Marzona art collection remains in Berlin, close collaboration with archive in Dresden
Press release from 06/22/2016
Grütters: Berlin and Dresden benefit from the collector's generosity. Parzinger: The Marzona Art Collection will remain an integral part of the future Museum of the 20th Century at the Kulturforum. Cooperation between SPK and Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden to be expanded.
Egidio Marzona's collection has formed a unique network of modern art in the context of the collections of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin for many years. With the help of the collector, it has been possible to close the considerable gaps in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin's collection of art from the sixties and seventies. Just two years ago, Marzona donated 372 important works of Concept Art, Minimal Art and Arte Povera to the Nationalgalerie and the Kupferstichkabinett. In 2002, Egidio Marzona donated unique archival holdings of art from the 60s and 70s to the art library. In the planned Museum of the 20th Century, these holdings of the "Marzona Collection" will be on display in their entire media and historical spectrum.
In the meantime, the collector has decided to give parts of the "Marzona Archive" in his possession to the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD). Berlin, on the other hand, will receive a bundle of books and archival materials as a gift for the "Marzona Collection", which will complement the holdings on art of the 1960s and 1970s to a significant extent. The "Marzona Archive" is a collection of primary and secondary sources that covers the entire spectrum of artistic communication media: Books and editions, posters, unique artist invitation cards, catalogues, manifestos, films, photographs, letters, records and much more.
Foundation President Hermann Parzinger says: "The outstanding Marzona art collection will remain in Berlin and, as planned, will become an integral part of the future Museum of the 20th Century at the Kulturforum. The good news for Dresden is not bad news for Berlin. The Marzona cosmos is so large that it will now be developed and explored in two cities. That is why the traditional co-operation partners SPK and SKD and Egidio Marzona have agreed to network closely. We will continue to work with him and the space in the Museum of the 20th Century will be used for his collection as planned. Marzona will have two locations in future, Berlin and Dresden will move closer together".
Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters emphasises: "Egidio Marzona has already transferred large parts of his art collection and parts of his archive to the SPK in the years 2002 to 2004 and 2014, thus helping to close considerable gaps in the Nationalgalerie's collections of art from the 1960s and 1970s. The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin could hardly acquire works of this quality on the art market today due to the high prices. Marzona's initiative has also helped to pave the way for a new museum at the Kulturforum. The planned Museum of the 20th Century will therefore include exhibition platforms for the works and archives from Marzona's collection. If an "Archive of the Avant-Garde" is now being created in Dresden as a result of Marzona's work, this will not be competition for Berlin, but an enrichment for Germany as a cultural nation. While the Museum of the 20th Century will concentrate on the works of art, the Dresden institution will focus entirely on the archive. Access to and research of this unique collection will be secured by a co-operation agreement between the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. In this way, Berlin and Dresden will benefit equally from the collector's generosity."