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.
