The new building of the Archiv der Akademie der Künste, Berlin [Archive of the Academy of Arts, Berlin] at Pariser Platz© Akademie der Künste Berlin

The Academy Archive encompasses all branches of the arts and concentrates on the period beginning in 1900. Its divisions – Visual Arts, Architecture, Music, Literature, Performing Arts, Film and Media Arts – correspond to the sections of the membership academy founded in 1696. In addition, the Academy boasts a historical archive (of the institution), an art collection and a library. Both post-War academies have amassed bequests since their founding – 1950 in the GDR and 1954 in West Berlin – placing a special emphasis on the topic of exile. Since 1993 they have been united in today’s Academy, which is under the auspices of the German Federal Government. 

Currently, 85 employees are responsible for approximately 1,200 individual collections. In total, there are written materials filling 12,000 running meters of shelf space, 25,000 large-format sheets of theatre graphics, 55,000 construction plans and 1,500,000 photographs. The art collection encompasses 65,000 objects and 40,000 artistic posters, and the library has an inventory of 550,000 items. Cross-disciplinary focuses of collecting are the Academy’s history and the archives of its members, exile and the Jewish Cultural Association in Germany (1933–41), art and culture in the GDR, archives of artists’ associations and clubs, and art and culture in Berlin and Germany since 1900.

Regarding exile during the Nazi period, there are 320 holdings pertaining to individual people, including such significant figures of prominence as Benjamin, Bergner, Brecht, Dessau, Carl Einstein, Eisler, Grosz, Heartfield, Kerr, Georg Kreisler, Heinrich Mann, Kortner, Piscator, Scherchen, Seghers, Tabori, Bruno Taut, Wachsmann, Peter Weiss, Konrad Wolf, Zadek, and Arnold Zweig. Well represented is also the exiled cabaret of the Weimar Republic cabaret, including Benatzky, Heymann, Hollaender, Nelson and Spoliansky, among others. All countries of exile are also represented: Europe, Latin America, USA, Palestine/Israel, the Soviet Union, Turkey, China, Australia, etc. 

The worldwide persecution and flight of artists is a topic that the Akademie der Künste repeatedly addresses with current programmes of events.

Exhibitions on exile and exiled people, publications (selection)

Theater im Exil 1933–45 (1973), eponymous catalogue 
“Das war ein Vorspiel nur…” Bücherverbrennung Deutschland 1933 (1983), eponymous catalogue
John Heartfield. Retrospektive zum 100. Geburtstag (1991, with touring show), catalogue
Peter Weiss. Leben und Werk (1991), eponymous publication
Geschlossene Vorstellung – Der Jüdische Kulturbund in Deutschland 1933–41 (1992), eponymous publication 
Paul Dessau. Dokumente zu Leben und Werk (1995), eponymous catalogue
Friedrich Hollaender und das Kabarett der Zwanziger Jahre (1996), eponymous publication 
“Am Theater wird nie etwas zu Ende gespielt…” Hommage für Elisabeth Bergner (1997)
“…und mein Werk ist der Abgesang des Jahrtausends…”. Bertolt Brecht zum 100. Geburtstag (1998 with touring show), eponymous publication. 
Die Fotografin Ellen Auerbach. Retrospective (1998), eponymous publication 
Hanns Eisler: “S’ müßt dem Himmel Höllenangst werden” (1998, with touring show), eponymous publication
Thilo Schoder: Das wiederentdeckte Werk (1998)
“Ein Freund, ein guter Freund…” – Der Komponist Werner Richard Heymann (2000, with touring show), eponymous publication
Rückkehr in die Fremde? Remigranten und Rundfunk in Deutschland 1945–1955 (2000, with touring show), in cooperation with the Rundfunkarchiv and AsKI, eponymous catalogue
“Unerbittlich das Richtige zeigend” – Helene Weigel zum 100. Geburtstag (2000), eponymous publication
Artur Schnabel. Musiker, Musician (2001), eponymous catalogue
Die Kortner-Hofer-Künstler-GmbH (2003), eponymous publication 
Bertolt Brecht und die Schweiz oder: Neues vom Herrn Keuner (2004), publication: “Geschichten vom Herrn Keuner, Zürcher Fassung”
Im Schneckenhaus: Tilla Durieux im Zagreber Exil (2006)
Walter Benjamins Archive (2006), eponymous publication
Ohne zu zögern, Varian Fry: Berlin – Marseille – New York (2007), cooperation with Aktives Museum, eponymous catalogue
Heinrich Mann. Ein Koffer aus Prag (2009)
George Grosz: Korrekt und anarchisch (2010), publication: George Grosz montiert
“Free German League of Culture” – Bildende Künstler im englischen Exil (2010)
Benno Elkan. Ein weltbekanntes Werk – ein vergessener Bildhauer (2010)
Letzte Zuflucht Mexiko, Gilberto Bosques und das deutschsprachige Exil nach 1939 (2012, with touring show), cooperation with Aktives Museum, eponymous catalogue