The Archives are mandated by law to maintain cultural heritage and, following the tradition of the Prussian Academy of Arts, to develop a collection spanning all artistic disciplines and attuned to the history of the Akademie. The principal task involved is to acquire archives, collections and artworks from the period after 1900 that are of outstanding artistic quality and have a prominent place in cultural history, catalogue them and make them available to scholars and interested members of the public. The Archives’ holdings are a national cultural asset.
The broad range of artistic transmission is conveyed through exhibitions, an extensive programme of events (including archive openings, talks, readings and concerts) and publications. In addition, numerous undertakings are realised in connection with the holdings focusing on works, special editions and research projects, as well as on cooperations with research networks, associations and online portals.
