As the son of an architect who grew up in the former Munich suburb of Au, the future museum director had the ideal background for making design and creativity the focus of his life.

Florian Hufnagl first studied classical archaeology, modern history and art history at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. In 1976, as a student of Norbert Lieb, he earned his doctorate with a thesis on the Munich architect Gottfried von Neureuther (1811–1887).
After completing his traineeship at the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, Hufnagl initially worked as a freelance art historian before embarking on a career in museums in 1980 and joining Die Neue Sammlung as a curator under Hans Wichmann – at that time still known as the State Museum of Applied Arts. In 1990, he took over as director of the museum, a position he held until January 2014.

With the upcoming construction of the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich and the New Museum of Art and Design in Nuremberg, he faced major challenges, which he – also as construction manager in Nuremberg – mastered with flying colours together with his colleagues.

With the upcoming construction of the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich and the New Museum of Art and Design in Nuremberg, he faced major challenges, which he and his staff mastered with flying colours – in Nuremberg also as construction manager. Today, the Neue Sammlung, officially founded in 1925, is not only one of the oldest but also one of the most important design museums in the world.

With his ideas and visions, his acquisitions and exhibitions, he played a decisive role in the further expansion of the museum and brought it international renown. At the same time, this reflected his understanding of design, which he believed should be exhibited on an equal footing with the fine arts.

From 1998 to 2013, Florian Hufnagl was chairman of the Directors’ Conference of the State Museums and Collections in Bavaria. The development of the art district was also an important concern for him. He also taught at the Institute of Art History at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich.

He also worked as a consultant for the Museum of Bavarian History in Regensburg, which opened in 2019.
His commitment and work were recognised with the award of the Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Design Award of the City of Munich and the Bavarian Order of Merit. Florian Hufnagl was appointed Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana.

Florian Hufnagl (11 November 1948 – 31 December 2019) passed away on New Year’s Eve after a long illness.

With his passing, not only has the world of design lost one of its most passionate advocates, but the Bavarian museum landscape has also lost a formative personality.
Die Neue Sammlung mourns the loss of Florian Hufnagl and will honour his memory.