On May 25, 1992, the founding meeting of ZADIK | Central Archive for German and International Art Market Studies took place. 30 years later, we are now looking at the past, present and future. With different formats, ZADIK will accentuate and highlight various aspects in the anniversary year starting May 25, 2022. We will take a look on ZADIK’s history and its archive holdings, the contexts of art and the diversity in the art market.

The former association Zentralarchiv des deutschen und internationalen Kunsthandels (Central Archive of the German and International Art Trade) was founded in 1991 by the general meeting of the BVDG e.V., Bundesverband Deutscher Galerien(Federal Association of German Galleries). The impulse was a donation of the archive stock from the gallery Der Spiegel by Hein Stünke to the BVDG. Today, ZADIK, as an academic institute of the University of Cologne, defines itself as divided into three areas: Specialized archive, research and education institute, and cultural institution. In celebration of ZADIK's 30th anniversary, three campaigns will be realized starting in May 2022 to sustainably establish new formats of science communication:

Let’s zoom in: Spot on ZADIK

• 30 years of ZADIK – Highlights and Insights │The anniversary exhibition provides insights into the various activities of ZADIK and its archive holdings. The opening is planned for May 25, 2022, exactly 30 years after the founding meeting of ZADIK.
• Reflections on the Art Market – Writing Art Market History | In autumn 2022, the anniversary edition of ZADIK’s publication series sediment will be published in a sustained conceptual development: In addition to the section Documentation on ZADIK and its history, the peer-reviewed section Research with contributions from external authors will be introduced.

Let’s reflect: Diversity in the Art Market

• Women in the Art Market │ As an interdisciplinary research and outreach project, the academic blog, which was already published in 2021, brings the diversity and complexity of the topic women in the art market into focus and will be continued and expanded in 2022/23.

Let’s talk: ZADIK Outreach

• In discursive formats, topics related to (art) archives will be discussed at selected locations in Cologne and beyond.
• May 31, 2022 | 7 p.m. | Barbara Gross in conversation with Nadine Oberste-Hetbleck about her work as a gallerist and her commitment to the visibility of female artists.

More information about the program will follow!

About ZADIK

The ZADIK | Central Archive for German and International Art Market Studies is an academic institute of the University of Cologne. It is dedicated to archiving, processing, critically and reflectively researching, and communicating the history, structures, contexts, and developments of international art systems. Today, the Central Archive comprises over 170 holdings of gallery owners, art dealers, auction houses, art critics, curators, specialist photographers, and other protagonists in the art market, focusing on the period from the early 20th century to the present. As the world's first specialized archive on the history of art market, ZADIK was founded in 1992 and transferred to the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Cologne in 2020.