Zilkens' News Blog

Zilkens' News Blog 41 2023

Today it's the 513th of them all - Stefan Kobel has a lot to report. The arc spans the globe.

The same was true of the charity auction in aid of Desideria Care, which took place on 5 October at Sotheby's in Cologne and raised more than EUR 475,000 for a good cause. Now the post-sale has begun, where bids below the starting price are also possible. Michael Schmidt-Ott will be happy to coordinate the bids with the artists who are willing to donate. Click here for the list of works still available! And you can reach Michael Schmidt-Ott at michael@fund-art.com .

The industrial insurance market seems to remain tough - cheaper is not really an option right now. Cyber risks are also a vexing concern for galleries. We are organising a webinar on the topic for the BVDG next Wednesday at 11:30. All members of the BVDG can take part. Just send an email to the association with the keyword: Cyber Webinar and you will receive an access link! .

Bavaria and Hesse have elected their state parliaments with different turnouts. No changes are expected for cultural policy. The CSU in Bavaria and the CDU in Hesse have more than held their own in some cases. The coalition partners are confirmed. Personal responsibility and entrepreneurial risk have been removed from both state parliaments, as the FDP was unable to clear the 5% hurdle. Must be nice when the state over-regulates everything and continues to expand its personnel presence. In Bavaria, the Social Democrats are moving well below the 10% threshold. This does not really end the envy debate.

Speaking of which - compliance is also imposed on companies by politicians at the European level and is one of the main causes of costly bureaucratic processes in companies that are subject to stock exchange supervision. To comply with, my English dictionary says, means "to agree with something" and can also be understood in the sense of conformity. The latter is a tried and tested means of totalitarian governments to create the illusion of a diversity that does not exist in reality. So we should remain vigilant about compliance.

We wish you all a pleasant week

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