22 – 26 April 2009
ART COLOGNE 2009 will run from 22 to 26 April. The Fair will relocate from Halls 4 and 5 of the Cologne Trade Fair Centre to a more popular venue, Hall 11. The new venue is just one feature of a move to enhance the Fair in terms of improved layout and architecture. Scope and format will be consolidated. Changes on the management side include the appointment of the Düsseldorf gallerist Hans Mayer to the Advisory Committee. The new Advisory Committee is divided into three groups. They will be working independently and focussing on each of the Fair’s three main sections – modern, post-war and contemporary art. The revised logo is designed to emphasize the Fair’s structural clarity and to focus on its strengths.
Quality will be ART COLOGNE’s top management priority. This means ensuring the presence of top-calibre international dealers and top-calibre artworks. The new Advisory Committee with its strong international membership will play a key role. This year’s members are: Hendrik A. Berinson (Gallery Berinson, Berlin); Jörn Bötnagel (BQ Gallery, Cologne); Valerie Carberry (Valerie Carberry Gallery Chicago); Darren Flook (Hotel Gallery, London); Steve Hanson (China Art Objects Galleries, Los Angeles); Dennis Kimmerich (Gallery Dennis Kimmerich, Düsseldorf); Christian Nagel (Gallery Christian Nagel, Cologne); Niklas Svennung (Gallery Chantal Crousel, Paris); and Hans Mayer (Gallery Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf). The decision to invite two gallerists from Cologne and two from Düsseldorf to join colleagues from leading international arts centres like Los Angeles, Berlin, London, Paris and Chicago was a conscious one: This will strengthen artistic links within the Rhineland and encourage cooperation between Cologne and Düsseldorf.
The new venue, Hall 11, offers an attractive ambience and a very accessible showcase for a major international art fair. While the total exhibition area will be unchanged, the format will be consolidated. The new layout plan provides for a whole level to be devoted to each of the three main sections – modern, post-war and contemporary art. The ‘Open Space’ exhibition and the ‘New Contemporaries’ programme – showcasing young galleries – will be staged on the third level as clearly defined components of the Fair. A further advantage of the new venue with its south entrance is its closeness to Cologne’s city centre, thus enhancing pedestrian access.
ART COLOGNE will continue to place high value on its long-standing sponsorship schemes for young artists and young galleries. The ‘New Contemporaries’ programme is set to continue unchanged. The successful sponsorship scheme for emerging artists will be relabelled ‘New Positions’. The new title is designed to underline the innovative character of the artistic statements on show.
A freshly designed and optimized ART COLOGNE website will be launched in August. Visit it for full details.
