The Archives of the Akademie der Künste (Academy Archives) are considered the most important interdisciplinary archives for modernist art and culture in German-speaking countries. The Archives are entrusted with the core task of acquiring important archives of art and cultural history, as well as collections and artworks from all areas of art after 1900.
The Archives of the Akademie der Künste (Academy Archives) are considered the most important interdisciplinary archives for modernist art and culture in German-speaking countries. The Archives are entrusted with the core task of acquiring important archives of art and cultural history, as well as collections and artworks from all areas of art after 1900, cataloguing them and preparing them for access by a scholarly and interested audience.
The extensive programme of exhibitions, events (opening of archives, lectures, readings and concerts) and publications offer an insight into the wealth of the holdings. These activities are also supplemented by various work and research projects on the holdings as well as cooperations with research associations, working groups and online portals. In addition, the Archives also incorporate the Brecht-Weigel Museum and the Anna Seghers Museum.
The particular quality of the Archives lies in their interdisciplinary collection profile and their links to the vibrant community of members of the Akademie der Künste, an institution that can look back on a tradition of over three hundred years. Since the Akademie der Künste comprises six Sections for members, the Archives also follow that structure with archival departments for the Visual Arts, Architecture, Music, Literature, the Performing Arts and Film and Media Arts. The key principle of reciprocal interplay and dialogue between the arts guides the Archives’ acquisition policy. The holdings in the Art Collection, the Historical Archives (with its administrative files, and the Library, embracing all departments, date back to the era of the Prussian Academy of Arts.
The collections comprise over 1400 individual archives of artists from all sectors of the arts, including many archives from Akademie members, the holdings of 54 institutions and associations, as well as 75 themed collections. In the reading rooms, databases and online catalogues, readers can access 14,000 linear metres of unique archival materials, approximately 1,500,000 photos, a library of 650,000 media items, 25,000 graphic works on paper related to the stage and theatre, 450,000 building plans, 45,000 analogue media items (records, tapes, audio cassettes and videos), 130,000 digital audio and video files as well as 8,000 digital sound and image media, 53,000 artworks (primarily works on paper) and around 50,000 posters.
The English-language pages for the Academy Archives are currently being updated. For the time being, we refer you to the German-language pages.