Zilkens'
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Zilkens' News Blog 37 2026

And that's also Germany: now the predictions actually match the result quite closely. Around 2.1 million people live in Saxony-Anhalt (the same as in Lithuania), of whom around 250,000 – or 12 per cent – have a migrant background. Around 1.7 million people were eligible to vote, 2 per cent of whom had a migrant background. These proportions are typical of the eastern federal states. In every western federal state, the figures are completely different. Part of this development can be attributed to the Rostock–Langenhagen incident, where people wanted to beat up Fijians in 1991; another, and presumably far more decisive, factor is the complete failure of the GDR to come to terms with the guilt of the Third Reich. The ‘bad guys’ were in the West and the ‘good guys’ were in the East, under the protection of the Soviet Union. This also explains why around 580,000 people voted for a party whose manifesto contains many points that are absurdly nationalistic and exclusionary – points with which they presumably do not even agree. They probably assume that not much can go wrong in four years’ time. Things were different in 1932. Meanwhile, the Centre for Provenance Research in Magdeburg is worried about the grant from the Saxony-Anhalt state government to cover the rent on its premises. Without premises, research becomes difficult – and without provenance research, the German art market will be left behind. The AfD seems to want precisely that. And it has succeeded in stirring up emotions amongst voters, emotions that swirl dully and uncontrollably around a world that, in truth, nobody really wants anymore. Without the Euro and Europe, Germany will fall victim to others for whom this plays right into their hands. In Finland and the Baltic states, people have first-hand experience of the reliability of Russian governments and have, for good reason, been building shelters for a long time.

Let us leave this dismal topic behind and build on the stability of our constitution, mindful of human weaknesses. France has honoured its promise and lent the Bayeux Tapestry to England for a time. King Charles (one still feels like writing ‘Prince’, having been one for so long) opened the event together with President Macron. It was a grand affair and a declaration of commitment to Europe, which is likely to have infuriated Mr Farage.

Several thousand people are currently gathering in Monte Carlo to negotiate next year’s reinsurance contracts. An annual ritual – sometimes things go up, sometimes they go down. At the moment, overcapacity seems to be pushing prices down. It remains to be seen whether art insurance, as a dwarf in large markets, will feel the effects of this. 9/11, the last major event, was a long time ago, and during the bushfires in California, the art was the first to be brought to safety. Nevertheless, the wave of thefts from museums continues: now it has struck the Villena Treasure, which was recently stolen from a museum due to reopen in 2024 and equipped with the latest security systems. 10 kg of gold from the Bronze Age, only rediscovered in 1963 and not tradable on the art market! The regulatory authorities in Spain are now considering taking action against the museum management because there were no security guards on duty at night. What nonsense – those old men could not have prevented anything unless they were prepared to risk their lives. One gets the impression that many politicians, of whatever gender, are still caught up in the narrative of Bel Figor – and those films were shown in the 1960s.

That’s right – I was in Switzerland from Wednesday to Friday and was delighted to see that, in Zug, the Helvetika 1575 gallery has moved into the former premises of the venerable Gmurszynska Gallery, where, amongst other things, glass works by Tony Cragg are on display. Public transport works perfectly in that country, and the rail app also allows you to use any form of urban transport, no matter where you are. The next day, you’re billed according to the cheapest available fare. If only Deutsche Bahn could do that! There would certainly be far more people who’d spontaneously take the plunge and hop on rickety German trams.

Elsewhere, there are two personnel announcements from the art insurance sector: in London, Steven Lawrence – who has been working in the jewellery, fine jewellery and cash-in-transit division at AXAXL (a Company of AXA) for 23 years – has succeeded Chris Bentley, who moved into the private sector this spring. It will be interesting to see what fresh impetus he brings to the art insurance business. The same applies, incidentally, at HDI Global to Tobias Sigurdson, who has now been appointed Head of Fine Art and Specie. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has had a spotless career as a transport insurer, first at Landsförsikeringar and then at HDI in Sweden. This needn’t be a bad thing for art insurance, as the field stems from transport insurance – albeit with significantly higher individual values that not every claims handler can fully grasp.

What was written about the art market last week? After all, Frieze Seoul, the DC Open and Hamburg Art Week have all come to an end. Berlin Art Week and Positions are taking place this week – the art world is on the move again – all covered by Kobel afterwards (including the minor slip-ups by Georg Imdahl, who forgot Gisela Capitain’s 40th professional anniversary and poached Philipp von Rosen from Lempertz).

I wish our German readers level-headedness in dealing with the turmoil brought about by the election result, our Austrian readers serenity regarding their own art market, and our Swiss readers strength in their broad-based neutrality.

With this in mind

Yours, Stephan Zilkens, together with the team at Zilkens Fine Art Insurance Broker GmbH in Solothurn and Cologne.