Art academy celebrates the end of its 250th anniversary year
The Düsseldorf Academy of Art is celebrating the end of its 250th anniversary year on Monday with a 125-metre-long dining table. Around 400 guests are invited to take a seat at the tables that run through the corridors of the neoclassical building. They will be treated to a cooking and dining performance by artist Arpad Dobriban, who has dedicated his entire oeuvre to cooking and eating.
Dobriban was a master student of media art star Nam June Paik at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. According to the academy, the 125-metre-long table is a project by the class of installation and conceptual artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster.
More than 50 anniversary projects by the students will also be presented in the corridors and stairwells of the art academy. Throughout the year, the students had organized exhibitions and happenings at various locations in Düsseldorf in cooperation with numerous museums and institutions.
Prior to the anniversary ceremony in the academy's auditorium, Minister of Culture and Science Ina Brandes, Düsseldorf's Lord Mayor Stephan Keller and academy director Donatella Fioretti will take part in a panel discussion.
The renowned Düsseldorf Academy of Art looks back on a turbulent anniversary year with a months-long leadership crisis. The current Rector Fioretti was only elected to head the academy in a repeat election at the end of April. Prior to this, the NRW Ministry of Science had declared the first round of voting invalid due to procedural errors. This led to protests by art students and the majority of professors, who expressed their confidence in Fioretti. The previous Academy Rector Karl-Heinz Petzinka resigned in the summer of 2022. Fioretti has been Professor of Architecture in Düsseldorf since 2017.
The Düsseldorf Academy has produced world-class artists such as Gerhard Richter, Joseph Beuys, Günther Uecker, Andreas Gursky and Jörg Immendorff.
In addition to showcasing their anniversary projects, several universities in partnership with the Düsseldorf Art Academy have contributed to the year-long celebrations with various exhibitions and happenings. The city's art scene has greatly benefited from the collaborative efforts of these educational institutions.
Furthermore, the blend of traditional art education and contemporary philosophy is what sets apart the Art University curriculum from other Universities, providing students with a unique academic experience.
Source: www.dpa.com
