The Arts Union () was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

representing cultural workers in West Germany. The union was founded on 26 August 1949, at a conference in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. It was initially based in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, but relocated to

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

in 1955. The union initially had five sections: * Association of Visual Artists * German Musicians' Union *

Guild of the German Stage The Guild of the German Stage (''Genossenschaft Deutscher Bühnen-Angehöriger'', or GDBA) is the guild for people who work on the legitimate stage. Its members come from both the areas of stagecraft and artistic workers in theaters from all over Ge ...

* International Artists' Lodge * Professional Association of Journalists and Writers (transferred to Printing and Paper Union in 1951) Other sections were created later, including the Broadcast Television Film Union, the Union of Music Educators and Concert Artists, and the Jazz/rock/pop/improvised music group. By 1988, the union had a membership of 29,613. The following year, it merged with the Printing and Paper Union, to form the

Media Union The Media Union () was a trade union representing German workers in the printing, paper, journalism and The arts, arts. The union was founded on 15 April 1989 at a meeting in Hamburg, with the merger of the Printing and Paper Union (Germany), Pri ...

Presidents

:1949: Willi Feldmann :1954: Heinrich Wüllner :1962:

Viktor de Kowa Viktor de Kowa (also spelled Victor de Kowa, born Victor Paul Karl Kowalczyk; 8 March 1904 – 8 April 1973) was a German stage and film actor, chanson singer, director, narrator, and comic poet. Life He was born the son of a farmer and engineer ...

:1966:

Wolfgang Windgassen Wolfgang Windgassen (26 June 1914 – 8 September 1974) was a German heldentenor internationally known for his performances in Wagner operas. Life and career Born in Annemasse, France, he was the son (and pupil) of a well known German Heldentenor ...

:1973: Otto Sprenger :1980: Alfred Horné

References

{{Authority control Entertainment industry unions Trade unions established in 1948 Trade unions disestablished in 1989 Trade unions in Germany