More than 30 Düsseldorf galleries push back against AfD's use of the city's art history
More than 30 galleries in Düsseldorf, a city in western Germany, have signed an open letter opposing the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), a German political party. The letter says the party is trying to take the city's art and cultural history and use it for a political message that promotes social exclusion. ArtNews reported the letter on 21 October 2026. It was published on 15 October.
The open letter was started by Daniela Horn, founder of the Van Horn gallery. Among the galleries that signed are Galerie Konrad Fischer, Ruttkowski;68 and Sies + Höke, according to ArtNews. The German title translates roughly as "Düsseldorf galleries against the co-opting of art and culture." To co-opt means to take something over for your own purpose.
The letter centres on an AfD event called "Culture Policy from the Right!" It was first set for 26 October at the Heinrich Heine Institute in Düsseldorf, a cultural venue. ArtNews reports that the event was moved from that venue. A city official cited "organizational reasons" for the change. Kunstforum.de had earlier reported the event was scheduled for Monday, 26 October.
The galleries also point to the AfD's own website. According to the letter, the site mentions the poet Heinrich Heine and the artist Joseph Beuys. Heine, who lived from 1797 to 1856, was born in Düsseldorf. Beuys, who lived from 1921 to 1986, taught at the city's art academy. The galleries say they firmly oppose using the city's history and heritage for a party's political agenda.
The Düsseldorf letter has drawn support from across the Rhine. A second open letter from galleries in Cologne, a city about 40 kilometres away, expresses solidarity with the Düsseldorf galleries. Its signatories include Galerie Gisela Capitain, Drei and Galerie Nagel Draxler, according to ArtNews.
For the galleries, the dispute is about who gets to speak for the city's artists and their work. Gallery owners often host the openings, talks and sales that bring visitors to a neighbourhood. Their letter asks that the names of Heine and Beuys not be used to back a political cause they say they do not share.
The letter's full text is available as a PDF from the galleries' own site, and Kunstforum.de has covered the dispute in German.
