Zilkens' News Blog

Zilkens' News Blog 22 2023

Wikipedia is far from being AI - but the platform is a source from which AI draws information. It is considered a good example of swarm intelligence because a wealth of authors share their knowledge. The control is exercised by people who check the texts against their own criteria and those set by Wikipedia and then let them be corrected or removed from the net. Increasingly, one cannot shake the feeling that one is being led to a certain way of thinking by the weighting of facts. For example, the article on Macerata, a medieval city in Italy: it takes 9 lines for the history since the Romans until today. For a single event from 2018, 10 lines are used and additionally linked to a separate article. Macerata thus comes under suspicion of being xenophobic - the act could take place there. However, acts of this kind can take place anywhere, over-pointedness does not stop racism. Education to a broad knowledge base and tolerance are more helpful here, also in order not to lose sight of the critical view of supposedly objective mediators of knowledge.

May is coming to an end and the war in Ukraine continues. The reporting on it is letting up and everyone hopes that somehow it will end. At the Pinchuk Art Centre in Kyiv, a new winner of the PinchukArtCentre Prize 2022 has been selected. Dana Kavelina receives the prize and is thus also on the short list for the Future Generation Art Prize, which will be awarded this year.

Despite Emanuel Macron's admonitions to the EU Commission to try less re-education, the ban on coffee capsules is now to follow - then only filter coffee, the production of which consumes many times more raw materials and energy. Meanwhile, Hungary can play all kinds of tricks with its Orban and block urgently needed funds for Ukraine. Somewhere, one is sure to find a special account of the gentleman - hopefully not in Switzerland and hopefully not in connection with the art trade, which would again confirm all prejudices.

Liberty Global expands its team in Germany. Carolin Moitje joined Dr. Ulrike Janvier's team on 1 May as a junior underwriter in the Fine Art & Specie Team. We wish her every success.

On 1 June, Roland Brandt will hand over his responsibilities as Underwriting Manager, Germany, Art and Specie at AXA XL, which he has held since November 2021 in addition to other duties. As Head of Underwriting Specialty, Germany, he will then concentrate on all exotic covers that AXA XL has in its portfolio. Like his successor Thorsten Doppelfeld, he will report to Peter Knaus, Regional Manager Northern Europe and Country Manager Germany. According to his entry on Linkedin, Thorsten Doppelfeld is currently still Chief of Staff of AXA XL Germany. He has been with the AXA Group since 2010 where he started as CFO at AXA Art Switzerland, moving to Germany after 5 years to serve 18 months as Global Head of Finance and then 26 months as Chief Compliance Officer at the same entity. He gained 21 months of experience as Regional CFO (AXA ART CEE) and 13 months as Project Manager before becoming Head of Accounting and Reporting non-insurance and co-insurance life for 30 months. He has held his current position for 18 months. The market is eager to see how XL will position itself in the art sector in the future. Here, too, we wish success and a happy hand.

Not everything that has the blessing of the united nations pleases American attorneys general and antitrust watchdogs. Net Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA) was intended to help join companies make their insurance business carbon-neutral by 2050. This included the idea of providing no or extremely expensive insurance cover for certain risks that are considered to be particularly damaging to the environment or otherwise do not fit into the political landscape, such as nuclear power plants, until climate values are adjusted. The leading reinsurers and several globally active primary insurers have now withdrawn from the initiative. - No one wants to mess with the American market. One is familiar with the unyieldingly high demands before the courts there. And many insurers know a thing or two about risk avoidance - which brings us back to the art and exhibition risks in Ukraine ... Still no one offers insurance outside Ukraine.

On Artmagazine.cc, Raimar Stange has let his opinion on the new Berlin Senator for Culture, Joe Chialo, who has just taken office, run wild - it shows that he is neither interested in giving someone new in this political office a chance, nor that a party like the CDU should be allowed to succeed with concepts that focus on excellence and the elite. This could also spur less focused creativity to new achievements. No, no, it's better to just moan and badmouth before the work has begun. - Beautifully German, that!

Next Friday evening, the long summer night of the K1 galleries will take place in Cologne. Most of the galleries will be open from 6 - 11 pm. We wish good weather, collectors eager to buy and encouraging signals before the big packing for Art Basel and its satellite fairs begins.

Get through the shortened week well - enlightenment was yesterday, insights are daily.

We count on your goodwill

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