Due to space constraints, the Federal Chancellery is planning a major reorganization of the so-called Chancellor’s Gallery. A government spokesperson told “Der Spiegel” that the Chancellery is currently considering implementing a “St. Petersburg arrangement”. However, these plans are not yet finalized.
The St. Petersburg arrangement involves closely arranging paintings of different sizes, both horizontally and vertically, along the wall. Currently, the seven painted portraits of former Chancellors, spanning eras from Konrad Adenauer (CDU) to Gerhard Schröder (SPD), are displayed in a single row on the first floor of the Berlin government center.
The issue is that space near the portrait of Schröder, painted by Jörg Immendorff, is now only available for one additional work of that size. Furthermore, two highly anticipated portraits are currently unavailable: one of former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and another of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), whose portrait is due in 2025.
As for the completion dates, the situation remains uncertain. Former Chancellor Merkel’s office stated that they would provide information when appropriate. Similarly, former Chancellor Scholz’s office indicated that no decision had yet been made regarding his portrait. According to the Chancellery itself, no timetable is available yet for the completion, handover, or mounting of the two portraits in the Chancellor’s Gallery.