Prof. Dr. Andreas Dombret Appointed New Chair of the Hessian Cultural Foundation

Translation of the press release from the Hessian government (November 11, 2024)

Prof. Dr. Andreas Dombret Appointed New Chair of the Hessian Cultural Foundation

Thanking Jutta Ebeling for Significant Contributions to Hesse's Arts and Culture Landscape

Wiesbaden. Former Bundesbank Board Member and economist Prof. Dr. Andreas Dombret has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Hessian Cultural Foundation. Hesse’s Prime Minister, Boris Rhein, and Minister of Arts and Culture, Timon Gremmels, congratulated Dombret and thanked his predecessor, Jutta Ebeling.

An Excellent Choice

“Professor Dr. Andreas Dombret is an excellent choice to lead the Hessian Cultural Foundation. He embodies openness to the world and the support of young talent. In his new role, he can help create a society that actively supports cultural diversity, the exchange of knowledge, and creative potential. As the Hessian State Government, we wish Professor Dr. Andreas Dombret great joy, sound judgment, and, of course, success in his new role,” stated Prime Minister Boris Rhein.

Thanks to Jutta Ebeling

Minister of Arts and Culture Timon Gremmels praised the work of outgoing Chair Jutta Ebeling: “During the eventful five years of her term, Jutta Ebeling made an extraordinary contribution to the arts and cultural landscape of Hesse. Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation, under her leadership, coordinated with the state government to distribute around 9,000 working and project grants as a quick and unbureaucratic relief for Hesse’s cultural professionals. With acquisitions, exhibitions, and publications, she fostered the development of Hesse’s cultural profile—from the Celtic World in Glauberg and the German Film Institute & Film Museum to the Hessian State Museum in Darmstadt. We thank her warmly for her commitment to Hesse’s arts and culture.”

Former Member of the Bundesbank Board

Prof. Dr. Andreas Dombret (born in 1960 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA) completed a business administration degree in Münster after training as a banker and earned his doctorate in 2005 from the University of Nuremberg-Erlangen. Following a career in international banking, he served as a member of the Bundesbank Board from 2010 to 2018. He currently advises international financial service providers, is active in research and teaching, and is an author of scholarly publications. He has been engaged in voluntary work for science, art, and culture for many years and is, among other roles, a member of the advisory boards of the St?del Museum and the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt am Main. He has had a longstanding connection with the Hessian Cultural Foundation, serving on its board of trustees since 2016.

Advancing Hesse's Cultural Profile

Jutta Ebeling (born in 1946 in Streitberg) studied German studies, political science, and philosophy in Frankfurt am Main and Tübingen. She worked as a teacher before being elected to the Frankfurt Magistrate in 1989. From 2006 to 2012, she served as Deputy Mayor of Frankfurt. As Chair of the Fritz Bauer Institute’s Board of Trustees, she advocated for establishing Germany's first Holocaust chair at Goethe University in 2015. She is a board member of the Society of Friends and Supporters of the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt, and serves on the board of trustees for the Sigmund Freud Institute and the Institute for Social Research. As Chair of the Hessian Cultural Foundation, she served on the board from 2014 to 2019. Notable acquisitions made by Hessian institutions during her term with the Foundation include the literary archives of Volker Schl?ndorff, Eberhard Junkersdorf, and Reinhard Hauff.

The Hessian Cultural Foundation

Since 1988, the Hessian Cultural Foundation, based in Wiesbaden, has supported Hessian museums, art associations, libraries, and archives in preserving valuable art and cultural objects and making them accessible to the public through exhibitions and publications. The Foundation also awards travel and residency grants to visual artists based in or from Hesse. At self-selected travel destinations or in the Foundation's studios in New York, London, Paris, and Istanbul, artists can explore new ideas, research and work freely, and establish valuable connections.