David Chipperfield - great art doesn't need government subsidies

Does art improve by funding it? "No!", says the renowned British architect David Chipperfield who is responsible for the award-winning realisation of building the new Folkwang Museum in Essen. The 56-year-old finished his architectural studies in 1977 under the government of Margaret Thatcher. At that time, there was no funding for art in Great Britain. Yet Chipperfield does not see this as an obstacle for creativity - to the contrary, he sees it as its motor.

Hard leadership style

Margaret Thatcher was known as the "iron Lady". The Brits also called her "milk snatcher" because she abolished the free milk at elementary schools. Her entire leadership style was characterised by the policy of the tough leadership, of social cuts and the restriction of influence that the state and labour unions should have on the economy.

In comparison to Dutch artists who received a lot of support during that time - British art was better, says Chipperfield. British artists from his generation were famous nowadays. Do financial woes lead to a more expressive art even nowadays?

David Chipperfield doesn't seem to have been harmed by the strict leadership. Apart from the Folkwang museum, he also designed the Figge Art Museum in Davenport and the River and Rowing in Henley-on-Thames. His expertise spans even further; on the occasion of the "most beautiful museum in the world" he was sorry that he was restricted to only one artistically working "museum architect". "I have meanwhile really become an expert on airports." In addition, he acts as guest professor at several universities, at the Graduate School of Design of Harvard University in the years 1987/1988 for example.

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