On July 13, 2016, at the Residence in Munich Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer presented the Bavarian Order of Merit to Prof. Dr. Florian Hufnagl, Director of Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum from 1990 to 2013.

The Bavarian Order of Merit honors the decades of commitment of art historian Hufnagl, born 1948, to design and applied arts in society and the cultural ambit.

Following his studies of fine arts, classical archeology and modern history in Munich, in 1976 Hufnagl submitted his doctorate thesis about the life and works of architect Gottfried Neureuther. Before accepting the position of curator of Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum in 1980, Hufnagl organized exhibitions, published papers on Leo von Klenze and others, and worked for the Bavarian Department for the Preservation of Historical Monuments.

In his 33 years of service for Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum, Hufnagl developed this state museum for applies arts – the oldest and largest design museum in the world – into an institution of international renown. It has been located at Pinakothek der Moderne since 2002 and in 2000 became responsible for managing the design department of Neues Museum in Nuremberg. The exhibitions shaped by Hufnagl contributed to a large extent to the acceptance and popularity of both institutions in the global arena.

Hufnagl played an essential role in the design and installation of Pinakothek der Moderne. His competence, verve and expertise led to the construction of Neues Museum in Nuremberg. Thanks to Hufnagl, Kunstareal München has become a globally respected name.

With the subjects of exhibitions he organized as well as his participation in diverse juries and numerous partnerships at the national and international level including in Asia-Pacific, Hufnagl promoted the worldwide network of Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum as well as of Pinakothek der Moderne and Neues Museum in Nuremberg. Moreover, he raised and strengthened awareness of applied arts, crafts, design and design-related topics in large parts of society.

From 1998 to 2013, Hufnagl chaired the Conference of Directors of Bavarian State Museums and Collections.

Since 1980, he has taught 19th and 20th century arts at the Department of Art History at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, and in 1997 he received an honorary professorship from Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich.

Hufnagl holds the Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana as well as the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.