Pupose/Activities

The Internationale Gesellschaft der Bildenden Künste (IGBK) is a lobby organisation representing the interests of visual artists. It unites Germany's three most important supra-regional artist associations, i.e. the Bundesverband Bildender Künstlerinnen und Künstler (BBK), the Deutscher Künstlerbund and the Verband der Gemeinschaften der Künstlerinnen und Kunstförderer (GEDOK, Association of Women Artists and Patrons of the Arts). The IGBK thus represents  more than 14,000 visual artists in Germany. The association was founded in 1957 as the German National Committee of the International Association of Art (IAA).

Service

The IGBK counsels visual artists on the possibilities of working opportunities and grants in Germany and abroad.

The IGKB provides a wide range of information and contact details for international exchange programmes. Particularly through its database (> "International Artist Tool") and a permanently up-dated list of offers (>"Opportunities") that are accessible via its homepage www.igbk.de, the IGBK enhances transparency of international opportunities for visual artists.

The IGBK also helps artists to open access to exchange programmes and exhibition projects abroad. Moreover it issues the IAA International Identity Card for professional artists residing in Germany. The card includes ticket price reductions or free admission to many museums and galleries worldwide.

In principle IGBK consulting services and consulting offers are available to all organised and non-organised visual artists in Germany.

Symposia on art and culture

The IGBK organises symposia and workshops on topics of visual arts, fine arts and topical issues of particular relevance to professional artists. Thus IGBK invites artists, cultural politicians, scientists and practicioners in the field of cultural mediation, art education and the art market. With its partners the IGBK discusses topical issues concerning training in the arts, communication, identity and the conditions and perspectives of contemporary art. By these activities the IGBK seeks to stimulate new ideas, propose possible solutions and sharpen the vision for future-oriented concepts.

Art across borders

The IGBK represents the interests of visual artists at a national and international level, seeking to improve their legal and social status. It is engaged with several organisations and networks, particularly at the European level. In cooperation with its partners, IGBK seeks to assure the vital interests of artists to be taken into consideration at the relevant political and administrative decision-making levels in Germany and the European Union.

The IGBK operates as the German National Committee of the International Association of Art (IAA). IAA is the largest international NGO of visual artists representing more than 90 member organisations and holds an advisory status at UNESCO.

The IGBK was founding member of the European Council of Artists (ECA) and is active in Culture Action Europe (CAE).

The IGBK is a member of the German UNESCO Commission and of the "Deutscher Kunstrat" (German Council of Fine Arts), the subsidiary organisation of the "Deutscher Kulturrat" (German Cultural Council).

Cooperation partners of the IGBK within Germany are the Bundesakademie für Kulturelle Bildung (Federal Academy of Cultural Education) Wolfenbüttel, the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations) Stuttgart and the Akademie der Künste (Academy of Arts) Berlin.