Zilkens' News Blog

Zilkens' News Blog 9 2026

Hurrah – the Olympics are over! For the athletes who performed very well and for the officials with a bitter aftertaste. The disqualification of the Ukrainian bobsleigh pilot, who wanted to commemorate the athletes murdered by the Russians on his helmet, was distasteful, as was Infantino's kowtowing to Trump on the subject of football.

Ten per cent of the population is said to have already been affected by the flu epidemic – the timing is very reminiscent of Corona, when things really exploded around Carnival time. In this respect, Carnival has a much greater impact on the productivity of the economy than we would like. In the struggle for new working time models, we could also discuss Carnival. Or does it have the same explosive power as dentures? – Then better leave it alone.

Support Artists in Exile Cologne e.V. – the first jury meeting is today, Monday, and we hope to welcome the first scholarship holders of the programme to Cologne in mid-March. Applications for the next scholarships starting in June can already be sent in. The Kunstforum has also reported on this.

The insurance industry is undergoing another transformation. Some companies, such as ERGO, are announcing staff cuts. In other areas, Fitch expects greater consolidation, particularly among specialist insurers and reinsurers. As a rule, this also translates into staff cuts – and then there is AI, the effects of which are still completely unclear. The process is also continuing on the broker side. Our shareholder Attikon has just taken over the company Götz Lebuhn Versicherungsmakler GmbH in Hamburg. This also expands our areas of expertise.

Last weekend, there was only one art fair in Gstaad, as reported by Stefan Kobel. Frieze LA, Arco Madrid and TEFAF in Maastricht will follow in the coming weeks. What they all have in common is that galleries that have goods (i.e. works of art) that are not imported into the respective economic area must import them, at least temporarily, and are therefore subject to import sales tax. In some countries, this amounts to 21% of the value of the goods. Forwarding agents usually take care of the processing – and there are considerable differences between countries in this respect. In Germany, customs authorities grant credit lines for the tax against which declarations are made and check this automatically. Once the line is exhausted, no further declarations are possible. Other countries initially appear more generous, setting enormous limits, only to check years later with absurd consequences. Is this supposedly mandatory on the basis of EU regulations? Presumably, this is also an approach to reducing bureaucracy.

February is entering its final week and the German Association for Art History is holding its congress in Munich and its general meeting on Saturday. Next Friday, the funeral service for Claas Kleyboldt, to whom today's art insurers owe a great deal, will take place in Cologne. For Nordsterner and Colonianer who will be attending, there will be an opportunity to meet afterwards within walking distance.

Zilkens Fine Art INsurance Broker GmbH in Solothurn and Cologne wishes everyone a good start to the week.