Artists’ estates
The question of how to deal with artists’ estates has become a pressing issue. This topic is examined from different angles at numerous specialist conferences and symposia. There are numerous foundations and associations that take care of estates. The “Bundesverband Künstlernachlässe” was founded in 2017 to coordinate the interests of the various artists’ estates initiatives.
The BBK Saxony-Anhalt has also been working intensively on this problem for several years. To this end, our members founded a working group on artists’ estates in 2015. We focus on two aspects in particular. On the one hand, we document catalogs raisonnés and estates digitally in our“Saxony-Anhalt Fine Arts Database“, and on the other, we are committed to the establishment of a “Saxony-Anhalt Center for Artists’ Estates”. In its coalition agreement, the state government assures that it will support the BBK in establishing an archive of estates.
The BBK Saxony-Anhalt has been operating the “Visual Arts Database Saxony-Anhalt” since 2017. It publishes catalogs of works and estates of visual artists with a connection to Saxony-Anhalt. The work database informs the public – including curators and researchers, for example – about the life’s work of individual artists and reflects the diversity of artistic […]
Tue 28.4. / 18:00 / RADIO CORAX event room Works of art from the GDRA look at the collections How are works of art created in the GDR preserved, processed and exhibited today? How large is the proportion of works by women artists in the collections? How did the collections come about? Who has what? […]
With the seventh round of publications since 2017, the “Werkdatenbank Bildende Kunst Sachsen-Anhalt” has grown to 6,419 works by 43 artists. The focus is on two contemporary artists whose catalogs were newly created in winter 2025/26: the Wittenberg artist Ulrike Kirchner (1959) and Hans Molzberger (1953) from the Altmark region. Ulrike Kirchner Ulrike Kirchner was […]
For the second time this year, the BBK Saxony-Anhalt is putting new works online. This means that 41 artists with a total of 6,207 works are now represented in the Saxony-Anhalt Visual Arts Database. The BBK cordially invites you to the studio of the jewelry artist Claudia Baugut, who was involved in the project, in […]
In fall 2025, the BBK Saxony-Anhalt is offering a new fee-based course for artists, heirs and estate administrators under the direction of art historian Katharina Lorenz M.A., which consists of three dates. The following documents must be submitted for the application: Letter of motivation, short biography, list of exhibitions, list of publications, digital image of […]
What remains of an artist’s inner life? And what happens to an artistic legacy if no descendants preserve it or archives reach their limits? These questions are on the minds of many artists – because the concern that works will be lost contrasts with the growing importance of documenting and making visible one’s own artistic […]
In spring 2025, the BBK Saxony-Anhalt is offering a new fee-based course for artists, heirs and estate administrators under the direction of art historian Katharina Lorenz M.A., which consists of three dates. The following documents must be submitted for the application: Letter of motivation, short biography, list of exhibitions, list of publications, digital image of […]
The Berufsverband Bildender Künstler Sachsen-Anhalt e.V. (BBK) published new works in its “Werkdatenbank Bildende Kunst Sachsen-Anhalt” at the beginning of February 2025. The focus is on the estate catalog of Magdeburg artist Walter Bischof (1919-1968) and the catalog raisonné of Halle artist Sabine Kunz (*1962). In addition, numerous artists have completed the catalogs they began […]
The Berufsverband Bildender Künstler Sachsen-Anhalt e.V. (BBK) published new works in its “Werkdatenbank Bildende Kunst Sachsen-Anhalt” at the beginning of February 2025. The focus is on the catalog raisonné of the Magdeburg artist Walter Bischof (1919-1968) and the catalog raisonné of the Halle artist Sabine Kunz (1962). In addition, numerous artists have completed the catalogs […]
From mid-September to mid-November 2024, the BBK Saxony-Anhalt conducted a survey on artists’ estates. Visual artists and estate holders (institutions and private individuals) were invited to take part. The response was great. The Museum and Archive Association, the Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation and other partners forwarded our appeal, articles about the project appeared in the press […]