is a German art historian and museum director. Since April 2016, he has been Director of the British Museum; he is the first non-British head of the museum since 1866. From 2012 to 2016, he was Director of the Dresden State Art Collections.

Early life and education

Fischer was born on 14 December 1962 in Hamburg, West Germany. His father came from Mecklenburg, and as a child Fischer was able on occasion to glimpse the art galleries while visiting relatives further to the south, in Dresden in the then (from 1949 till 1989) separate East German state. He undertook postgraduate research on Hermann Prell, for which he received a doctorate from the University of Bonn in 1994. He is fluent in four languages: German, French, Italian and English.

Career

Fischer began his career at the Kunstmuseum Basel, an art museum in Basel, Switzerland. There, between 2001 and 2006, he was curator of 19th-Century and Modern art. He became director of the Museum Folkwang in Essen in 2006, and presided over a period of expansion. In December 2011, he was appointed director of the Dresden State Art Collections. He succeeded Martin Roth, after Roth left to take charge at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

On 25 September 2015, Fischer was announced as the next Director of the British Museum. He will be the first non-British head of the museum since the Italian Sir Anthony Panizzi stood down in 1866. He took up the appointment on 4 May 2016.