Contemporary art collections in Middle Europe
Here, in this tab, we want to create a list of collections focused on contemporary art in the Middle (Central) European region (see the definition in About tab). Information on such dedicated thematic collections is to be a source of knowledge for researchers, curators, educators, academic teachers and students; supports the knowledge of the available archival resources; helps to locate works and indicate their provenance. The history of the circulation of works and their way to collections is also a source of knowledge about the dynamics of mutual contacts and the directions of the flow of inspiration and information on contemporary art. They are to help conduct queries, in-depth research, prepare curated monographic exhibitions or cross-sectional surveys. It is also the first source for the preparation of lectures and curricula. And at the same time, last but not least, help in completing and reinterpreting works and thus the history of art which they belong to.
We ask and want to inspire everyone who has collections of contemporary art, private or in public institutions, to distinguish sections containing collections of works from Middle Europe. It is also the method proposed here for building and researching contemporary art collections and archives: not through universalization, i.e. linking works from different geographic regions within world art history (which is a dominant approach), but separating them into regional collections, which indicates the specificity of the works (without denying their links with global trends).
We encourage all professionals to contribute to building this research program and completing this list by indicating the already separated collections (archives) of the region, or to undertake activities within the existing collections aimed at distinguishing works belonging to the Middle Europe zone.