Zilkens' News Blog

Zilkens' News Blog 42 2022

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Fingers crossed have helped! Worth fighting for can now take place if we do everything right with the applications and the early start of the measures is also approved on condition that the measure as a whole is approved. - As entrepreneurs we know: There is always risk and there is no insurance against loss of support. We have been promised funds verbally from the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media, from the Ministry for Culture and Science in North Rhine-Westphalia and from the Kunststiftung NRW. The rest comes from private donors. We are infinitely grateful for this!!! We have 30 days until the opening! - But our partners in Ukraine have practice with such extreme challenges. They managed to completely rework the concept and exhibition architecture in the Scuola Grande della Misericordia in Venice after the brutal attack by the Russians and have it ready in time for the opening. In Cologne we are expecting many helpers from the Ukrainian community and from students of e.g. art history. Registrations are welcome. Until 14 December, an exhibition will be open daily, for which no fee has to be paid and which documents the independence of Ukrainian culture. Maybe it's worth a trip to Cologne by art history classes, even if the museums are closed on Monday - "Worth fighting for" is open!

The Federal Cabinet seems to really want to implement the expansion plan of the Federal Chancellery that was already started under Merkel. Too bad - the thing is supposed to cost more than 750 million euros in the middle of our crisis-ridden times. This annoys Gabor Steingart, who didn't let a briefing go by last week without pointing this out. It also increases the size of the apparatus of our federal employees. The staff expansion policy in Cologne has shown that this does not necessarily lead to better processes and leaner administrative and cost structures. Instead of 17,500 people, 26,000 are now working on a public contract to drive the city to the wall. No wonder that the annual budget of the municipality is now over 5.5 billion - that makes a new building in Berlin seem almost modest.

Images and cultural assets are living increasingly dangerous lives around the world since the activists fighting for the future on Fridays discovered prominent images for their performances. Publicity is assured because they bring along the camera team and the round of claqueurs. Now it has hit the sunflowers of van Gogh in London, which fortunately were behind glass. The protesters of all sexes can't really be concerned about the climate, but rather about their own egos, because if they thought their action through to the end, they would have to realise that in future all pictures in exhibitions and museums would only be allowed to be shown behind glass. Glass, however, is one of the most energy-intensive products that can be manufactured. The increased demand is negative for the climate balance. Or is there a generation growing up that demands the future and doesn't care about the cultural creations of the past because their worlds - which incidentally also consume energy - exist in the metaverse and in clouds that nourish fantasies of eternity?

After 100 years, the Vömel Gallery in Düsseldorf has now said goodbye to the active market. With a small volume highlighting the 100 active years, the gallery owners have now retired to beautiful Meerbusch. By appointment only.

Another 6 weeks, then Kobel's Art Week will appear in its 10th year ...

To all a pleasant and encouraging week with positive signals

Yours sincerely, Stephan Zilkens and the team of Zilkens Fine Art Insurance Broker GmbH in Solothurn and Cologne.