Learning from the American Fundraising Model: A European Perspective March 2014 | Page 13

Of course, securing these artworks has required
substantial funding. And in seeking these funds,
Thierolf has turned to individual U.S. and European donors – most of whom have strong connections with Germany, Munich, or Bavaria or
with the artists. In 2006 she created a Washington based American Patrons of the Pinakothek
Trust as a channel for donations.
The Patrons offer individuals and businesses
in the United States the opportunity to support
the Pinakothek der Moderne via donations in
the form of artworks or financial gifts. Both of
these are tax deductible under U.S. and German law (in 2010 a corresponding German entity, the International Patrons of the Pinakothek,
was created). As non-profit organizations, the
Patrons are also registered within the network
of Transnational Giving Europe (TGE). This affiliation allows all donations originating within Europe to accrue tax benefits in the country
from which they stem.
Thierolf is working with a slowly growing community of friends – some enjoy public attention,
some others want to remain anonymous. She
stresses the need to establish close personal
relationships with donors, to find out what they
care about and to involve them in artistic initiatives. “People give you money because they
like the project and they have confidence you
will do good work. They love your vision, your
passion and they love to participate,” she says.
Building every relationship requires a different
approach. “For some, I might send special text
messages. With some, I’m on the phone every
week,” she explains. “Others only want to be
called if you need support – it’s very individual.”
As a curator-fundraiser, Thierolf occupies a
lonely position in Europe. So during her time on
the New York study visit, she was happy to be
in a place where this model is less unusual. “If
you go to the Metropolitan Museum, you have

a circle of friends connected to a specific department. It’s more common and it’s more connected to the personality of the curator,” she
says. “But in Germany, it’s the exception.”
This, she says, needs to change. With government funding for the arts in Europe diminishing
rapidly and individual donors taking on a more
important role, Thierolf believes curators must
become more deeply engaged in fundraising.
She argues that governments should also play a
role in helping develop new models of European fundraising. “We have a problem in our institutions,” she says. “This is something we have to
work on with the government, with our friends
and with donors. But we have to solve it.”

Pinakothek der Moderne
Located in downtown Munich and forming part of
the city’s Kunstareal (“art district”), the Pinakothek
der Moderne showcases the work of modern and
contemporary international artists. After seven years of construction, the gallery was inaugurated in
September 2002 in a building designed by German
architect Stephan Braunfels. About 70 percent of its
funding is covered by the public sector, with individual donors contributing about 10 percent and corporations about 20 percent.

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