Zilkens'
News Blog

Zilkens' News Blog 20 2025

Some exhibitions require years of preparation: Skulpturen Münster (a sculpture exhibition) only takes place every 10 years, Documenta (an art exhibition) every 5 years and can lead to heated political and artistic debates. Biennials, of which there are many worldwide for all kinds of genres, also require concept and inspiration from the top down. For the visual arts, the Venice Biennale is still the most important, presenting a wide range of national presentations as well as a central exhibition curated by individuals or groups. In 2026, the exhibition was to be curated by Koyo Kouoh, director of the Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town. She died unexpectedly last week at the age of just 58. It was also thanks to her that we are now more aware of contemporary African art. This makes it all the more sad that her curatorial language will no longer be experienced at the 2026 Biennale. However, her sudden death also shows that key creative figures are not easily replaced. This brings us to a risk that is rarely discussed in the art world: what happens in museums, galleries, art dealers and auction houses when important figures are suddenly no longer available? What are the implications for the continued existence of a gallery if important artists are no longer able to work or the gallery owner is absent for a long period of time due to illness? In the English-speaking market, there is something called key man insurance for commercial enterprises – life insurance or health insurance that provides a certain amount of money to finance a temporary replacement. But what use is the money if the necessary skill set of the person concerned cannot be replaced? In the creative sector in particular, individual style is crucial – and ultimately cannot be replaced by money.

Reorganisations are commonplace in large companies. Just over a year ago, Allianz Versicherung AG worked on reducing complexity in its private customer division. Responsibility for private customer products was to be organised and managed more from a single source. The company communicated this internally, but as an external broker, we only understood that Eric Wolzenburg, who had made a name for himself in the art world, was no longer responsible. He is now working on other projects. Dunja Brockmann, whom we had the opportunity to meet during Art Düsseldorf, has a significantly larger area of responsibility: Head of Private Content/Liability and Art Underwriting, which means that she is responsible for all underwriting for content insurance and liability insurance for private customers. The underwriters in the branches now have greater authority and more responsibility. However, the reorganization is also prompting some to consider a career change. In Hamburg, we hear that four long-standing employees in the art department have decided to – in the words of Hölderlin – venture into the unknown and start a new venture. We are curious to see what happens.

What a week we have had! A new chancellor, a new pope, a new war between India and Pakistan, attempts at talks between the willing and Trump to end the war between Russia and Ukraine without legitimising the war crimes committed by Russia. Margot Friedländer died at the age of 103, Koyo Kouoh at 56. Public cultural institutions in the USA continue to be threatened in their very existence by the Trump administration. However, there seem to be other courageous people besides the head of the Federal Reserve: a federal judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking the federal government's plan to cut funding for libraries and museums in the USA.

Speaking of Ukraine, the Voloshyn Gallery, which originated in Kyiv and is now based in Miami, has attracted attention with an exhibition of works by Nikita Kadan, which was featured in a full-page article in the Financial Times.

If you have no idea where to go next week, an art fair is opening in Limassol, Cyprus. Perhaps it will be easier to sell there than in New York. Stefan Kobel has compiled a lot of information about the art market...

We wish you all an optimistic start to the week.

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