MUNICH.- On October 27th, ars publicata made its debut as the global compendium of contemporary fine art editions with the launch of its new platform featuring works by approximately 400 of the most significant artists of our time. As a free and accessible resource, ars publicata is poised to become an invaluable tool for auction houses, curators, collectors, scholars and journalists across the world.

Founded by Jörg, Nanke and Pauline Schellmann, ars publicata emerged from Jörg Schellmann’s decades of experience as a publisher and catalogue raisonné editor. Since 1969, Edition Schellmann has published editions, objects, and catalogues raisonnés by artists including Joseph Beuys, Christo, and Donald Judd. As ars publicata’s co-founder and CEO, Pauline Schellman is expanding upon her father’s legacy to democratize access to editions and elevate the medium for a new generation.

“There are still far too many people who don’t really know what editions are or see them as being inferior alternatives to unique works. We want to change that and celebrate it as a wonderful and multi-faceted artistic medium in its own right, ” said Pauline Schellmann. “We also look forward to expanding ars publicata’s roster of artists to be more representative of today’s society and to continue to make the medium of editions more accessible through technology and collaboration.”

Recognizing a lack of accurate, up-to-date and accessible documentation on fine art editions, ars publicata collaborates with artists’ studios and estates to centralize new and existing resources on artists’ editions. Through its digital ap listings and ap catalogues raisonnés, ars publicata shares research compiled in-house on editions for which such details are otherwise unavailable, while also directing users to existing catalogues and databases where possible.

The platform’s ap listings will continually grow alongside ongoing research and user feedback. Users may share recommendations on content they wish to see reflected on the site, and artists are invited to submit additional information to bolster their own entries. This collaborative approach will allow the database to further expand in scope, presenting a comprehensive view of the field at large.

The platform merges educational tools with the publication and sale of original editions at a range of price points, enabling its users and members to make informed decisions while beginning or expanding their own collections. To fund this ambitious project and further explore the medium of editions, ars publicata will also feature digital exhibitions around specific themes and publish its own prints and multiples at an accessible price.




Along with its debut, ars publicata unveils its first digital exhibition, Painterly, featuring curatorial texts as well as works by Marlene Dumas, Chris Ofili, Gerhard Richter, and Andy Warhol, among others. Painterly examines the ways in which the archetypal medium of painting translates into prints and multiples – through simulation, allusion, association and humor. The exhibition showcases wide-spanning approaches to gestural traditions across different generations and movements.

For sourcing the catalogues raisonnés featured on the platform, ars publicata cooperates closely with the leading art bookshop and publisher Buchhandlung Walther König, which maintains an extensive archive of out-of-stock catalogues raisonnés.

ARS PUBLICATA
ars publicata is the global compendium of contemporary fine art editions by approx. 400 of the world’s most significant artists of our time, founded by Jörg, Nanke and Pauline Schellmann.

Aiming to present an overview of artists’ editions oeuvres, ars publicata creates online work listings and catalogues raisonnés. We invite artists and catalogue editors to digitally publish their catalogues raisonnés with us. We also provide information on and direct users to existing books and digital resources for every artist represented on our platform. Additionally, through ap gallery, we publish and sell works in editions and curate digital exhibitions to showcase the variety and complexity of the medium by highlighting different subject matters, techniques or specific artists and provide insights into the edition making process.

The name ars publicata® alludes to the pioneering exhibition ars multiplicata at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne in 1968, which first defined the contemporary concept of editions and multiples practiced by the international art world ever since.

Edition Schellmann started publishing contemporary art editions in 1969. They were the official publisher of several documenta and Venice Biennale editions, have produced editions in a vast range of media (from prints to multiples over video installations to large-scale wall works), and

have placed their works with major museums and collections around the world. Jörg Schellmann has also published the print catalogues raisonnés for Joseph Beuys, Christo, Donald Judd, Jannis Kounellis, Thomas Ruff, and Andy Warhol. While still continuing his publishing efforts, Jörg Schellmann now contributes his vast experience and knowledge to the construction of this global directory of works in editions.

PAULINE SCHELLMANN
Pauline Schellmann co-founded ars publicata in 2019 alongside Jörg and Nanke Schellmann. After receiving her BSc in Economics from SOAS University of London, she originally joined Schellmann Art in 2014 to continue her father’s pioneering legacy in publishing contemporary art editions and catalogues raisonnés. There, she co-edited Thomas Ruff’s print catalogue raisonné, among other projects, before focusing on this new digital platform for editions and catalogues raisonnés. She now serves as ars publicata’s CEO.

JÖRG SCHELLMANN
Jörg Schellmann founded his first art gallery in 1969 while studying for his law degree in Munich. He has always been attracted to the democratic principles of editions and making art more attainable for all. He started publishing editions with artists such as Larry Rivers, Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Donald Judd, Nam June Paik, Christo & Jeanne-Claude, Robert Longo, Thomas Ruff, Rosemarie Trockel, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Jenny Holzer, Daniel Buren, Hanne Darboven, Joseph Kosuth, Liam Gillick, Sarah Morris. He was also the publisher of the official editions for documenta and Venice Biennale for several years and has edited the print catalogues raisonnés for Joseph Beuys, Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, Jannis Kounellis, Christo & Jeanne-Claude, and Thomas Ruff. Jörg Schellmann is known for exploring new, unexpected edition mediums – especially through group edition projects such as Wall Works and Door Cycle. In 2019 he co-founded ars publicata alongside Nanke and Pauline Schellmann.