Zilkens' News Blog

Zilkens' News Blog 24 2022

Dear non-gendering and gendering readers (I'm curious to see what the English translation looks like),

Three sad news first: Jacques de la Villeglé died at the age of 96. Alongside him, Raymond Hains and Mimmo Rotella took an aesthetically critical look at the billboards of the early modern period. Collage became décollage. On June 1st, Günther Freiherr von Salza und Lichtenau, former partner and managing director of reinsurance broker König und Reeker, left this world. He often seemed more British than the islanders themselves and one always had the good feeling that he took things seriously but then not too seriously. Fun in art was always a companion for him. This probably also applies to Heidi Goess-Horten, whose private museum "Heidi Horten Collection" has just opened in Vienna. She died completely unexpectedly at the age of 81 in her house on Lake Wörthersee, as reported by the NZZ and others.

The Klee Foundation in Bern has dared to do something: "Luminous Secret - Children Curate Klee" can be seen there until 4 September - and is well worth the trip. A small group of 8-12 year-olds (with support, of course) has put together a remarkable exhibition that also recalls a forgotten Bauhaus teacher: Karla Grosch, who died in a swimming accident in Israel in May 1933. The extent to which her death influenced Klee's work remains a mystery even after the exhibition - but one gets closer to him.

Dolores Bernabéu has left the Uniqa team in Switzerland for a currently unknown destination. Good underwriters are being sought in the market, as training is not the top priority at the moment.

Krakrit Arunanondchai, Uriel Orlow, Lawrence Abu Hamdan,Superflex, Chiharu Shiota, Nasem Mohaiemen, Taus Makhacheva, Zheng Bo, Forensic Architecture, Laure Provost, Hito Steyerl, Marwa Arsanios, Monira Al Qadiri, Shezad Dawood, Tabita Rezaire, Alicija Kwade, Cian Dayrit, Halil Altindere, Ian Cheng, James Bridle, Kader Attia, Marguerite Humeau and Munem Wasif all have one thing in common, according to Artnet: They have been in at least 8 international biennials and treinnales in the last 5 years. If the individual names don't mean anything to you, it doesn't matter - very few of us go to the Riga, Sydney, Lahore, Taipei, Sharjah, Gwangju or Shanghai Biennale - we still think Europe is the world, but it is only one, albeit quite developed, part of it.

From this afternoon on, the various previews around Art Basel in Basel will start and let's see how much the wanderlust is developed. Russian collectors are not expected - Americans? Chinese? Europeans for sure, and some will try to cheat Christine Lagarde by withdrawing liquidity from the market and investing in art. In any case, the expectations of the participating galleries are high - and so are their financial outlays. Subsidies were once upon a time.

Let's keep our fingers crossed for all those involved in the fair that their expectations will be fulfilled, despite the difficult news from the front in Ukraine, the defence of which can only succeed if the two pouters from France and Germany finally stand by what they tell their electorate.

A good start to the week wishes the team of Zilkens Fine Art Insurance Broker GmbH and your Stephan Zilkens