![Akademie der künste berlin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Akademie_der_k%C3%BCnste_berlin.JPG)
The Academy of Arts (german: Akademie der Künste) is a state arts institution in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the
states of Germany.
The Academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector
Frederick III of Brandenburg
Frederick I (german: Friedrich I.; 11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713), of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was (as Frederick III) Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union ( Brandenburg-Prussia). The latter function h ...
as the
Brandenburg Academy of Arts, an
academic institution
Academic institution is an educational institution dedicated to education and research, which grants academic degrees. See also academy and university.
Types
* Primary schools – (from French ''école primaire'') institutions where children ...
in which members could meet and discuss and share ideas. The current Academy was founded on 1 October 1993 as the re-unification of formerly separate
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...
and
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
academies.
Membership
The Academy is an incorporated body of the public right under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany. New members are nominated by secret ballot of the general assembly, and appointed by the president with membership never to exceed 500.
The academy‘s recent presidents include:
*
Adolf Muschg
Adolf Muschg (born 13 May 1934) is a Swiss writer and professor of literature. Muschg was a member of the Gruppe Olten.
Biography
Adolf Muschg was born in Zollikon, canton of Zürich, Switzerland. He studied German studies, English studies a ...
– (2003–2006)
*
Klaus Staeck
Klaus Staeck (born 28 February 1938 in Pulsnitz) is a German lawyer and publisher who is best known in Germany for his political graphic design work. From 2006 to 2015 he was president of the Akademie der Künste at Berlin.
Early life and educat ...
– (2006–2015)
*
Jeanine Meerapfel
Jeanine Meerapfel (born 14 June 1943) is a German-Argentine film director and screenwriter. She has directed twenty films since 1966. In 1984, she was a member of the jury at the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.
She was born in 1943, in ...
– (2015– )
History
![Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-P049294, Berlin, Akademie der Künste](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Bundesarchiv_B_145_Bild-P049294%2C_Berlin%2C_Akademie_der_K%C3%BCnste.jpg)
Beginning in the 1690s, the
Prussian
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
Academy of Arts, under various names, served as an
arts council and
learned society
A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...
for the Prussian government. Founded by the
Hohenzollern elector Frederick III (
King in Prussia
King ''in'' Prussia (German: ''König in Preußen'') was a title used by the Prussian kings (also in personal union Electors of Brandenburg) from 1701 to 1772. Subsequently, they used the title King ''of'' Prussia (''König von Preußen'').
Th ...
from 1701), it was the third-oldest such academy in Europe. The institution was housed on No. 8
Unter den Linden
Unter den Linden (, "under the linden trees") is a boulevard in the central Mitte district of Berlin, the capital of Germany. Running from the City Palace to Brandenburg Gate, it is named after the linden (lime in England and Ireland, not re ...
, until from 1902 the site was cleared and rebuilt as seat of the
Berlin State Library
The Berlin State Library (german: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin; officially abbreviated as ''SBB'', colloquially ''Stabi'') is a universal library in Berlin, Germany and a property of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. It is one of the larg ...
. The Academy then moved to
Pariser Platz
Pariser Platz ( en, Paris Square) is a square in the historic center of Berlin, Germany, situated by the Brandenburg Gate at the end of the Unter den Linden. The square is named after the French capital of Paris to commemorate the anti-Napoleon ...
next to
Hotel Adlon
The Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is a luxury hotel in Berlin, Germany. It is on Unter den Linden, the main boulevard in the central Mitte district, at the corner with Pariser Platz, directly opposite the Brandenburg Gate.
The original Hotel Adlon ...
, where the Palais Arnim, former residence of Prime Minister
Adolf Heinrich von Arnim-Boitzenburg
Adolf Heinrich Graf von Arnim-Boitzenburg (10 April 1803 – 8 January 1868) was a German statesman. He served as the first Minister-President of Prussia for ten days during the Revolution of 1848.
Biography
Arnim was born in the Prussian cap ...
, was refurbished according to plans designed by
Ernst von Ihne
Ernst is both a surname and a given name, the German, Dutch, and Scandinavian form of Ernest. Notable people with the name include:
Surname
* Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) German botanist known by the author abbreviation "Ernst"
* Anton Ernst (1975- ...
.
The Academy also served as a training school since its founding, and created a number of affiliated schools. The first was the
Bauakademie for architectural training, founded in 1799. The academic arm was fully separated in 1931 and developed into the present-day
Berlin University of the Arts
The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universiti ...
(''Universität der Künste Berlin''). In 1938 the academy building was seized by Hitler's chief architect
Albert Speer
Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer (; ; 19 March 1905 – 1 September 1981) was a German architect who served as the Minister of Armaments and War Production in Nazi Germany during most of World War II. A close ally of Adolf Hitler, he ...
to evolve his ''
Welthauptstadt Germania
Welthauptstadt Germania () or World Capital Germania was the projected renewal of the German capital Berlin during the Nazi period, part of Adolf Hitler's vision for the future of Nazi Germany after the planned victory in World War II. It wa ...
'' plans; temporarily relocated to the
Kronprinzenpalais
The Kronprinzenpalais (English: ''Crown Prince's Palace'') is a former Royal Prussian residence on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic centre of Berlin. It was built in 1663 and renovated in 1857 according to plans by Heinrich Strack in ...
, the Prussian Academy ultimately ceased operations in 1945.
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-34196-0001, Berlin, Akademie der Künste](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-34196-0001%2C_Berlin%2C_Akademie_der_K%C3%BCnste.jpg)
In
postwar divided Germany, two parallel organizations took its place. The western successor organization was called the ''Akademie der Künste'', founded in 1954 under President
Hans Scharoun
Bernhard Hans Henry Scharoun (20 September 1893 – 25 November 1972) was a German architect best known for designing the Berliner Philharmonie (home to the Berlin Philharmonic) and the Schminke House in Löbau, Saxony. He was an important ...
, which resided in the rebuilt
Hansaviertel
The Hansaviertel () is the smallest ''Ortsteil'' (district) of Berlin and is between Großer Tiergarten and the Spree River, within the central Mitte borough of Berlin.
The district was almost completely destroyed during World War II but was re ...
quarter of
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
. The eastern successor organization was founded on 24 March 1950 as the ''Deutsche Akademie der Künste'' in
East Berlin
East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...
which became the
Akademie der Künste der DDR
The Akademie der Künste der DDR was the central art academy of the German Democratic Republic (DDR). It existed under different names from 1950 to 1993. Then it merged with the "Akademie der Künste Berlin (West)" to become the Academy of Arts, ...
in 1972, then the ''Akademie der Künste zu Berlin'' in 1990. Its presidents included
Arnold Zweig
Arnold Zweig (10 November 1887 – 26 November 1968) was a German writer, pacifist and socialist.
He is best known for his six-part cycle on World War I.
Life and work
Zweig was born in Glogau, Prussian Silesia (now Głogów, Poland), the son ...
,
Ludwig Renn,
Johannes R. Becher,
Otto Nagel
Otto Nagel (27 September 1894 – 12 July 1967) was a German painter, graphic designer and long-time head of the Academy of Arts, Berlin, Berlin Academy of Arts who was one of the most prolific artists of East Germany.
Life
Born at Wedding ( ...
,
Willi Bredel
Willi Bredel (2 May 1901 in Hamburg – 27 October 1964 in East Berlin) was a German writer and president of the DDR Academy of Arts, Berlin. Born in Hamburg, he was a pioneer of socialist realist literature.
Life and career
Born in to the f ...
,
Konrad Wolf
Konrad Wolf (20 October 1925 – 7 March 1982) was an East Germany, East German film director. He was the son of writer, doctor and diplomat Friedrich Wolf (writer), Friedrich Wolf, and the younger brother of Stasi spymaster Markus Wolf. "K ...
,
Manfred Wekwerth
Manfred Wekwerth (né Weckwerth; 3 December 1929 – 16 July 2014) was a German theatre and film director and writer. He was the director of the Berliner Ensemble theatre from 1977 to 1991. He was also an informant for East Germany's Stasi from ...
and
Heiner Müller
Heiner Müller (; 9 January 1929 – 30 December 1995) was a German (formerly East German) dramatist, poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. His "enigmatic, fragmentary pieces" are a significant contribution to postmodern drama and postdr ...
.
These two were merged on 1 October 1993 into the present-day academy, which took its seat in a new building at the former location on Pariser Platz
Awards and honours
*
Berliner Kunstpreis
The ''Berliner Kunstpreis'' (Berlin Art Prize), officially Großer Berliner Kunstpreis, is a prize for the arts by the City of Berlin. It was first awarded in 1948 in several fields of art. Since 1971, it has been awarded by the Academy of Arts ( ...
*
Käthe Kollwitz Prize
The Käthe Kollwitz Prize (german: Käthe-Kollwitz-Preis) is a German art award named after artist Käthe Kollwitz.
Established in 1960 by the then-Academy of Arts of the German Democratic Republic (nowadays the Academy of Arts, Berlin), the pri ...
*
Heinrich Mann Prize
*
Konrad Wolf Prize
*
*
Alfred Döblin Prize
The Alfred Döblin Prize (german: Alfred-Döblin-Preis) is a German literary award. Named after Alfred Döblin, it was endowed by Günter Grass in 1979. The prize is awarded every two years jointly by the Academy of Arts, Berlin and the Literary C ...
*
Joana Maria Gorvin Prize
*
Will Lammert Prize
References
External links
*Akademie der Künste/Academy of Art
official website*Akademie der Künst
{{DEFAULTSORT:Academy of Arts, Berlin
Art museums and galleries in Berlin
Arts councils
Academies of arts