Stiftung Archäologie

Stiftung Archäologie (the 'Archaeology Foundation') was a German foundation dedicated to promoting archaeological and art-historical research, with a particular focus on the polychromy — the original painted colouring — of ancient art and architecture. It was based in Munich, Germany. Its work grew out of a research tradition that began in 1980, when the archaeologist Volkmar von Graeve assembled a research team to investigate ancient colouring and polychromy; over decades of study of original objects, that work produced publications, exhibitions, international collaborations and coverage in international media. The foundation supported research into paint finishes and other surface phenomena such as patina, financed the creation of reconstructions, backed scholarly publications on colouring and on the perception of ancient art, and promoted public outreach through exhibitions and publications aimed at a broad audience, including exhibition catalogues and film reports. It administered the scholarly and experimental reconstructions produced by the team of Vinzenz Brinkmann and acted as a cooperation partner for the various versions of the exhibition 'Bunte Götter' ('Gods in Color'), which travelled to venues including the Harvard University Art Museums in Cambridge, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Pergamonmuseum in Berlin, the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul and the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung in Frankfurt. The foundation also supported partner exhibition projects through loans, including a contribution to the 'Transformations' exhibition at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. The exhibition 'Bunte Götter – Die Farbigkeit antiker Skulptur', which emerged from years of research, was shown in 2003 and 2004 at the Munich Glyptothek, the Vatican Museums and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, and has since travelled the world as a touring exhibition. Between 2005 and 2015 the foundation's work was supported by partners and sponsors including the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung Frankfurt am Main, the National Archaeological Museum and Acropolis Museum in Athens, the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, the Bayerische Schlösser- und Seenverwaltung, the Doerner Institut, the Staatliche Antikensammlungen and Glyptothek in Munich, the Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke in Munich, the Musei Vaticani in Rome, and numerous university and archaeological institutes in Germany, Greece and Turkey. In 2016 the foundation was dissolved and merged into the Stiftung des Städelschen Kunstinstituts in Frankfurt. The majority of the reconstructions it had funded passed into the possession of the Städelsches Kunstinstitut in 2016; by August 2016 most of the polychrome reconstructions accomplished with substantial assistance from Stiftung Archäologie were held by the Städel Museum / Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung in Frankfurt am Main, where the Liebieghaus Polychromy Research Project continues further investigation and future reconstruction work. The foundation's official website now reports on the research activities of the Brinkmann & Brinkmann research team and notes that Stiftung Archäologie ceased its operational work in 2016.

Stiftung Archäologie was a German foundation established to promote archaeological and art-historical research, especially into the colouring of ancient art. It was based in Munich, Germany. Its intellectual roots lie in the long nineteenth- and early twentieth-century debate over the original appearance of ancient art and architecture: excavations in ancient sanctuaries brought marble sculptures with rich traces of paint to light, and elaborate, costly publications documented that colouring and presented colour reconstructions. During the twentieth century, however, Western culture was broadly shaped by abstraction of thought and form, and questions about the sensory appearance of ancient art — particularly the use of colour and ornament — were long left aside. In 1980 the archaeologist Volkmar von Graeve began to assemble a research team that has since concerned itself with ancient colouring and polychromy. From many years of investigation of original objects came publications, exhibitions, international cooperations and reports in international media. The foundation supported work in these research fields and financed investigations of paint finishes and other surface phenomena such as patina. It also funded the creation of reconstructions. Beyond that, it supported scholarly publications dealing with colouring and, more generally, with phenomena of the perception of ancient art, and it promoted public outreach in these research areas, including exhibitions and publications for a broad audience such as exhibition catalogues and film reports. The exhibition 'Bunte Götter – Die Farbigkeit antiker Skulptur', which emerged from years of research, was shown in 2003 and 2004 at the Munich Glyptothek, the Vatican Museums and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. Since then it has travelled the world as a touring exhibition. The foundation administered the scholarly and experimental reconstructions from the team of Vinzenz Brinkmann and, in that capacity, appeared as a cooperation partner for the various versions of the 'Bunte Götter' exhibition at venues including the Harvard University Art Museums in Cambridge, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Pergamonmuseum in Berlin, the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul and the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung in Frankfurt. These foundation activities received attention in international media. The foundation supported the updating of the exhibition concept by enabling new investigations and reconstructions, thereby presenting the current state of research. It also supported partner exhibition projects through loans; most recently it contributed to the 'Transformations' exhibition at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. Between 2005 and 2015 the foundation's partners and sponsors included the Leibnizpreis 2007 (O. Primavesi, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung Frankfurt am Main, the National Archaeological Museum Athens, the Acropolis Museum Athens, the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Copenhagen, the Bayerische Schlösser- und Seenverwaltung Munich, the Doerner Institut of the Staatliche Gemäldesammlungen Munich, the Staatliche Antikensammlungen and Glyptothek Munich, the Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke Munich, the Musei Vaticani Rome, the Archäologisches Institut of the Georg-August-University of Göttingen, the Institut für Klassische Archäologie of the University of Heidelberg, the Institut für Klassische Archäologie of the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, the Institut für Klassische Archäologie of the University of Frankfurt, the Institute for Classical Archaeology of the Aristotle University Thessaloniki, and the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Istanbul. In 2016 the foundation was dissolved and merged into the Stiftung des Städelschen Kunstinstituts in Frankfurt. The majority of the reconstructions funded by the foundation passed into the possession of the Städelsches Kunstinstitut in 2016. By August 2016 most of the polychrome reconstructions accomplished with substantial assistance from Stiftung Archäologie were in the possession of the Städel Museum / Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung in Frankfurt am Main, and the Liebieghaus Polychromy Research Project is organising further investigation as well as future reconstruction work. The foundation's official website now reports on the research activities of the Brinkmann & Brinkmann research team and states that Stiftung Archäologie ceased its operational work in 2016.

• 2016

  The foundation is dissolved and merged into the Stiftung des Städelschen Kunstinstituts in Frankfurt; the majority of the reconstructions it funded pass into the possession of the Städelsches Kunstinstitut.

• 2016

  By August 2016 most of the polychrome reconstructions accomplished with substantial assistance from Stiftung Archäologie are in the possession of the Städel Museum / Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung in Frankfurt am Main.

• 2015

  End of the documented period (2005–2015) of partners and sponsors.

• 2007

  The Leibnizpreis 2007 (O. Primavesi, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich) is listed among the foundation's partners and sponsors.

• 2005

  Start of the period (2005–2015) during which the foundation's partners and sponsors are documented.

• 2004

  The 'Bunte Götter' exhibition continues its run at the Munich Glyptothek, the Vatican Museums and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.

• 2003

  The exhibition 'Bunte Götter – Die Farbigkeit antiker Skulptur' is shown at the Munich Glyptothek, the Vatican Museums and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen.

• 1980

  Archaeologist Volkmar von Graeve begins assembling a research team devoted to ancient colouring and polychromy.

A non-profit research foundation supporting and publicising the study of ancient polychromy, acting as administrator of reconstructions and cooperation partner for the international touring exhibition 'Bunte Götter'.

• Research funding for ancient polychromy

• Polychrome reconstructions of ancient sculpture

• Scholarly publications on colouring and perception of ancient art

• Travelling exhibition 'Bunte Götter'

• Public outreach: exhibition catalogues and film reports

1. 1Polychromy Research Projectstiftung-archaeologie.de
2. 2Stiftung Archäologie – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Stiftung Archäologie – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org