The Esch2022 project seems to head from one crisis to another. A meeting between the board of directors and art historian Christian Mosar ended with a mutual agreement to terminate his activity with immediate effect. Mosar was appointed artistic director of the capital of culture programme back in November 2018. “The programme team, led by Françoise Poos, will manage the further development and implementation of the programme,” a statement from Esch2022 said. Poos is a curator and photographer who is also president of the Neimënster cultural centre.

Mosar, who has worked as a photographer--notably for weekly paper Woxx--and as an art critic for 100,7 public radio, was a curator for the 2007 capital of culture programme when Luxembourg and the greater region had the honour of the title. He also was involved in programming for the Luxembourg pavilion at the Shanghai world expo in 2010.

Although he was used to working as a freelancer, he told Tageblatt upon his appointment in 2018 that he didn’t feel “limited” by having a fixed term contract and that, as a critic, he had learned that one shouldn’t sulk if you are the subject of criticism. So far he has not commented on the precise reasons for leaving the Esch2022 project.