Controversial Culture Protection Act – Why Georg Baselitz’s art from … – Süddeutsche.de

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• Culture Minister Monika Grütters is planning a controversial intensification of “cultural property protection law”.
• Every significant work of an artist of international Rank, which has been permanently held in Germany, is to be placed under protection.
• Many art dealers are shocked.
• The painter and sculptor Georg Baselitz has announced on Sunday that it all on permanent loan from German museums withdraws.

What is “nationally valuable cultural asset”? Caspar David Friedrich’s “Wanderer Above the Sea of ​​Fog” is not among them, for his “seashore under the moonlight”. By Paula Modersohn-Becker no work is available in the directory, it is found a number of Picasso. Created the directories that occupied with export ban works in the Weimar Republic. They wanted to prevent the deposed nobility brings its treasures out of the country. Since then allowed to proliferate these directories partly, partly neglected they. Culture Minister Monika Grütters that now this Verhaus adopted, is welcome.

But instead of just cleaning up, she plans to tighten up the “cultural property protection law” that will explode the number of protected works. Grütters will not only provide all works in public institutions under protection. Not only art with significance for the German culture or history, including the two Warhol had heard from the state-owned North Rhine-Westphalia Casino West game that were recently auctioned off for 120 million euros. They are loud Grütters “emblematic of the collection History of the Rhineland”. No, any particularly significant work of an artist of international renown, has been permanently preserved in Germany and whose whereabouts in the public interest, is on the list, so every significant work of art. And that’s just one of the innovations.

The ownership rights of citizens will be ignored

auction in New York German Warhols bring $ 135 million

There is an increase in value of 73 000 percent: Two Andy Warhol pictures from Germany to be auctioned at Christie’s for $ 135 million. In North Rhine-Westphalia for the sale ensures trouble.

It’s not a pretty picture of Germany that confronts one of these 160 pages of the bill. Art is hidden away here and every legal loophole to be sealed to the outside world; the property rights of citizens are respected here rather low. It is the dream of a country that provides all art into administration.

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So the design also provides greatly intensified export provisions. Will a dealer today to export a painting abroad, he has to check whether it is on the lists of nationally valuable cultural asset. . He does not find it there, the export is in an EU country nothing contrary

If the image in the United States or Switzerland go, engages another law: works that are older than 50 years and worth more than EUR 150 000, subject to an EU regulation an export license. But in turn is another entity who is responsible, in Bavaria it is the State Painting Collections. If a work is considered cultural property relevant, rich this it to the competent colleagues from the Ministry of Culture. Both instances are complementary: A body has with the permit requirement, the instrument for monitoring the exports. The other may impose the export ban.

Many art dealers are shocked

The most important new feature of the proposed law now provides that exports to EU countries are subject to approval. The EU internal market will therefore cease to exist for the art trade. And the list of national treasures is long and longer because many more works tested and then classified significantly more as a national treasure. Grütters justifies the innovations with EU regulations, which must implement Germany. Other countries have, however found ways to modify the Directive. Where they did not do, galleries and auction houses have suffered considerably.

For a long passages, the authors strive to present their design as generous state aid for the German art market. Instead of the finest pieces at auction giants like Christie’s and Sotheby’s to lose, the tiny German houses

can now also sell large caliber from German collections themselves. However, there is at many dealers sheer dread. Bernd Schultz, co-founder of the Berlin auction house Villa Grisebach, called the proposed law a “guillotine of the German art market”. The renowned Munich veteran Konrad Bernheimer speaks of “cold expropriation”. On the one hand, they fear that they may not sell many of the works in the future only to German collector, and their number keeps known in limits. On the other hand, that the best works will be taken abroad before the law was passed. And that anyone who possesses substantial works, which are nearing the 50-year period, it is time to export in the future.