Center for art exhibitions in the GDR
The center for art exhibitions in the GDR existed from 1964 to 1973 as an exhibition group at the Ministry of Culture and from 1973 to 1990 as a center for art exhibitions in the GDR .
history
The Center for Art Exhibitions of the GDR (ZfK) was a state-run scientific and artistic institution under the Ministry of Culture of the GDR (MfK). It conceived, organized and designed its own exhibitions on behalf of the MfK, the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR and other institutions according to plans, directives or contracts that had to be confirmed by the MfK. This concerned non-commercial exhibitions by foreign partners in the GDR and exhibitions from the GDR abroad on the basis of contracts. The ZfK was responsible for organizing the selection process and realizing the GDR art exhibition in Dresden.
Various institutions in Berlin belonged to the ZfK: the management, art collection with library, photo collection and slide library at Brüderstraße 13, the visual arts department (Poststraße, Krausenstraße, Metzer Straße), the theater, music and poster collection (Linienstraße), the administration , the vehicle fleet and the exhibition technology (Revaler Straße), the "Neue Berliner Galerie" NBG (in the Marstall until 1975, in the Altes Museum until 1990), the "Galerie am Weidendamm" (Friedrichstraße until 1990), the INTERGRAFIK office (Linienstraße to 1990) as well as the office for the “Kunsthalle Deutscher Dom” investment project. In addition, there was the “Galerie Rähnitzgasse” with the office for the “Art Exhibition of the GDR” in Dresden and the office of the Quadriennale of Arts and Crafts in Erfurt. The ZfK ended its activities on December 31, 1990. From the center, the Society for Art Exhibitions mbH (GFK), founded by the ZfK and existing until 1992, and the short-lived Internationale Kulturzentrum GmbH (IKZ) were formed. The ZfK was handled by the Institute for Foreign Relations (IfA) in Stuttgart, without this becoming the legal successor.
literature
- Communications from the ZfK, Berlin 1975–1990
- Christian Saehrendt : Art as an ambassador for an artificial nation. Studies on the role of the fine arts in the foreign cultural policy of the GDR . Franz Steiner Verlag 2009, ISBN 9783515092272
- Steffen Dengler: The art of freedom? Wilhelm Fink Verlag 2010, ISBN 9783770549559