Archive of the Avant-Garde - Egidio Marzona opens in Dresden

The Archive of the Avant-Garde - Egidio Marzona (ADA) has opened in a converted historical building in Dresden. The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) now has a new venue for exhibitions, research and debate. Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) spoke of a "great stroke of luck for Saxony, for the state capital and for art and science" at the ceremony on Saturday in the presence of the man who gave the building its name and thanked Marzona. The German-Italian entrepreneur had donated his art collection of almost 1.5 million objects to the SKD.

Kretschmer emphasized the importance of art and culture and the examination of history. The Archive of the Avant-Gardes makes it possible to preserve, research and talk about an important collection that represents the 20th century. "It is so enormously important that we have this openness to art and culture in this country," he said. "And Dresden is exactly the right place for this."

The Free State invested around 29 million euros to turn the listed building into a home for this in six years. Inside the building, which was gutted down to the baroque outer shell, a modern multifunctional space was created with a seemingly floating concrete cube that offers a research platform and space for exhibitions. SKD Director General Marion Ackermann spoke of an "archive of archives" and a particular focus was on artistic research.

Marzona had transferred his collection, which had grown since the 1960s, and later a further 200,000 objects. It forms the foundation of the ADA and is also available for research and discussion of the works. According to SKD, these are being completely digitized, with 729,274 objects currently already halfway through.

Marzona's archive of the avant-gardes, which is now preserved and accessible in Dresden, is one of the most important collections of works, objects and documents of the artistic avant-garde of the 20th century. It includes correspondence, manifestos, films, posters, catalogs, artists' books as well as artworks and design objects by Pablo Picasso, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Max Beckmann, Paul Klee, Niki de Saint Phalle, Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys. "Everything is equally important, the small piece of paper and the large painting," said Ackermann.

The first exhibition "Archive of Dreams" with around 300 works of art is dedicated to the Surrealists and their influence on other avant-garde movements such as Dada, Cobra, Fluxus and Pop Art. During the first week, the ADA can be explored free of charge and the garden will be filled with art such as performances and events, said director Rudolf Fischer. After that, the museum will open on weekdays from 3 pm to 9 pm and at weekends from 12 pm to 7 pm.