At Art Cologne 2024, Art Collectors Seek Escapism in Turbulent Times

The odds of a cheery atmosphere were not in Art Cologne’s favor. In the 24 hours before preview day began, the U.S. voted to return former president Donald Trump to power, foreshadowing new challenges in European politics. Soon after, Germany’s governing coalition collapsed, bringing chaos to Cologne’s doorstep. Inside the fair, you (almost) couldn’t tell.

Despite the political turmoil happening just outside, the sprawling Koelnmesse Exhibition Center provided a haven for prospective collectors at the 57th edition of Art Cologne. This year, the world’s oldest modern and contemporary art fair welcomes over 175 galleries and dealers from 24 countries. The inclusion of young galleries and, notably, a push by art director Daniel Hug to highlight and expand the presence of Turkish galleries gives the fair fresh voltage.

There were whisperings about the twin political bombshells, as well as the usual hand-wringing about a slowing art market, but they stayed just that: whispers. As guests shed their heavy winter coats and began wandering the booths, a sense of escapism prevailed. Strong sales began almost as soon as the first collectors entered the hall and continued on through the final minutes of the fair’s VIP day.

Major galleries like Thaddaeus Ropac and Sprüth Magers, which was founded in Cologne, had swarms of eager art lovers eyeing and buying up pieces. Last year, Thaddaeus Ropac recorded the most significant sale at the fair with a work by Anselm Kiefer that sold for €1.2 million ($1.3 million), and the hot streak looked poised to continue. By the end of the first day, the gallery had already sold a major painting by Georg Baselitz, Gestern und heute (2020), for €875,000 ($942,454), as well as works by Jack Pierson, Miquel Barceló, and Marc Brandenburg. “Art Cologne holds great significance for us due to the presence of many important German collectors and institutions, which is why we look forward to returning to Cologne every year,” founder Thaddaeus Ropac told Artsy. “We’ve consistently been able to place works across a variety of price points here, and the initial response this year has reflected [that].”

For Sprüth Magers’s director Silvia Baltschun, the sale of Baselitz-Pop (1984) by renowned Cologne artist Walter Dahn for €120,000 ($129,251) was a perfect example of the high caliber of German work that buyers can find at the fair. Dahn studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and is the subject of a new solo show at the nearby villa-turned-museum Haus Mödrath, which Baltschun raved about as she walked guests through the artist’s deep regional roots. He is just one of many artists whose art legacy within the Rhineland region has attracted local and international buyers. By the end of the first day, Sprüth Magers also sold pieces by German artists Anne Imhof, Rosemarie Trockel, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Robert Elfgen, Michail Pirgelis, and Thomas Ruff for prices ranging from €7,500 to €150,000 ($8,804–$161,564).

Art Cologne may be a perfect destination to see works by Germany’s many iconic artists, but it is in the NEUMARKT section, a hub for galleries no older than 13 years old, that the fair truly shines. This year’s selection of galleries grew from 20 in 2023 to 26. Split into clusters in four corners of the fair’s upper floor, these booths are outfitted with distinctive white carpeting, mirroring the freshness of the works.

One standout presentation comes from London gallery Gathering, which has plans to establish a new permanent space in Cologne next year. The booth presents a pared-back showing of three works by Emanuel de Carvalho, Francesco João, and Soojin Kang, with prices from €5,000 to €40,000 ($5,400–$43,000). “In this context, less is more,” founder Alex Flick, who grew up in England but is the son of legendary German collector Mick Flick, told Artsy. “Cologne is a city of immense significance for the history of the art market as we know it today, [and] the collectors coming to Art Cologne are amongst the most knowledgeable and engaged people I have met at any art fair.”

Vienna’s Galerie Kandlhofer also reported a strong response. Its booth brings together works by Austrian Karl Karner, German Frauke Dannert, and Chilean Rodrigo Valenzuela, with prices starting at €2,700 ($2,908) and rising to €48,000 ($51,700) for Karner’s looming, nearly three-meter-tall aluminum sculpture yellow lumes (2024). “The first preview day proved to be a great success,” founder Lisa Kandlhofer told Artsy, reporting that two works priced at €6,800 ($7,324) and €8,000 ($8,617) had sold on the first day.

For some, strong interest didn’t always translate to strong sales on day one, with gallerists like Frederik Vergaert of Antwerp’s FRED&FERRY noting that “we still have to gain the trust of the German public and collectors.” Nonetheless, he remained optimistic about the connections he’d made. “The Belgian collectors we invited were very enthusiastic and we are in touch with a couple of German curators who want to work with the artists, which is obviously fantastic news,” he told Artsy. The booth showcases works by Belgium-based artists Leyla Aydoslu and Antoine Waterkeyn, with prices ranging from €4,800 to €14,000 ($5,170–$15,079).

Alongside the strength of the fair’s showcase of young galleries, the expansive Turkish presence stands out. (Turkish people represent the largest ethnic minority in Germany.) Sevil Dolmacı Gallery, which was founded in Istanbul and now has a second space in Dubai, once again shares a booth with Frankfurt-based gallery Kai Middendorf.

“This year is better. The first year was an introduction; everyone was seeing us for the first time. It’s halfway through the first day, and we’re very happy with the feedback,” Sevil Dolmacı’s director, Eda Göze Aytekin, explained to Artsy. “The person who bought a painting we had just met today, so it was a very good introduction. We’re [also] very lucky that we have some Turkish collectors here, as well. We’re trying to make a bridge between Istanbul and Cologne.” Within the first two hours, Sevil Dolmacı Gallery sold Bucharest-born artist Daniel Knorr’s Pink Afternoon (2021) for €43,000 ($46,315). By the end of the day, it had sold additional works by Ross Bleckner, as well as Turkish artists Ekrem Yalçındag and Ahmet Oran, at prices ranging from €11,500 to €18,000 ($12,387–$19,388).

The goal of expanding the Turkish art scene’s presence at the fair was echoed by Anna Laudel, which began in Istanbul and opened a second location in Düsseldorf in 2019. “Representing Turkish artists in Art Cologne this year, Anna Laudel is committed to act as an international bridge,” the gallery’s director, Ferhat Yeter, told Artsy. The booth hosted a champagne reception to celebrate works by preeminent Turkish artists Belkıs Balpınar and Ardan Özmenoğlu, ranging in price from €8,000 to €30,000 ($8,616–$32,313).