The International Artists Forum IKG was initiated by well-known artists like Joseph Beuys, Jochen Gerz, Gotthard Graubner, Klaus Staeck and others, and founded 1976 in Cologne. It was and is an association of artists, curators, critics working on the field of the visual arts. As a parallel to the Pen-Club the IKG is engaged for freedom of the art, of information and press, for the right of cultural self-determination, for tolerance and cultural diversity.
The IKG has more than 230 members from Argentinien, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belarusm, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United States of America.
Timm Ulrichs
(31 March 1940 – 29 April 2026)
The International Artist Forum mourns the loss of its founding member, Timm Ulrichs
As a provocateur in both word and image, Timm Ulrichs repeatedly tested and crossed boundaries. As he once put it himself, he sought to break new ground, and radically questioned the art world and, above all, the art market. Spanning genres, he staged himself, his work, and also traces of artistic predecessors. At the same time, humour and subtle irony were characteristic of him, as evidenced in particular by the subtle linguistic leaps in many of his works.
Since the 1960s, Ulrichs’ work has attracted attention throughout Germany and internationally through numerous exhibitions and awards. In 1977, he took part in documenta 6, and in 2020 he received the Käthe Kollwitz Prize from the Academy of Arts in Berlin.
In 1975, Timm Ulrichs was among the founding members of the International Artist Forum.
Annual meeting in Cologne from 8-11th October 2026
Venue: Old Fire Station