Hans-Martin Hinz

Prof. Dr Hans-Martin Hinz (born July 31, 1947 at Berlin) is a German museum professional. From 2010 to 2016 he was President of the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

Dr Hans-Martin Hinz studied geography, history, philosophy and education at university and received a PhD degree in Natural Sciences from the Free University of Berlin. Before he started his museum career, he was a history, geography and social studies high-school teacher in West Berlin.

In 1985, Dr Hinz was appointed research advisor on the establishment of new museums for the Ministry of Cultural Affairs in West-Berlin, Germany. Doing so, he worked for the creation of the German Historical Museum, which he joined in 1991. From this date to 2012, he served as senior member of the management team (Geschäftsleitung), as well as curator at this institution. He was in charge of the marketing, public relations, event management and representation of the museum at a national and international scale.

Throughout his first ten years at the museum, Prof. Dr Hans-Martin Hinz curated several exhibitions, organised about 90 national and international symposia and authored more than 150 articles. He was also involved in organising of new museums in Berlin, such as the German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst, the Allied Museum and the Berlin Wall Memorial Site. He also participated in the German-French Expert Commission on the Repatriation of Cultural Patrimony through war.

Dr Hinz also occupied several positions related to cultural and museum issues. From 2000 to 2001, he was also Deputy Minister of Culture (Staatssekretär) for the State of Berlin. Between 1999 and 2004, he was a member of the German Art Council. He was Chair of the Advisory Council of Berlin’s City Museum from 2004 to 2008, and Chair of the Association of German Historical Research Institutions in Munich between 2003 and 2012.From 2009 to 2013, he was also member of the Advisory Board of the Haus der Geschichte Baden-Württemberg (House of History of Baden-Württemberg) in Stuttgart. Since 2004, he has also been board member of the Curt Engelhorn Foundation in Mannheim and Deputy Chair of the Research Foundation for European Overseas History (Gesellschaft für Europäische Überseegeschichte). Since 2007, Prof. Dr Hinz has been Chair of the Advisory Council for the Sudetendeutsches Museum, still in foundation in Munich. Since 2009, he has also been board member of the Geographical Society of Berlin.

Since 2007, Prof. Dr Hans-Martin Hinz has taught museum studies at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. He was named Honorary Professor of the university in 2013.

Since 1995, Prof. Dr Hans-Martin Hinz has occupied several positions within ICOM. In 1995, he became board member of the International Committee of Archaeology and History (ICMAH) and of ICOM Germany. He was also the representative member of Germany in the Central European ICOM (CEICOM) between 1998 and 2004.

From 1998 to 2004, he was President of ICOM Germany, and Vice-President of the International Association of Museums of History, an affiliated organisation of ICOM since 2005. Between 2002 and 2005, he was President of ICOM Europe.

Prof. Dr Hans-Martin Hinz became a member of the ICOM Executive Council in 2004. In the same time, he was Co-President of the Working Group on Cultural Tourism, and member of the Ethics Committee. In 2010, he was elected President of ICOM during the organisation’s 25th General Assembly, held in Shanghai, China, replacing the outgoing President of ICOM, Ms. Alissandra Cummins.

In taking this position in 2010, the new President highlighted the role of ICOM as "a global player, representing common ethical and professional values all over the world". He stated that "the work of committees has created a worldwide forum for international, transcontinental and intercultural dialogue. It is the core of ICOM’s work and has to be reinforced and strengthened […]. In presenting ourselves to a wider public, we must continue to increase the awareness of our issues and highlight the significance of museums as sites of social encounter".

In 2013, Prof. Dr Hans-Martin Hinz was elected for a second three-year mandate during ICOM’s 28th General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

For the years following his election, ICOM’s President aimed "to strengthen support for museums and museum professionals in areas that are under-represented in ICOM, like Latin America or Africa". He pointed out that "The majority of ICOM members are in Europe and it’s very important that we also address the needs of museum professionals in developing countries. ICOM needs to give priority to developing its presence and services in those areas".

On 4 September 2014, Prof. Dr Hans-Martin Hinz was honoured by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany with the “Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany” (Verdienstkreuz am Bande des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland).