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Collector Egidio Marzona donates books, editions and posters to the art library for "Encyclopaedia of Art of the 60s and 70s"
Press release from 10/14/2016
Once again, the collector Egidio Marzona has surprised the Art Library of the National Museums in Berlin with a major donation. The 115 books and editions, 141 posters and around 1,000 invitation cards are an excellent addition to the Marzona Collection, which was acquired in 2002. Even then, Marzona had donated the associated archive of artists' books, editions and catalogues, magazines, posters and invitation cards, records, films and video tapes, manuscripts and letters, photographs of exhibitions and performances to the Art Library. The diversity of concepts, forms and materials in the art of the sixties motivated the collector not only to concentrate on "classic" works, but also to preserve the chaotic network of ideas in an "encyclopaedia of art from 1966 to 1978" (Marzona).
The books and editions now handed over include extremely rare and valuable publications, for example by Carl Andre, the artists' group Art & Language, Marcel Broodthaers and Gilbert & George. The artists' posters also include numerous important works that are almost impossible to find today, such as those by Brice Marden and Robert Smithson. The new donation supplements in detail the previously missing parts of the collection's archive, so that a unique, self-contained "encyclopaedia" of the world of ideas of 1960s art has now been created in one place.
Egidio Marzona says of his latest donation: "For me, it is crucial that my collection is preserved, scientifically catalogued and made accessible to the public in the places where the best conditions exist. The Dresden State Art Collections are therefore the right place for the 'Archive of the Avant-Garde'. I would now like to donate to the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin those books and archival materials that belong directly to the works of art from the 1960s and 1970s that I have already given to Berlin. The guiding principle of both donations is that the museum associations of Berlin and Dresden will co-operate creatively in research and communication through joint projects. Their already close collegial relationships can thus be further intensified."
Foundation President Hermann Parzinger thanked the collector for his generosity and spoke of a "good and stable relationship" with the National Museums in Berlin. This will not be affected by Marzona's decision to give a large part of his archive to Dresden. Parzinger once again announced close cooperation with the Dresden State Art Collections: "The important thing is that we ultimately experience great presentations and scientific findings that are made possible thanks to Egidio Marzona's collections in public hands."
