Volkswagen ART4ALL – opening the world of art and culture for everyone

Like every first Thursday of the month and most recently on January 2, visitors to Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart in Berlin have benefited from a special opportunity: thanks to the 22nd edition of Volkswagen ART4ALL they enjoyed free admission to the internationally renowned contemporary art museum between the hours of 4 and 8 pm.

These well-attended monthly exhibition days are supplemented by an individually curated cultural program as well as guided tours and workshops. The feedback coming from visitors of all age groups and backgrounds have been positive throughout.

With Volkswagen ART4ALL Volkswagen´s Cultural Engagement department had launched a pioneering project in the spring of 2018. Anchored within the existing partnership with the Nationalgalerie, the program further underlines the company´s mission to make art and culture available to as many people as possible. Enabling free admission to one of the leading museums of the world, along with continuously updated cultural and educational events in various languages, Volkswagen is able to enhance the exchange of cultural values and education for residents of Berlin as well as for the many international visitors to the city.

As Director of Cultural Engagement at Volkswagen AG Benita von Maltzahn was one of the project´s initiators: “We believe that cultural education is eminently important for our society. Artists and professionals driving the cultural world enable us to take a fresh look at our environment and condition; at the same time their creativity propels innovation in other areas as well.” To further expand what ART4ALL has set in motion, the company has now also funded three mobile ateliers whose furnishings and technical equipment can be variably used throughout the museum, making the program workshops more efficient and attractive.

Volkswagen´s cultural engagement initiatives include support of internationally pioneering artists and cultural institutions. Within the long-term partnership with the museum alliance Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin this year was especially focused on the continuation of the Volkswagen ART4ALL program at the Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin and supporting the Andreas Mühe exhibition “Mischpoche”. Last but not least, functioning as a ready and steady cultural ambassador on four wheels, there is the “rolling atelier”, which Volkswagen donated to the museums of Berlin to augment their educational efforts.

Volkswagen also helps to enhance the efforts of leading international cultural partners, like Staatskapelle Dresden, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and MoMA PS1 in New York as well as the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London. And within the framework of Volkswagen’s engagement for cultural exchange between Europe and China, Volkswagen Group China launched a wide-ranging program to support art and music.