Artists
- All of the big names in Post-War German art are out in full force! Visitors are spoilt for choice with a huge number of pieces by artists including Günther Uecker, Otto Piene, Georg Baselitz, Sigmar Polke; from Gerhard Richter to Anselm Kiefer, Gotthard Graubner, Hedwig Eberle, as well as Rosemarie Trockel and even Joseph Beuys.
- Young German creation, whilst having become international, has not been forgotten. Displaying works by Cyprien Gaillard, Alicia Kwade, Stephane Bolkenhal, Peter Böhnish and Markus Lupertz, just to name a few.
- Art Cologne has not forgotten the key works that are currently dominating the international market either; Italian monochromes, echoes of pop art and the American minimalists. Tom Wesselman is everywhere, joined by a few Lawrence Weiner’s, as well as super trendy Peter Halley and George Condo works.
Galleries
- Art Cologne is a regional fair; 75% of the galleries are German or German-European. The space hosting young talent is more international, carried by the links forged with NADA, the popular satellite to Miami Basel.
- Cologne is a long way away from Berlin, and Art Cologne is above all a commercial fair. Poised in contrast to Berlin’s ABC, visitors are here to buy and the works on display have an element of ‘family friendly’ to them. But this doesn’t mean that exhibitors haven’t made the effort to make their booths stand out; Repetto and Ben Brown went for daring large-scale installations. Installation pieces can also be found at Richard Long and Yoan Capote. Walter Storms has a jam-packed solo show of Sigmar Polke pieces which Beck & Eggeling have installed a cinematic alternative to the standard booth.
- If you have time for just one stand, Happening’s pick is Galerie Lohrl, overridingly representative of the entire fair.
It is impossible to not compare Art Cologne to ARCO, its Spanish twin, both fairs began in the early 60's and are the respected elders of the art fair program. In the age of schedules filled with an art fair per week, neither of these fairs have the Basel prestige, nor the trendiness of London, Paris or New York, yet they are reliable and representative of their respective artistic scenes, transporting their cultures across the decades.
Richard Long at Repetto Gallery
