What was your biggest surprise when you arrived in Luxembourg? And at Mudam?

Suzanne Cotter: Beyond the beauty of the city and its site, I was impressed by the architecture of the museum designed by I. M. Pei and by the quality of its construction.

What were the highlights, from a personal point of view, of your time in Luxembourg?

Living in the centre of Europe, in one of its capitals, has inspired me a lot, culturally and intellectually. Hearing so many languages every day, and the direct and human contact with people on a daily basis also had an impact on me. Crossing the Red Bridge by bike to go to the museum, strolling through the alleys of the city centre market every Saturday morning and going for a hike in the Bambësch forest on Sundays are very beautiful experiences that I will always remember.

Each director leaves a little bit of themselves in the museum’s collection and in its functioning. What do you think you have left behind?

One can never assume what will remain as a legacy of one’s time as director. I would, however, like to believe that the ambition and quality of the artists and exhibitions presented, the introduction of collaboration with architects for the scenography and the introduction of performance as one of the red threads of the contemporary programming have contributed to a different way of understanding the possibilities of the museum.

The attempts to create a transversality of thought in the museum through activities, especially with mediation and public engagement, and to replace the notion of parallel activities with a holistic artistic vision have been fundamental.

With the collection, its visibility and presence continues in the museum, and our elaboration of the basis for the strategy for the collection and its future development has also been carried out with the idea of continuation beyond my leadership.

Of particular importance to me are the important acquisitions of works by Jutta Koether, Nairy Baghramian, Vivian Suter, Etel Adnan and LaToya Ruby Frazier. Their presence is a first step towards greater representation of artists who are transnational and women in the collection.

You have also considerably increased the number of donations that have entered the collection. Was this the only way to bring in more works into the collection, as the acquisition budget could not be increased?

The history of any great collection is also a history of donations. It's not just a question of budget, because some works would never be accessible on the market. The dynamic of donations is made up of multiple dimensions, of which the relationship between artists, collectors and the museum is the driving force.

One of the difficulties you had to face was the question of storage. Sam Tanson recently announced the creation of a new shared storage space in Dudelange. Is this a good decision from your point of view?

It is an essential decision for the country. All museums and archives are in an emergency situation regarding the management of their storage. With this mutualisation project, which is more than intelligent for a country the size of Luxembourg, there is also, in my opinion, an opportunity to establish a national conservation centre that would provide expertise and training. Preserving works and objects of heritage is one thing, being able to preserve them for the future is the often underestimated counterpart.

One of your ambitions when you arrived was to bring big names to Mudam. Do you think you have succeeded?

The programme of the last few years, and the programme to come for 2022, includes important, even world-famous names in the contemporary art world.

What is your fondest memory of the museum?

There are so many... After all the visitors and all the people who have shown me their trust, I remember perhaps the physical and perceptible experience of crossing the museum’s footbridge to the pavilion, and the feeling of the landscape and these ramparts coming together, with the transparency and fluidity of Pei’s architectural thinking.

What has been your greatest satisfaction during this mandate?

Among the greatest satisfactions is the privilege of working with artists, architects, thinkers, and a team to realise an artistic vision accessible to the general public.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

You are always wiser in retrospect, but the results are often the same.

What did you learn from the Luxembourg experience?

That Europe cannot be reduced to a single vision or perspective, nor to a language, and that attachment to one’s own culture is one of the strongest things in life.

What are the important issues that remain on the table?

Mudam 2025, the strategic vision for the museum developed with the team.

What advice would you give to Bettina Steinbrügge, your successor who arrives next April?

Be generous.

This interview was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.