Chr. Weigel, Life Drawing Hall, etching from a drawing by Augustin Terwesten, 1697, detail
© Akademie der Künste, Berlin
Literature Section founding session with, among others, Peter Breuer, Philipp Franck, Thomas Mann, Hermann Stehr, Max von Schillings, and Max Liebermann, 1926
© Akademie der Künste, Berlin
„Berliner Begegnung zur Friedensförderung“ with members of the Akademie der Künste in East and West Berlin, 13/14.12.1981
Akademie der Künste, Berlin © Photo: Christian Kraushaar
Heinrich Moldenschardt and Uwe Johnson during the General Assembly, 1983
Akademie der Künste, Berlin © Photo: Karin Gaa

The Historical Archives, with its administrative documents, serves as the memory of the Akademie der Künste down the centuries. The holdings include the Academy’s entire surviving institutional written and visual documents from the late seventeenth century, when the Academy was founded, to the present day. The Historical Archives comprises more than 1,000 linear metres of files, approx. 260 linear metres of press cuttings as well as around 125,000 photos.

The Prussian Academy of Arts (1696–1945) was the precursor of today’s Akademie der Künste, which re-established itself in 1993 from the merger of the Akademie der Künste zu Berlin (East) and the Akademie der Künste in West Berlin (both founded in 1950).

History of the Academy of Arts – Historical phases

Historical Archives – Main holdings

Statutes and regulations
Minutes of general assemblies of members and elections
Documents on training young artists, and their further training
Awards of art and literary prizes
Expert and consultant reports
Competitions and stipends
Prizes
Minutes of debates on art and cultural history
Correspondence with Academy members (around 2,200 letters)
Correspondence with state and cultural institutions
Collections of papers on events, exhibitions and publications

Projects

Collection Profile

Chain of the President of the Prussian Academy of Arts — Chain of Office of the President of the Prussian Akademie der Künste, donated by Wilhelm II on the occasion of the Akademie der Künste's 200th anniversary, 1896
Akademie der Künste, Berlin © Photo: Eric-Jan Ouwerkerk, 2016

Hermann Ende, President of the Prussian Academy of Arts, in official robes and with chain of office, 1898 — Hermann Ende, President of the Prussian Akademie der Künste, in official robes and wearing the Chain of Office, 1898
© Akademie der Künste, Berlin

Several middle-aged and older people are sitting on chairs. One person is smoking, others are talking. In the background of the room are large picture frames, the images of which are not recognizable. — Jury for the exhibition „Mit unserem neuen Leben verbunden“, Akademie der Künste/Verband Bildender Künstler der DDR, 1959
Akademie der Künste, Berlin © Photo: Christian Kraushaar

Günter Grass and Joseph Beuys are talking — Günter Grass and Joseph Beuys during the General Assembly, 1983
Akademie der Künste, Berlin © Photo: Karin Gaa

Photographs

Press Cuttings

Event Programmes

Event Programmes of the Akademie der Künste Berlin (West Berlin) and Akademie der Künste from 1993

Research

Publications

Contacts

Dr. Ulrike Möhlenbeck
Head of Department
(PrAdK and AdK from 1993)
Robert-Koch-Platz 10
10115 Berlin
T +49(0)30-200 57-22 32
historischesarchiv@adk.de

Manuela Dürr
Office
Robert-Koch-Platz 10
10115 Berlin
T +49(0)30-200 57-32 82
F +49(0)30-200 57-31 02
duerr@adk.de

Haiko Hübner
Archivist (AdK East Berlin)
T +49(0)30-200 57-21 58
huebner@adk.de

Sonja Kiesling
Archivist (AdK West Berlin)
T +49(0)30-200 57-21 61
kiesling@adk.de

Noemi v. Alemann
Archivist
(Photo collections)
T + 49 (0)30-200 57-32 42
alemann@adk.de

Reading Room
Robert-Koch-Platz 10
10115 Berlin
T + 49 (0)30-200 57-32 47
benutzung@adk.de
Further information on use can be found here.