Kuratorium Preußischer Kulturbesitz - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

The Kuratorium Preussischer Kulturbesitz brings together companies committed to culture to support selected projects of the foundation as part of a strategic partnership.

The Board of Trustees of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, established in 2014, is an association of commercial enterprises committed to culture. The aim of the Board of Trustees is to support the Foundation in implementing selected projects within the framework of a strategic sponsorship partnership. The main focus is on cultural education and outreach, as well as digital transformation. In addition, the Board of Trustees also supports exhibitions, research projects and series of events. Furthermore, the Board of Trustees of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation supports the Foundation in expanding its networking activities and makes its specialist expertise available for the strategic development of various topics.

The Board of Trustees currently comprises the following internationally active companies: Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Siemens AG, the Würth Group and ZDF. The Chair of the Board of Trustees is Dr Helen Müller, Head of Cultural Affairs and Corporate History within Corporate Communications at Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA. The Deputy Chair is Prof. Dr Stephan Frucht, Head of Cultural and Sponsorship Programmes and Artistic Director of the Siemens Arts Programme at Siemens AG.

Strategic support for sustainable projects

As a universal cultural institution, the SPK bears responsibility for its outstanding collections, their preservation, research and, above all, public engagement. This is where the Board of Trustees focuses its support.

Access and participation for all

The core objective of this commitment is to support public access and participation. The Board of Trustees attaches particular importance to supporting educational and outreach initiatives. For example, the programme at Haus Bastian, including the project ‘Welcome to Museum Island! Welcome to Haus Bastian!’, as well as the successful summer programme ‘Connections’, were realised with the Board’s support.

The Board of Trustees of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation is currently supporting the 200th anniversary of Museum Island.

In addition, the members of the Board of Trustees have provided significant support for the ‘Forum Hamburger Bahnhof’. This area of the Hamburger Bahnhof is permanently open to the public free of charge. The ‘Forum Hamburger Bahnhof’ not only explores the history of the building but is, above all, intended to be a space for engagement, inviting visitors to help shape new concepts for the museum.

Another key priority for the Board of Trustees is to drive forward the foundation’s digital transformation. The large-scale, foundation-wide data portal ‘SPK Lab’, which went live in 2023, could only be implemented with the Board’s support. The web magazine was also made possible by the Board.

The Board of Trustees also funds selected research projects, such as those focusing on provenance research.

The Board of Trustees is also committed to the Dahlem Research Campus, providing particular support for the ‘DenkRaum’ sub-project. The magazine and the online feature entitled ‘So far away, yet so close’ complement the Board’s commitment to Dahlem as a centre of research.

Major exhibition projects also form part of the companies’ funding portfolio: without the Board of Trustees, it would not have been possible to commission the architect and Pritzker Prize laureate Wang Shu to design the space on the third floor of the Humboldt Forum, dedicated to Chinese court art, as a permanent installation. 

In 2025, the Board of Trustees supported the special exhibition ‘The Bronzes from San Casciano dei Bagni. A Sensation from the Mud’, which was shown in the James Simon Gallery, as well as the exhibition ‘In the Crosshairs! Lovis Corinth, the National Gallery and the “Degenerate Art” Campaign’, which ran at the Alte Nationalgalerie until January 2026. 

The highlight of 2026 is the special exhibition ‘Cassirer and the Breakthrough of Impressionism’, which has been on display at the Alte Nationalgalerie since May.