AXA Art Research Grant project wins top cultural commitment award

The international AXA Art Research Grant project has been praised by two leading German newspapers - Süddeutsche Zeitung and Handelsblatt - rating it as a key source of support for culture today. In this way, on June 1, AXA Art was awarded first prize by the German federal association for industry for its commitment to culture.

Small and medium-sized businesses represent the mainstay for promoting culture in Germany. This was the surprising outcome of Germany's first cultural patronage ranking. At the beginning of 2006, the German industry cultural circle, which is part of the German federal association for industry, carried out an evaluation of businesses together with the newspapers Süddeutsche Zeitung and Handelsblatt.

The Allianz Cultural Foundation, the Albert-von Metzler Foundation and AXA Art won the first prizes for cultural promotion in the large, medium and small business categories respectively.

AXA Art Versicherung AG, based in Cologne, handles settlements for art-related claims on a daily basis, and has drawn the following conclusions: the company must actively promote research into new technologies and methods for preserving works of art. Within this framework, AXA Art is working closely with various universities and museums in order to extend the life of works of art.

It is this key work that has enabled AXA Art to win the cultural promotion prize in the small business category. "We want to help our partners in the universities and museums", explained Thomas Wessel, Director Art Expertise Management at AXA Art. For instance, AXA Art is partnering the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, which houses a large collection of plastic items of furniture. Due to the total lack of mastery over its makeup over the last few decades, plastic poses a number of problems for curators. Faced with these difficulties, AXA Art has rallied its forces, promoting the creation of networks and exchanges of information around the world.

"Anyone can give money. At AXA Art, we have looked into a different way of promoting art", adds Ulrich Guntram, Chairman of AXA Art's Board. The AXA Art Research Grant project represents the fruit of this research, looking to support technologies and methods making it possible to ensure that works of art last over time.