Vienna reappoints two cultural institution leaders

ORF reported Tuesday that Bettina Leidl will lead Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier for another five years and Barbara Staudinger has been reappointed as director of the Jewish Museum Vienna.

Leidl was appointed by the federal government and the city after a public recruitment and selection process that included a hearing. She has led the MuseumsQuartier, a cultural complex, since 2022.

The Culture Ministry said Leidl had advanced its strategic development, focusing on ecological transformation, opening the complex to the city, improving its public spaces and strengthening cooperation among its institutions. It cited the “MQ goes Green” initiative, further development of public space and the planned new building for the House of Austrian History as key steps.

Leidl said the next phase would open the MuseumsQuartier further to the city, continue its ecological transformation and strengthen the international profile and excellence of its institutions.

Staudinger’s reappointment was unanimous, Wien Holding, which owns the museum, said. Three people applied for the post; after one withdrew, the other two attended a hearing on September 14. Staudinger has held the position since 2022.

She said she wanted to strengthen the museum as a place for discussion of Jewish history and the present, and to reach people across generations and backgrounds. After applying for the post, she told APA she aimed to deliver a new permanent exhibition by 2030. The museum recorded 86,700 visitors in 2025, a quarter fewer than in 2023.