Exploring Art at the European Patent Office
On the occasion of UNESCO World Art Day, the EPO today launches its documentary "Exploring Art at the European Patent Office" which for the first time introduces the EPO art collection to a wider public.
For 40 years, the EPO has been collecting and exhibiting international contemporary art at its sites as an expression of the great importance it attaches to art in the workplace. Now the Office opens digital doors to its significant collection on its website, which puts it on a par with other public institutions hosting art collections such as the ECB and the EIB.
Initiated by donations of member states the collection today offers a fascinating artistic reflection on European creativity in the past decades. All works showcase a compelling artistic engagement with science and technology. In times of pandemic the EPO see it as its mission to provide a public platform for art, and so contribute to overcoming the keenly felt absence of art due to the corona restrictions.
The collection today comprises around 1000 works from almost all 38 member states, uniting works by internationally renowned artists such as Tomás Saraceno, Olafur Eliasson or Sylvie Fleury as well as modern classics such as Max Bill or Maurizio Nannucci, and numerous young artists from all over Europe.
In the documentary, selected artists present their studios, introduce their work and provide interesting glimpses behind the scenes in Berlin, Amsterdam, Innsbruck and Budapest. The EPO sees itself as a multiplier of European cultural values and with the art collection reflects the diversity and richness of European culture.