The international artists‘ committee IKG was initiated by renowned artists such as Joseph Beuys, Jochen Gerz, Gotthard Graubner, Klaus Staeck and others and founded in Cologne in 1976. It was and is an association of individualists who work as artists, curators, critics in the field of visual arts. Analogous to the Pen-Club, the IKG is committed to freedom of art, information and the press, to cultural self-determination, tolerance and cultural diversity. The IKG is a member of the Deutscher Kunstrat e.V., a member of the Deutscher Kulturrat and a member of the board of trustees of the Stiftung Kunstfonds.