Zilkens'
News Blog

Zilkens' News Blog 39 2026

Following this election Sunday, one thing is clear: Berlin, as the German capital, in no way represents the mood across the country as a whole. What we are seeing is a stalemate between realistic ideas, right-wing fantasies of rejection and left-wing orgies of socialisation. It would be reckless to draw conclusions about the mood across the country as a whole from this. The same applies to the chorus of farewells directed at the current German Chancellor, as long as no viable alternative emerges from the wings. It is not yet possible to assess the influence of artificial intelligence and, in particular, anti-social media. When I think only of my own experiences with TikTok, gained through personal experimentation, it is one of the most manipulative media platforms I have encountered to date. Images, language, situations and statements are continually distorted or presented in contexts in which they did not actually arise. To discuss, in parallel with this, granting the right to vote to people who are not even of criminal age seems to me to be completely misguided. Up to the age of 13, they are not to have access to social media; from 16, they are then to be allowed to vote; and they do not reach the age of criminal responsibility until 18 at the earliest. There is something seriously wrong with this line of thinking.

I’m currently sitting about 50 km from Ceuta in a relic of Britain’s global conquest. The whole place is called Gibraltar. It’s a tiny patch of land with a high population density and correspondingly high levels of wealth accumulation. The mother country does everything it can to make investments in Gibraltar attractive: low taxes, a focus on gambling, cryptocurrencies and other ‘toys’ that are best kept beyond the reach of close scrutiny for the time being.

There’s no art market here! Nor has anyone heard of any major collectors. In that respect, this segment is clearly out of the question for money laundering. The process is too complicated. And it’s not entirely clear why Spain has constantly sought to annex Gibraltar as its own territory. Although the main streets here are washed with soapy water in the evenings, the landscape leaves a much weaker impression than that on the Spanish side. We shan’t even mention the culinary shortcomings at this point.

The only way out of a slump in morale is through positive thinking. It is now clear to everyone that the political landscape in Germany is undergoing a process of change. However, the country also has a constitution that acts as a safeguard. So there’s no need to panic just yet in the face of the increasingly visible right-wing spectrum. The same applies, incidentally, to the other side on the left. Perhaps there are no longer any middle grounds, but only realpolitik in a global context versus frustrated daydreaming within some intellectual bubbles. It’s bad enough that opinion-makers aren’t scrutinised critically enough and that a school subject called ‘recognising manipulation’ doesn’t exist. If only!

It is within this whole environment that art and the art market must develop and send out signals. Think positively.

With this in mind, I wish everyone a good start to the new week, free from doomsday fantasies and the ramblings of the political merry-go-round. Let’s simply decide, take action and see how it moves the country forward.

Stefan Kobel provides fascinating insights from the corners of art market reporting.

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