"Menschen, die etwas bewegen wollen" (SZ from 02.02.2026) ⎮The Munich-Speech-series from Dietlinde Behncke

On February 2, 2026, journalist Evelyn Vogl wrote about the Munich Speech series of talks launched by gallery owner Dietlinde Behncke in an article entitled “Menschen, die etwas bewegen wollen” in the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper:

"It was in the fall of 2014 when cultural manager, former journalist, and current gallery owner Dietlinde Behncke launched her discussion series, the “Munich Speech,” to invite leaders from the worlds of culture and business, and sometimes politics, to engage in dialogue. “I want to invite personalities who are changing Munich, working for Munich, giving Munich visions,” is her credo. (...) The first guest in November 2014 was the then director of the Kunstverein, Bart van der Heide. A friendly and engaging, but at that time also somewhat shy 40-year-old man. He was a guest again recently. (...) In the intervening years, museum directors such as Roger Diederen (Kunsthalle), Angelika Nollert (Design Museum), Andrea Lissoni (Haus der Kunst), and Eva Kraus (Bundeskunsthalle) were joined by theater and opera directors such as Matthias Lilienthal, Andreas Beck, Serge Dorny, and Alexander Liebreich. Cultural mediators such as Markus Michalke, Anna Kleeblatt, and Max Wagner (Initiative Kulturzukunft), politicians such as Wolfgang Heubisch, diplomats such as US Consul Timothy Liston, the founders of the digital fair Unpainted, Annette Doms and Benedict Rodenstock, and business leaders such as Jan Fischer (Art Space Berlin), Moritz Schularick (economics professor), Michael Brehm (AI start-up founder), Monika Schnitzer (Chair of the German Council of Economic Experts), and Stefan Vilsmeier (CEO of Brainlab). During the pandemic, some events continued digitally, sometimes even outdoors in the garden. Munich Speeches now take place alternately with artist talks at the Behncke Gallery, founded by Dietlinde Behncke. Instead of 40-50 listeners, up to 100 people now crowd into the room, which is also not overly large. But the events still exude an air of a private salon. At their heart: good conversations."