In the location's words:

The ZADIK | Zentralarchiv für deutsche und internationale Kunstmarktforschung is a scientific institute of the University of Cologne and is dedicated to archiving, processing, critically reflective research and communication of the history, structures, contexts and developments of international art systems. Today, the central archive comprises over 170 collections from gallery owners, art dealers, auction houses, art critics, curators, specialist photographers and other players in the art market, focusing on the period from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. As the world's first specialized archive on the history of the art trade, ZADIK was founded in 1992 and transferred to the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Cologne in 2020.