Zilkens' News Blog

Zilkens' News Blog 32 2023

In the 504th of them all, Stefan Kobel's half-year review goes into art fair reporting. From the fair in Singapore in January to the fair in Tokyo in July, everything that wants to be a big name is there.

Meanwhile, the summer slump is being filled by journalists with survey data on the party landscape in Germany. Have you ever looked at the party programme of the AfD? What is written there under culture, language and identity in the manifesto is quite something! I sometimes have the impression that no one has read it because the arguments against the AfD are only sweeping. It is actually enough to read what is basically wanted there in order to find the arguments that are sufficient to put this party objectively in a corner, so that it is not electable even for those who are disgusted with government and politics. The argument "we didn't know anything" is no longer valid. Here is an excerpt from the manifesto

Quote: "German Leitkultur instead of multiculturalism

The Alternative for Germany is committed to the German Leitkultur. The AfD regards the ideology of multiculturalism as a serious threat to social peace and to the continued existence of the nation as a cultural entity. In the face of it, the state and civil society must confidently defend German cultural identity. " End of quote.

Multiculturalism as an ideology does not exist. In my opinion, the economic and cultural strength of our country can only continue to develop thanks to an open and tolerant society. For more than 60 years, more and more people of religions other than Christian have been coming to the country and taking on responsibility. The indigenous people, who were once socialised as Christians, are less and less interested in the churches and their faith. The tolerance lived up to now and the resulting intercultural relations are an enrichment in all forms of cultural expression - film, music, dance, opera, painting, photography, sculpture, to name but a few. It also enables global exchange. Those who see this as a threat to social peace are looking for a life that corresponds to the 1930s. Parents born in the 1920s still know where this has led. But not enough of them are still alive to influence public consciousness as contemporary witnesses. And tolerance is exhausting and has to be learned and wanted.

Little is new in the West and in the insurance industry. Everyone is away for the summer - only in North Rhine-Westphalia do the children have to go back to school.

After almost 19 years, Dr. Ingo Brunzlow has left Allianz and joined ERGO as an underwriter for art insurance. There is a lot to do in the company after Julia Ries, Andreas Berndt and Johannes Kasek left Ergo either for Arte Generali or retirement.

I wish you a thoughtful start to the week

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