Letter Stiftung

The Letter Stiftung (stylised LETTER Stiftung) is a non-profit foundation based in Cologne, Germany, dedicated to the promotion of art and culture. It was established in 1993 as a legally independent foundation under German civil law (rechtsfähige Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts) and began its primarily operative work at the start of 1994. Its stated mission is to preserve art, enable research, communicate knowledge and support artists. The foundation's collection and research focus lies on sculpture, painting and printmaking from the late 18th to the early 20th century, including the art of small reliefs such as medals and plaquettes, as well as graphic art around 1900. It also fosters contemporary German-Dutch cultural exchange. Rather than maintaining publicly accessible exhibition rooms, the Letter Stiftung works closely with research institutions, universities, museums and scholars, making its collection available for scientific purposes on request and lending objects to museums as temporary or permanent loans. Around one hundred European museums have concluded permanent loan agreements with the foundation. The Letter Stiftung operates a research library of approximately 50,000 volumes, primarily art-historical literature, which is available as a reference collection (Präsenzbestand) for scholarly research by prior appointment. It publishes its own series, the LETTER Schriften, mainly on 19th- and early 20th-century sculpture and graphic art, and since 2026 a Kleine Reihe accompanies its own exhibitions in partner museums. The foundation also awards the August Hoff-Stipendium for art-historical research and the Ludwig Gies-Preis for small sculpture, the latter presented regularly in the context of the Fellbacher Triennale Kleinplastik. Printmakers are offered residencies at the Letter Presse in the Münsterland region, equipped for classical artist printmaking techniques. The foundation is managed by a board (Vorstand) represented by the art historian Bernd Ernsting, and an operative management leads the two areas of Library/Secretariat and Collection with an average of 14 staff members, almost exclusively art historians. It is a member of the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen, the International Council of Museums, the Deutscher Verein für Kunstwissenschaft and the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Bildhauermuseen und Skulpturensammlungen.

The Letter Stiftung was founded in 1993 as a legally independent foundation under German civil law (rechtsfähige Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts) and began its primarily operative work at the start of 1994. Its purpose is the promotion of art and culture, including the associated aspects of science and research, and the support of visual artists and their works through collecting, preserving and caring for artistic testimonies, as well as through their scholarly documentation, research and publication. The foundation's general task is to engage with previously rather unknown artists and artworks that have often unjustly stood in the shadow of still-famous masters. Its substantive focuses currently include, for the German-speaking region, sculpture between about 1780 and 1930, including the art of small reliefs (medals and plaquettes), as well as graphic art around 1900, and contemporary German-Dutch cultural exchange. The research centre offers aspiring art historians the opportunity, parallel to their university studies, to work in many areas of foundation work, research, publication and exhibition activity. In computer-aided documentation, the holdings of the foundation's own library — currently around 50,000 volumes — are recorded, as are archival materials and objects of the art collection. The library is made available to those with scholarly interest on request in individual cases. In cooperation with public-law institutions, primarily museums, to which objects from the art collection are made available as loans or permanent loans, exhibitions and publications are realised. Around one hundred European museums have concluded permanent loan agreements for sometimes several objects of the foundation. In addition, the foundation conceives its own exhibitions and supports changing exhibitions with loans. In the LETTER Schriften series, publications appear primarily on sculpture and graphic art of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Since 2026, the Kleine Reihe accompanies the foundation's own exhibitions in partner museums. Artists working in printmaking have access to the Letter Presse, located in the Münsterland region, with all facilities of classical artist printmaking techniques for working residencies. The foundation is a member of the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen, the International Council of Museums, the Deutscher Verein für Kunstwissenschaft and the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Bildhauermuseen und Skulpturensammlungen. It awards the August Hoff-Stipendium for art-historical research, established in memory of the art historian August Hoff (1892–1971), and the Ludwig Gies-Preis für Kleinplastik, established in memory of the sculptor Ludwig Gies (1887–1966). The Ludwig Gies Prize is presented regularly in the context of the Fellbacher Triennale Kleinplastik; prize winners receive a monetary prize and a small relief created for the occasion by Hans Karl Burgeff, and the foundation acquires works by the prize winners and makes them available as permanent loans to the collection of the city of Fellbach and to the museum of the respective exhibition curator. The board of the foundation is represented in its executive capacity by the art historian Bernd Ernsting, the eldest son of Kurt Ernsting. An operative management leads the two areas of Library/Secretariat and Collection with an average of 14 staff members in full- and part-time employment, almost exclusively art historians.

• 2026

  Kleine Reihe begins accompanying the foundation's own exhibitions in partner museums; Dr. Dennis Janzen joins the management from 11/2026.

• 2025

  Ludwig Gies-Preis awarded on 24 May on the occasion of the Triennale Kleinplastik.

• 2022

  Ludwig Gies-Preis awarded on 10 June on the occasion of the 15th Triennale Kleinplastik to Viron Erol Vert, Germany.

• 2019

  Ludwig Gies-Preis awarded on 1 June on the occasion of the 14th Triennale Kleinplastik to Fabian Feichter, Italy, and Flaka Haliti, Kosovo.

• 2016

  Ludwig Gies-Preis awarded on 11 June on the occasion of the 13th Triennale Kleinplastik to Björn Braun, Germany, and Att Poomtangon, Thailand.

• 2013

  Ludwig Gies-Preis awarded on 22 June on the occasion of the 12th Triennale Kleinplastik to Nathan Coley, United Kingdom.

• 2010

  Ludwig Gies-Preis awarded on 12 June on the occasion of the 11th Triennale Kleinplastik to Mariele Neudecker, Germany, and Guy Bar Amotz, Israel.

• 2007

  Ludwig Gies-Preis awarded on 23 June on the occasion of the 10th Triennale Kleinplastik to Juri Awwakumow, Russia.

• 2004

  Ludwig Gies-Preis awarded on 25 June on the occasion of the 9th Triennale Kleinplastik to Bethan Huws, United Kingdom, and Jürgen Krause, Germany.

• 2001

  Ludwig Gies-Preis awarded on 21 July on the occasion of the 8th Triennale Kleinplastik to Martin Assig, Germany, and Koken Nomura, Japan.

• 1998

  Ludwig Gies-Preis awarded on 16 October in Stuttgart on the occasion of the 7th Triennale der Kleinplastik to Willem Boshoff, South Africa, and Stephen Craig, United Kingdom.

• 1995

  Ludwig Gies-Preis für Kleinplastik awarded on 13 October in Stuttgart on the occasion of the 6th Triennale der Kleinplastik to Tamás Trombitás, Hungary.

• 1994

  Began its primarily operative work at the start of the year.

• 1993

  Founded as a legally independent foundation under German civil law (rechtsfähige Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts).

Non-profit art foundation focused on preserving and researching under-recognised artists and works, particularly sculpture and graphic art from the late 18th to early 20th century.

• LETTER Schriften

  Publication series primarily on sculpture and graphic art of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

• Kleine Reihe

  Publication series accompanying the foundation's own exhibitions in partner museums since 2026.

• August Hoff-Stipendium

  Scholarship for art-historical research, established in memory of August Hoff (1892–1971).

• Ludwig Gies-Preis für Kleinplastik

  Prize for small sculpture, established in memory of Ludwig Gies (1887–1966), presented regularly in the context of the Fellbacher Triennale Kleinplastik.

• Letter Presse

  Artist printmaking workshop in the Münsterland region, available for working residencies.

1. 1Willkommen bei Letter Stiftungletter-stiftung.de
2. 2Teamletter-stiftung.de
3. 3Ihr Besuchletter-stiftung.de
4. 4Nutzungsordnungletter-stiftung.de
5. 5Letter Stiftungwikidata.org
6. 6Letter Stiftungde.wikipedia.org