Brockhaus Sponsors Young Artists

Plato and Aristotle wander across a blue and white landscape in the sky. They glide along on logs, which symbolize the knowledge they have acquired during their lifetime. Dandelions grow from the clouds, with the names of future philosophers inscribed on their stalks. The forward movement of the logs nudges the dandelions, whose seeds then fly out into the world. This is the scene depicted in the painting “ Zeitgeist der Philosophen ” ( Zeitgeist of the Philosophers) by the young artist Yvonne van Acht , which graces the cover of a new limited edition of “ Der grosse Brockhaus in einem Band" (Large Single-Volume Brockhaus) . Brockhaus has printed 650 copies of the exclusive special edition, plus another 100 copies that come with a hand-colored, signed original print of the artwork.

“The picture’s message of ‘disseminating knowledge to the world’ perfectly matches our publishing company’s claim,” says Publishing Director Detlef Wienecke-Janz. “ This edition has been the impetus for us to commit to supporting artists long-term.” The publisher’s new “Brockhaus Sponsors Young Artists” project aims to give talented young artists exposure to a wider public. The idea is to publish, every two years, a title with a cover illustrated by a young artist . Future featured artists will be selected by a panel of judges that includes Beate Reifenscheid (Director of the Ludwig Museum in Koblenz), Alexander Tolnay (former director of the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein) and Armin Sinnwell (Publisher of Faksimile Verlag).

The artist Yvonne van Acht ( born 1975) has already made name for herself on the German art scene with her expressive works. Her large-format paintings have been exhibited in Germany, most recently at her “ Das Werden des Helden ” (The Genesis of the Hero) solo exhibition in Sindelfingen. Her work can also be admired seen at the Kunsthalle Osnabrück’s “Zeitgeist” exhibition until January 2012. In her work, van Acht searches for our civilization’s hidden imagery, which has shaped our culture through the centuries and continues to do so. For example, she combines transparent integrated motifs from antiquity, the Renaissance and alchemy with a sometimes airy, sometimes mystical present-day imagery to create a bridge between the past and present. Her work may be viewed at the “Geuer & Breckner” gallery in Dusseldorf.

“The limited Artists Edition is a special experience thanks to the expressive combination of topicality and high-quality content in entirely new, contemporary layouts with Yvonne van Acht 's fascinating imagery,” says Wienecke-Janz. The Artists Edition of “ Der grosse Brockhaus in einem Band” presents the key facts from every field of knowledge. The fifth, completely revised and updated edition is published in a new layout that is characterized by excellent readability and vivid imagery. On its 1,176 pages, the book contains about 70,000 comprehensively researched entries with around 1,000 graphics, photos, maps and tables. Everyone who buys the book has access to the new Brockhaus Online Service from January 2012. The “Brockhaus Premium Portal” provides monthly updates guaranteeing that all encyclopedia articles are kept up to date.