(W.E.Talk) Kurt Grötsch: Chinese Culture in the Eyes of a Spanish Museum Director (2)

CNS: You have been committed to cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Spain for many years. Could you introduce the work you have done for promoting exchanges between China and Spain?

Kurt Grötsch: In a way or another, I am always a little bit Chinese. The thing is, the Chinese could laugh on my jokes, that was not so evident in Spain. The Spanish didn't know anything about Chinese tourists. Starting in 2010, I created a company, "Chinese Friendly International" to prepare touristic and cultural establishments for a culturally correct reception of Chinese Tourists in Spain.

We organized cultural exchanges with the Minzu University of China and made a sounding exhibition “Flamenco seen through Chinese eyes” with the painters of the Minzu University. Because of all these efforts, the university named me the Ambassador of the Minzu University of China.

In 2012, my friend and partner Marcelo Muñoz and I founded another initiative "Catedra China" to approach China and Spain. That is a think tank. At the moment, we have 420 experts on china is a different fields. And what we try to do is creating another image of China, because image of China is very politicized, depending on a lot of politicians who like or don't like China. So we decided to invite a group of experts on China's different fields. At the moment, we are very known in Spain.

CNS: You founded the Flamenco Museum in 2006 and have served as the the director for nearly 20 years. In your observation, what are the characteristics of museums in Europe and China? What can we learn from each other in this area?

Kurt Grötsch: The most important Museum cities are Paris, London, Berlin and in less extent in Spain with Bilbao, Madrid and Barcelona with the Flagship Museums Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Tate, Museumsinsel, Prado with Art and Thematic Museums, etc.

Most European museums have a tradition or history in their existence and permanent exhibitions. Some of them have a history of hundred years. Even if some are opened at the end of the last century, they have been operated decades, So they have the chance to consolidate their collections, to develop their philosophy and construct a public image, and relate themselves with their surrounding society. They also invested (time and money) to be more visitors friendly. Special efforts had been made in Museums Didactic, that means to approach the contents, meanings of exhibitions to the public. On the other side, there is very great number of hybrid institutions all over Europe, purely private, or nearly private with public funding, which develop a big variety of rule breaking exhibitions.

I have visited museums and art galleries mainly in Shanghai, Xi'an, Bejing and Hong Kong. When I came for the first time to China 20 years ago, I have seen a lot of old fashioned museography with mostly antique vitrines etc. In my visit last year, that has completely changed. Modern, aesthetic museography made me understand the effort that was made to develop a new cultural communication model.

It is the huge invisible structure of content and museums management behind, that transform the museums of China in a tool of enjoying, cultural learning and inner growth, and proudness of being part of a nation, that has not only material, but also inner values and human wealth reflected in the museums of China.

I think that the new museums in China are an enormous opportunity for a new cultural tourism. In Europe there are constant seminars and exchanges of knowledge about Museums, organized, mainly, but not only by the ICOM (International Comittee of Museums) and I am sure and very convinced, that China is already a very active part of these international organizations. Anyway, the Institutions to which I belong, “Catedra China” and “Chinese Friendly International”, we are preparing professional visits of China to know this new moving cultural China.