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"I see a real departure here," summarises the world-famous artist and loyal visitor to the fair Markus Lüpertz. On the preview day, the hand-picked audience of art connoisseurs and gallery owners was already enthusiastic about the conceptual reorganisation under the new management, which has made the strengths of the fair tangible again. Around 47,000 visitors confirmed this initial positive response over the course of the fair.

"There is a unique spirit at art KARLSRUHE this year," says fair director Britta Wirtz. "And this is not only noticeable here, but also far beyond the exhibition centre. The fundamentally high quality of our exhibitors and the new concept are the perfect starting point on the way to becoming the place to be for the art scene in Europe."

Focussed on strengths and ready to provide impetus

With a broad spectrum of artistic creation, art KARLSRUHE offers art lovers an unrivalled collection of works - from classical modernism to post-war modernism and contemporary art. This inspiring interplay is unique in Karlsruhe and forms the basis for innovations that build on the fair's existing strengths. "We receive consistently positive feedback from our galleries," summarise project manager Olga Blaß and advisory board chairman Kristian Jarmuschek. "We are also particularly proud that relevant galleries that had cancelled previous art KARLSRUHE editions have now returned to us because they find our new concept so convincing." For example, the renowned gallery Henze & Ketterer: "The fact that classical modernism has come to Hall 1 was the deciding factor for us to come back to art," explains Dr Alexandra Henze. "My overall impression is that the fair is very appealing, the quality has increased in recent years and the visitors are very well informed. The discussions are really fun." New exhibitors are also finding the reorganisation of the fair positive: "This is our first time at art KARLSRUHE," says Michael Cosar from Galerie Cosar. "We had visitors to our stand throughout, numerous interested people and positive discussions, including some successful deals. We are therefore very satisfied."

Manuel Ludorff from Galerie Ludorff in Düsseldorf emphasises the high sales figures in particular: "Despite a market environment with economic challenges, the response here at art KARLSRUHE was very good. We have met very important and relevant collectors - the basic prerequisite for sales, especially in the high-price segment. For example, we have just sold a watercolour by Lyonel Feininger for 120,000 euros and have reserved works worth half a million euros to date. We were also able to sell all the paintings we had brought from the artist Christopher Lehmpfuhl, for example. As almost every year, things went extremely well for us at art KARLSRUHE."

The prince of painters Markus Lüpertz also praised the further development of the fair: "I've already discovered great colour application and good painting and I'm excited to see where the path will lead. The new structure is noticeable and I am particularly interested in the young art, because the newcomers in particular bring welcome excitement and life to the fair. I see a real awakening here!"

Overwhelming response to new format re:discover

"re:discover" - a format that makes artists visible again who quite wrongly do not have the attention of the art market - was very well received. With funding from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) and together with the Federal Association of German Galleries and Art Dealers (BVDG), art KARLSRUHE placed a special emphasis on artists who, despite the high artistic quality of their work, do not receive the attention they deserve. A total of 20 positions could be discovered in the gallery booths. "I am delighted with the re:discover programme," says Imke Valentien from Galerie Imke Valentien. "It's a great idea as a concept for the art market, but also for the artists. And it was an impulse from the BVDG to establish this concept at art KARLSRUHE."

Close ties with the regional economy and urban society

Numerous players from business and culture used the inspiring setting of the fair to network and exchange ideas. "More companies, networks, institutions and associations than ever before used the prestige of art KARLSRUHE this year as a showcase for meetings with their customers, partners and members," says Britta Wirtz. "We are of course delighted to welcome all regional and national players from the business world who choose our fair for their receptions and get-togethers."

With its important cultural institutions, a lively art scene and as a "UNESCO City of Media Arts", the fan-shaped city is predestined to make art KARLSRUHE a tangible part of city life. This took shape, for example, in project spaces and off-spaces with a sophisticated programme entitled "Kunstrauschen", where experiential spaces opened up for those interested in the art scene. "art KARLSRUHE is a testament to artistic roots in the city and region," says Olga Blass. "Together with the stakeholders of the art scene, we have realised new beginnings that will experience real development in the future." This offer was optimally reflected by the highlight "Forum Karlsruhe" in Hall 3, where a symbiosis of partnership was created that placed Karlsruhe's brand essence, media art, at the centre. In addition to works from the archive of the Centre for Art and Media (ZKM), the next generation of media artists from the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG) presented themselves for the first time with four of their own works and the scenographic design of the space.

The next art KARLSRUHE will take place from 20 to 23 February 2025.

177 galleries, exhibiting museums, institutions, art academies, associations and media as well as partners from the urban environment are eagerly awaiting the opening of art KARLSRUHE tomorrow. The numerous innovations in store for the 21st edition of the fair are already generating lively interest and anticipation among all those involved, as well as a great deal of media attention. The Managing Director of Messe Karlsruhe, Britta Wirtz, is also looking forward to the coming days of the fair: "In the past nine months, we have initiated many new things, building on the convincing strengths of art KARLSRUHE. This has been well received by the market. I am particularly proud that we have succeeded in bringing the art fair more into the city. Thanks to the numerous, committed partners, municipal art and cultural institutions, we can offer a broadly diversified programme and additional offers to our out-of-town guests as well as interested parties from the region."

Opening and awarding of the art KARLSRUHE Prize

For the first time, the 16th art KARLSRUHE Prize will be awarded to a One Artist Show dedicated by a gallery to one of its artists during the official opening at 5 pm in the Aktionshalle. The 15,000 euro prize is jointly organised by the state of Baden-Württemberg and the city of Karlsruhe.

New structure in the halls

Conceptual adjustments and a focussing of the fair have led to a new structure in the halls, which offers visitors better orientation.

In future, 120 years of art history will begin at art KARLSRUHE in Hall 1 - entitled "Classical Modernism and Contemporary Art" - where the museum quality of the works shown by the exhibitors can be experienced in particular. Together with the high-calibre post-war modernism in Hall 2 - "Art after 1945 and Contemporary Art" - they will convey a comprehensive impression of the diversity and innovative potential of these eras. Positions of contemporary art are combined in a dialogue. This inspiring interplay is unique in Karlsruhe.

The spatial arrangement of the halls is followed by Hall 3 - "Artication" - in which art and education are combined. Here you will find the new "Paper Square" format (a further development of the special show Printmaking) for works with the artistic medium of paper. Under the title "Nature - Beauty and Destruction", LBBW is presenting parts of its art collection as part of this year's special exhibition. The "Academy Square", supported by LBBW and curated by Elke Buhr (editor-in-chief of Monopol), offers current graduates of Baden-Württemberg art academies a new platform at the fair. In addition to the Forum Karlsruhe, a large number of cultural institutions, art academies and art associations from the region and beyond will be presenting themselves in the hall.

The dm-arena, Hall 4 in the counting sequence, is entitled "Discover". It is dedicated to contemporary art.

re:discover - Strengthening female artists in the market and unjustly forgotten artistic positions

In cooperation with the Bundesverband Deutscher Galerien und Kunsthändler e.V. (BVDG) and with the support of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), the upcoming art KARLSRUHE is placing a special emphasis on artists who, despite the high artistic quality of their work, do not (yet) receive the attention they deserve. With the new format re:discover, more space will be given to the current and art-historical significance of artists. Galleries participating in the programme will receive 25 square metres free of charge for the presentation of an artist. This year, a total of 20 positions will be rediscovered in the gallery booths through re:discover. The ARTIMA art meeting on 23 and 24 February is dedicated to the topic of re:discover, such as "How to keep artistic heritage alive in a museum context" or "How to deal with estates: What happens after the death of artists to those works that are not purchased by museums or collections?"

Talks on art

In addition to the ARTIMA art meeting on Thursday, 22 February and Friday, 23 February, there will be the SWR Kultur Messetalk every day. For example, the painter Mona Ardeleanu will be talking to presenter Dietrich Brants on Thursday 22 February about her work, which often reproduces patterns from Delft porcelain in the form of textile fabric. Everything in her paintings appears realistic; but none of it is. On Friday, 23 February, Dietrich Brants will be talking to Munich gallery owner Renate Bender, whose gallery programme ensures that Concrete Art remains contemporary art.

And on Saturday, 24 February, and Sunday, 25 February, the LBBW Talks will take place in cooperation with the magazine MONOPOL and the MONOPOL Talks. Among others, Silke Hohmann from MONOPOL will be talking to the artist Julius vom Bismarck, whose works can also be seen in the special LBBW exhibition on site, and the artist duo Super Vivaz, whose works will be shown at Academay Square. On Sunday, the traditional fair summary will be held for the first time with the new management duo Olga Blaß and Kristian Jarmuschek.

Sculpture spots bring even more "large-format" works into the halls

Since the first edition, art KARSLRUHE has been characterised by its expansive sculpture spots. Supported by the Vollack Group, numerous outdoor sculptures can be experienced in the sculpture garden (atrium). New additions are the sculpture spots, also supported by the Vollack Group, which provide space for viewing 23 three-dimensional works in the visitor walkway and in the action hall. The special commitment to sculpture is also reflected in the fifth presentation of the Loth Sculpture Prize with partner L-Bank.

For example, Galerie Heike Strelow, Frankfurt, will be there with Alejandro Monge's sculpture "SHIBUYA 2" from 2023 and Galerie Chiefs & Spirits, London, with the sculpture "The Space Between" by artist Piet Warffemius from 2022. Galerie ARTAFFAIR, Regensburg, is also bringing along a work for a sculpture spot: the bronze "Atlas" by Markus Lüpertz.

Karlsruhe Forum

Art, culture, media art and creativity will once again enter into a symbiotic partnership and merge during art KARLSRUHE into a marketplace of artistic creation under the label "Forum Karlsruhe" in Hall 3. Media art is the focus of the Forum as one of the brand cores of Karlsruhe, the UNESCO City of Media Arts. In addition to works from the archive of the Centre for Art and Media (ZKM), the next generation of media artists from the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG) will be presenting four of their own works and the scenographic design of the space for the first time.

From party to project space

During art KARLSRUHE, the cultural scene in the city also really gets going. So it doesn't have to end when the fair closes.

artini is the name of the temporary bar that opens daily from 5 p.m. to midnight at Kaiserstrasse 120, where people talk about art and the art business, art from various networks is exhibited and changing DJs perform sets.

On 22 February there will be a party in the foyer of the ZKM in the Hallenbau on Lorenzstraße. It starts at 9.00 pm and the dancing goes on until 1.00 am. Admission is free.

The long night of project spaces on Friday 23 February from 7.00 pm to 11.00 pm will be presented under the heading "Kunstrauschen". Following the exhibition programme, visitors can explore the city and the local art scene away from established galleries. Karlsruhe has an incredible wealth of project spaces and off-spaces that have been an important part of the city's cultural life for decades. Whether studios or rooms in private flats, backyards or large halls - art takes place in every conceivable corner of Karlsruhe. These spaces, often run by artists, are places of self-determined artistic activity and experimentation that offer a unique insight into the work of contemporary Karlsruhe artists.

Parallel to art KARLSRUHE, around 15 of these project spaces will open their doors simultaneously for one evening for the first time this year, offering the chance to discover the sometimes hidden spaces in a relaxed atmosphere and get to know the artists personally. A shuttle bus connects the fair with the project spaces and offspaces. Further information is available at kaunstrauschen-karlsruhe.de

The official after-art party will take place on Saturday 24 February at P8 in Schauenburgstraße. An international DJ line-up featuring Acid Pauli, Anna Schreit and Shahrokh Dini will provide the basis for a perfect evening. Artist Dominik Rinnhofer will provide the visuals.

The re:discover funding programme offers artistic positions that have remained under the radar for various reasons a broad space at an art fair for the first time. A total of 20 artists were selected by an expert jury from the applications submitted by art KARLSRUHE exhibitors for the first edition of the re:discover programme.

Among them is media art pioneer Dieter Jung, who was recently presented in a solo exhibition at the Centre for Art and Media (ZKM) in Karlsruhe (Galerie Kornfeld, Berlin). With his holograms, he broke down the boundaries of two-dimensionality back in the 1980s and enriched kinetic art with light and laser sculptures.

The artist Rune Mields (Galerie Judith Andreae, Bonn) represents a consistent position. She works with mathematical symbols and explores the abstract network of relationships created by their connections in her works. With her scientific way of working and the communication of knowledge, she is one of the "trailblazers" among artists.

The filmmaker Dore O. (Galerie Ricarda Fox, Mülheim), who died in 2022 at the age of 76 - she took part in documenta 5 and 6 - was described as one of the "most important pioneers of German experimental film". Her oeuvre consists of films, books, paintings and photographs. Her works give a great deal of space to experimentation; for example, she intervened in the chemical process of developing Polaroid photos.

The painterly work of Dieter Schosser (Galerie Alfred Knecht, Karlsruhe) was characterised by formal rigour in the early years: "Circle, triangle and square are not much, and yet almost everything" - this is how the artist described the core of his work. It was only in his later work that he emancipated himself from such guidelines and developed a great deal of artistic freedom. Schosser now also uses plastic bags and discarded paper as a painting surface and paints with coffee or washing-up liquid. This results in very spontaneous, unconventional works.

The Berlin-based artist Frank Oehring (Malte Uekermann Kunsthandel, Berlin) is only well known to a few insiders in the art market. Over the past decades, the designer has realised countless works in public and semi-public spaces. In the early 1970s, for example, he created the iconic signage and information system as well as the central light sculpture in the ICC Berlin. For friends and clients, he was a bringer of light and a signifier of private interiors.

The re:discover funding programme also aims to contribute to the debate on artistic estates and the mechanisms of the art market. An integral part of the project is therefore a presentation of the Brauweiler Artists' Archive. Since its opening in 2010, the institution, which is located in a former abbey near Cologne, has been regarded as a model project for dealing with estates. Under the direction of the Stiftung Kunstfonds, selected artistic legacies are preserved, researched and exhibited here as cultural heritage.

The programme accompanying the "re:discover" format offers insights into the art market and sheds light on the various perspectives and mediation practices of its players. The ARTIMA art meeting will take place on 22 and 23 February at the fair and will be dedicated to the topic of "How art and the art market benefit from rediscoveries" with lectures and panel discussions.

With the re:discover promotional programme, art KARLSRUHE offers its visitors a unique discovery tour. All the artists presented have created a broad oeuvre and will be present at their galleries' stands with a wide variety of works and groups of works. Interested parties can familiarise themselves with the individual artistic positions on guided tours.

Karlsruhe, 23.11.2023 - 177 galleries, 46 of which come from abroad, have prevailed in the art KARLSRUHE jurying process and will fill the four light-flooded halls with two- and three-dimensional works of art in a wide variety of materials. At the same time, art KARLSRUHE will continue to focus on its expertise in the fields of classical modernism, post-war and contemporary art. At the same time, it radiates into the city of Karlsruhe, combining the local with an overview of 120 years of international art.

Male artists still dominate the fair at present. But the One Artist Shows make it clear that something is changing here. One third of almost 60 individual artistic presentations are female. Visitors can also discover even more sculptures than in previous years: In addition to the sculpture squares and the sculpture garden in the atrium, there are additional "sculpture spots" and thus even more perception for large-scale works, for example in the visitor circuit.

Classical Modernism in many guises

Classical Modernism continues to enjoy great popularity. This was recently reflected in the auction of a Picasso painting worth millions at Sotheby's. A total of five galleries, including the newly founded LE Gallery (Keerbergen/Belgium), are showing works by the Spanish artist. Classical Modernism in its various facets, from Impressionism to Surrealism, Cubism and Expressionism, will be represented with outstanding works of art of museum quality. Max Liebermann (Ludorff, Düsseldorf, Nöth, Ansbach), Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (Ludorff, Düsseldorf; Henze & Ketterer, Riehen; St. Gertrude, Hamburg), Erich Heckel (Henze & Ketterer, Riehen; Kampen, Sylt; Schrade, Ehingen) and Marc Chagall (Jeanne, Munich; Raphael, Frankfurt; Kampen, Sylt; Gildens Art, London) are just some of the artists on show.

For decades, women artists have been neglected by museums and the art trade. Something is changing here. Only a few galleries still have an exclusively male programme. Three galleries are bringing exclusively women to the fair in 2024 (BEGE, Ulm; Claeys, Freiburg and Judith Andreae, Bonn).

A broad spectrum of post-war art

Art Informel, ZERO and Concrete Art: all art movements that played an essential role in post-war Europe. art KARLSRUHE has always focussed on these different styles and every year provides a profound overview of the art of the 1950s and 60s. Whether lesser-known Informel pioneers, such as Eugen Batz (Döbele, Mannheim), or names commonly associated with the gestural-spontaneous painting style of the first post-war period, such as Hans Hartung (Brita Prinz, Madrid) or Antoni Tàpies (Cortina, Barcelona and MDA, Höganäs) - the new departure in the visual arts, liberated from the object, is an important area at the fair.

The ZERO group around Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker proclaimed another new artistic beginning after the war from Düsseldorf. They were the enfants terrible of the Rhenish art scene, celebrating wild parties, releasing balloons into the night sky and conquering the gallery and outdoor space in a lively manner. Their artworks can be viewed at a total of nine stands, including Geißler-Bentler (Bonn) and van der Koelen (Mainz) as well as Geiger (Constance). In keeping with this, the ZKM | Centre for Art and Media is showing an overview of Heinz Mack's multifaceted oeuvre in a large-scale retrospective. The artist, who is now 92 years old, is making a link to the media art based in Karlsruhe with a further show at the EnBW headquarters.

From Pop Art to the present day

In the canon of post-war art, Pop Art with important representatives such as Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, Claes Oldenburg or Mel Ramos and their artistic depiction of the world of commodities and consumerism should not be missing. But the more critical British style is also represented by David Hockney (Benden & Ackermann, Cologne). It is clear that the decades after 1945 were not only abstract. From here, a line can be drawn to Gerhard Richter and Peter Dreher, but also to the often large-format paintings by Karin Kneffel (Ludorff, Düsseldorf) or the exaggeratedly realistic sculptures by Carolee Feuerman (Hübner & Hübner, Frankfurt). In contrast, the works of Ambra Durante (Friese, Berlin), who was born in 2000 and was awarded the art KARLSRUHE Prize in 2022, clearly show that the stick figure drawings of Keith Haring continue to inspire today.

Concrete art will also be represented at the art fair with key representatives such as Josef Albers (Ludorff, Düsseldorf), Georg Karl Pfahler and Otto Herbert Hajek (Luzán, Berlin) as well as Marie-Thérèse Vacossin (Wagner, Paris), who is better known to insiders. From here, a further line can be drawn into the present to the colour-intensive compositions by Peter Anton (Braunbehrens, Stuttgart) or the colour field paintings by Arvid Boecker (Monica Ruppert, Frankfurt), some of which have been expanded into spatial concepts. Photography and video art, the crossover of media, can also be found at the upcoming art KARLSRUHE, as well as contemporary art in general, which will be linked to the diverse Karlsruhe art scene with its pop-up galleries and project spaces.

The upcoming art KARLSRUHE – Classic Modern and Contemporary Art (22 to 25 February 2024) will be the debut for the fair’s new dual leadership of Olga Blass and Kristian Jarmuschek. Under the direction of Advisory Board Chairman Kristian Jarmuschek, the committee selected 170 nationally and internationally renowned galleries from the field of applicants. The participating galleries, which will present their programmes in the trade fair centre’s four high-ceilinged, light-flooded exhibition halls, come from a total of thirteen countries. The results of the committee’s selection, in conjunction with the new structuring of the halls, represents a deliberate reduction in the number of participants, thus putting high-quality presentations in the focus of the upcoming fair.

Strong field of participants in Classic Modern and Post-War Modern art

In February, art lovers can look forward to a strong line-up of Classical Modern and Post-War Modern artworks from galleries such as Ludorff (Düsseldorf), Samuelis Baumgarte (Bielefeld), Thole Rotermund (Hamburg), Schwarzer (Düsseldorf), Schlichtenmaier (Stuttgart), Malte Uekermann (Berlin), Raphael (Frankfurt), Hafenrichter (Nuremberg), Luzán (Berlin), MDA (Höganäs, Sweden), Geissler Bentler (Bonn), Rudolf (Kampen, Sylt) and Dr. Michael Nöth (Ansbach). Henze & Ketterer (Basel / Riehen) and Geiger (Constance) will be returning after a temporary absence.

High-calibre galleries presenting contemporary artistic positions

Renowned galleries such as Meyer Riegger (Karlsruhe) and Cosar (Düsseldorf) will be participating either again or for the first time with presentations of contemporary artistic positions. The field of participants will be further strengthened by galleries such as Petra Rinck (Düsseldorf), Dr Dorothea van der Koelen (Mainz / Venice), Benden & Ackermann (Cologne), Commeter (Hamburg), Friese (Berlin), Hilleckes Gallery (Berlin), Renate Bender (Munich) and Scheffel (Bad Homburg).

“I am delighted that so many high-calibre galleries applied to participate. Many of these galleries took part in previous editions of art KARLSRUHE, but there were also a considerable number of galleries that applied to present their artworks at the fair for the first time. This avid interest also shows that the galleries are in favour of the changes that we have introduced, for example, in the structuring of the halls. It is also pleasing to see that many galleries have opted for new ways of participating, such as Newcomers or Friends”, says Britta Wirtz, director of Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre.

Frankfurt galleries with a broad field of participants

The upcoming art KARLSRUHE will also be a prominent focal point for numerous galleries from nearby Frankfurt. It is particularly pleasing that Schierke & Seinnecke have chosen art KARLSRUHE as the venue for their first-ever participation in an art fair. Galerie Schlieder will be present at art KARLSRUHE for the first time and Hübner & Hübner will be returning to the fair. Other galleries, such as Greulich, Heike Strelow, Maurer, Raphael and Monica Ruppert, were present in 2023 and will be returning in 2024.

Hesse is not the only region that will be strongly represented. The fair will also welcome 28 galleries from Baden-Württemberg, for example, Ewald Karl Schrade (Karlsruhe / Mochental), Thomas Fuchs (Stuttgart), Michael Sturm (Stuttgart) and burster (Karlsruhe / Berlin). Nineteen galleries from Berlin, including Tammen, mianki.Gallery and Schmalfuss, will likewise number among the participating exhibitors.

Favourable response to new formats

Innovations were introduced among the participation opportunities for which applications could be submitted. Galleries that were founded in 2020 or later and have exhibited fewer than three times at art KARLSRUHE could apply for inclusion in the “Newcomers” format. The ten applicants chosen for this section include galleries specializing in Contemporary art such as PAW Galerie (Karlsruhe) and Tempesta gallery (Milan). LE Gallery (Keerbergen, Belgium), which specialises in Classic Modern art, has likewise opted for this debut appearance at the art fair.

Thirty-seven exhibitors were chosen to participate in Paper Square, which exclusively presents artworks on paper. Paper Square further develops the art fair’s longstanding special presentation of “Graphic Prints” and provides young collectors with an accessible starting point and introduction to art collecting. At the same time, Paper Square embodies a dedicated space for aficionados of this special artistic material.

Generously proportioned Sculpture Areas have always been an integral part of art KARLSRUHE. In addition to large-format statements of three-dimensional art inside the halls, there will also be the new category of Sculpture Spots, where visitors can discover individual 3D artworks displayed along the glassed-in perimeter of the atrium. There will be a total of 24 Sculpture Spots, including sculptures by Walter Moroder (Galerie Baumgarten), Ingrid Hartlieb (Imke Valentien), Thomas Röthel (Geissler-Bentler), Olga Golos (Heckenhauer) and Markus Lüpertz (ArtAffair).

Artistic positions from 120 years

A visit to art KARLSRUHE 2024 is like a journey through the past 120 years of artistic creation. The fair spans a broad spectrum from Classic Modern to Contemporary art. Kristian Jarmuschek reports with great satisfaction: “My first curatorial tasks together with the Advisory Board during the selection process for art KARLSRUHE have once again clearly shown me the outstanding artistic positions and promising young artists that the gallery owners will be bringing to the upcoming event. The reduction in the total number of participants will also exert a very positive effect on the quality of the fair”. A look at the list of artists reveals a veritable “Who’s Who” of renowned artists from the 20th and 21st centuries: from big names such as Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Lyonel Feininger to Pop Art, ZERO and Art Informel artists, including Max Ackermann, Bernard Schultze and Rolf Cavael. Works by “old masters” of Contemporary art will likewise be on display. These artists include, for example, Gerhard Richter, Damien Hirst, Sigmar Polke and Neo Rauch. The spectrum ranges from sought-after painters and sculptors such as Alexander Calder, Michael Basquiat and Mimmo Paladino to the most recent artistic positions, such as those of Matthias Garff, Ambra Durante and Anne Carnein.

Olga Blass is delighted that the concept, which was developed on the basis of numerous discussions with exhibitors, has worked out well and that the new opportunities for participation have been actively utilised. It is not only the styles and price ranges on offer that are wide-ranging: “We want to appeal to established collectors, but also to a young audience, for whom we have consciously created a low-threshold offer, for example, with works on paper, for which we have specially designed the ‘Paper Square’ in Hall 3.”

Positive mood and good sales at the stands: After a very good preview (3 May), art KARLSRUHE 2023 attracted more than 40,000 art collectors and art enthusiasts to the halls of Messe Karlsruhe on four days that were consistently well attended. From 4 to 7 May, 207 galleries from 15 countries transformed the exhibition grounds for the twentieth time into a show and market place for the international art industry.

Messe Karlsruhe is particularly pleased with the increased number of trade visitors, such as curators, curators of institutional collections or museum directors, who ensured increased demand at the gallery booths, especially at the beginning of the fair. Malte Uekermann from Galerie Uekermann (Berlin/Ludwigsburg), for example, was delighted on Thursday to be able to give away a work by his artist Alexander Deubl to the Hoppe-Ritter Collection: "I am very pleased that I was able to give this work by Alexander Deubl to such a renowned collection for a five-figure sum".

The trade fair company is equally pleased with the high proportion of young art lovers who were able to get excited about the art experience at art KARLSRUHE for the first time. According to a representative visitor survey, the proportion of new visitors under 30 years of age was a whopping 40 percent.

Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Messe Karlsruhe, is positive about art KARLSRUHE 2023: "The popularity and appeal of art KARLSRUHE are higher than ever. With our anniversary edition, we have proven that there is no way around Karlsruhe, the UNESCO City of Media Arts, in the art fair business. Thanks in part to art KARLSRUHE, the art and culture city of Karlsruhe will be in the public eye for five days. Around one in five people have linked their visit to the fair with a visit to cultural institutions in Karlsruhe."

Appreciation for decades of commitment

Just as important as its own anniversary was for Messe Karlsruhe to duly honour and celebrate the grand finale of Ewald Karl Schrade, who is handing over the curatorial reins of art KARLSRUHE to new hands after two decades. Schrade draws a positive balance for his last fair: "I have been practising for 19 years. The 20th art KARLSRUHE is my masterpiece, which I can now proudly hand over."

From now on, the baton will be taken over by team leader Olga Blaß and advisory board chairman Kristian Jarmuschek. "We have the ambition to continuously develop the fair as a strong art marketplace while maintaining central elements of the twenty-year-old fair concept in dialogue with our customers," says the designated dual leadership.

Schrade intends to remain with the fair, both as an exhibitor and as honorary chairman of the "Friends and Supporters of art KARLSRUHE" association, which was founded especially for the fair's 20th anniversary.

Successful concept turns 20

For two decades now, the successful concept of art KARLSRUHE has proved to be reliable. Already at the premiere in 2004, there were sculpture spaces and one-artist shows to marvel at; programme items which visitors could also experience this year and which will continue to be among the unique selling points of art KARLSRUHE in the future.

Galerie Friese (Berlin) praises the continuity with which art KARLSRUHE is developing: "This year's fair went well for us. We used to have our gallery in Stuttgart and therefore have many contacts in the region. For that reason alone, it is always nice to be here, to experience the changes and the constancy. art KARLSRUHE is characterised by its constancy. We really enjoy being here," says Miriam Ewering.

Voices of the galleries

Other gallery booths are also positive about their participation in art KARLSRUHE 2023.

Marina von Morr from Galerie Anna Laudel (Istanbul) emphasises the service character of Messe Karlsruhe: "I can only say: keep it up! The work is solution-oriented and on a great communication level, which you don't experience at all fairs."

"We would like to stay in this place for the next 20 years. We feel really at home here," said Leander Rubrecht of Rubrecht Severens Fine Arts (Maastricht), who were now represented in Karlsruhe for the second time.

Daniel Wahrenberger of Galerie WOS (Pfäffikon) is pleased about the increased number of visitors: "There were consistently visitors with great interest and a high level of quality on site, and the sales are also right. We are happy to be back in 2024."

For The Route Gallery (Amsterdam), taking part in art KARLSRUHE for the first time was a wonderful experience: "We were finally allowed to be there! The organisation was perfect down to the last detail. We will definitely come again", says Basara Dilek.

art KARLSRUHE is also a profitable platform for the gallery scene in Baden-Württemberg to present themselves and their art.

Petra Kern (Kunstkompetenz Petra Kern / Heidelberg) is happy about a successful fair business: "I sold every day. It is my eleventh participation. The feeling is quite different from last year. This time I had the biggest stand in my own fair history at art KARLSRUHE - and a sculpture space to boot."

Success stories were also recorded by Galerie Schacher and Galerie Thomas Fuchs from Stuttgart. The gallery couple Katrin and Marko Schacher succeeded in selling not only other works but also their most expensive exhibit. The 180 by 180 centimetre work 'On my Terms' by the artist Josephiné Sagna has found a new home in the region.

Andreas Pucher of Galerie Thomas Fuchs, on the other hand, comments as follows: "We have brought a selection of gallery artists to the 20th edition of art KARLSRUHE. Among them are works by Rainer Fetting, from whom we have already sold three paintings in the high five-figure euro range as well as a sculpture, plus three works by Jochen Mühlenbrink. Even though the last few years were already good, art KARLSRUHE 2023 went particularly well."

Looking ahead

At the industry's request, art KARLSRUHE will return to a spring date next year. The 21st edition of the fair will then be held again at its traditional venue and, under the direction of team leader Olga Blaß and advisory board chairman Kristian Jarmuschek, will open the German-language art fair year from 22 to 25 February 2024.

The preview, which as in the previous year took place one day before the official opening of the international art fair, offered the public an exclusive foretaste of what can be discovered in the four halls of Messe Karlsruhe until Sunday (May 7). Until then, 207 galleries from 15 countries will be showing the diversity of art from a period spanning 120 years on 35,000 square meters - starting with classical modernism and extending to brand-new works of contemporary art.

Successful concept turns 20

Not only 180 one-artist shows but also 26 sculpture spaces enrich this year's fair events in the four light-flooded halls. Both program items have been an integral part of art KARLSRUHE year after year since the premiere in 2004 and have been filled with new life on the occasion of the 20th edition. "Anyone who looks around the halls will notice: The galleries have really brought the best of the best to Karlsruhe to celebrate our fair anniversary," confessed founding curator Ewald Karl Schrade.

On the occasion of his last fair in his function as curator, Schrade was invited by Messe Karlsruhe to present the traditional special show in Hall 1 with works from his collection. On around 400 square meters, visitors can expect to see paintings by Cornelia Schleime, Karl Hubbuch, Erich Heckel, Walter Stöhrer and Eleonore Frey-Hanken, among others.

As a gallery owner, Schrade also attaches great importance to the three-dimensional, which is why it is also strongly represented in his collection. Thus, the sculpture "Wonne bi" by Dietrich Klinge is enthroned in the middle of the exhibition space, not far from it is a meter-long pine cone by Stefan Strumbel or the "Trash Man No. 129" by HA Schult, which was made from countless beverage cans. In the immediate vicinity of the special show is the Museum Mile and the Forum Karlsruhe, where Karlsruhe's cultural institutions present themselves.

From art market newcomers to long-time collectors

In four halls and a sculpture garden - sponsored by the Vollack Group - art KARLSRUHE 2023 offers a profitable platform for all friends of art. Different styles and epochs find each other as well as different price ranges. From works under 100 euros, the price range extends into the millions.

For example, at the booth of the Samuelis Baumgarte Gallery (Bielefeld), the nail painting "White Field" from 1987 is for sale for a price of 1.485 million euros. "We are back at art KARLSRUHE after ten years. We have important items from our gallery program with us, quite a few of which are at museum level. We are very excited about the fair and look forward to meeting collectors from the region," says Alexander Baumgarte.

Positive initial balance at the galleries

Among the exhibitors, the joy about the start of the 20th art KARLSRUHE is great. "This is our 13th time at art KARLSRUHE and we really like the fair. It is unique - from our point of view, one of the best art fairs in Germany," says Jakub Gildens of Gilden's Art London.

At Die Galerie from Frankfurt, the mood at the preview is also good. "We've been at art KARLSRUHE for ten years - one of the fairs we do every year, along with Cologne, Miami, London, Seoul and Paris," says gallery owner Peter Femfert.

"I feel anticipation for the next few days, to be able to give my young artists the space to present their work - and they are happy to be there. The hall situation brings a good mood, which is also reflected in the atmosphere: art KARLSRUHE is very nice," said Monica Ruppert of Galerie Ruppert.

Good sales were achieved by Galerie Ludorff in Hall 3: "The first day of the fair was a complete success. In addition to many interesting conversations and new contacts, we were also able to record our first sales." Already at the preview, among others, the work "Heitere Bewegung auf Rosa" by Willi Baumeister could be sold for 95,000 euros. Works by Georg Meistermann, Erich Heckel and Christopher Lehmpfuhl - all in the five-figure price range - also found satisfied buyers right at the start. The most expensive work in the gallery's program this year, "Paraphrase," was by Lovis Corinth and sold for 1.25 million.

The Supper Gallery (Baden-Baden), which has been a loyal exhibitor at art KARLSRUHE for 20 years, also recorded good sales. "As an exhibitor from the very beginning, art KARLSRUHE offered me a good platform, especially at the beginning, to gain a foothold in the art business, to network and to present our art. This year, too, this impression is proving true: we were already able to sell several works of art at the preview, including one by Monika Thiele," says Dirk Supper.

Towering sculptures dwarf their viewers, creative minds delight in the sight of colourful watercolours and, not far away, filigree Classic Modern sketches cause jaws to drop. The twentieth edition of art KARLSRUHE, which will take place in the light-flooded halls of Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre from 4 to 7 May 2023, once again promises exciting discoveries for all art aficionados. On an area of 35,000 square metres, 207 galleries from fifteen countries will present the diversity of artistic creativity spanning a period of 120 years – from works of Classic Modern art to new creations fresh from the artists’ studios.

From A to Z: the entire spectrum of art

The 20th edition of art KARLSRUHE remains true to its successful concept. This year, too, the international art fair sees itself as a platform for artistic diversity. The heart of the fair experience is once again the programme of the exhibiting galleries, which bring the entire spectrum of art to Karlsruhe – from A for Ackermann to Z for Zangs. Different price ranges and diverse styles will be represented, as will timeless classics of the art world and up-and-coming newcomers in the industry. Sculptures, paintings, photographs, textiles and more: works by approximately 1,500 artists await discovery by visitors in May. Textile art is the principal focus of the “Social Fabric” presentation at the LBBW Collection’s stand in Hall 1, where works by Nevin Aladağ, Shannon Bool, Thomas Grünfeld and other artists will be on display. The central theme of the collection is the significance and use of textiles in Contemporary art.

Interested people can visit the artsy art platform, where they can get an initial overview of this year’s programme in the run-up to the fair. For the first time, and thanks to a cooperation, an online exhibition will be realised on the platform parallel to the fair. Starting on 28 April, artsy will offer a foretaste of what the 207 participating galleries will be showing in Karlsruhe in May. Alternatively, the fair’s directory of participating galleries offers first insights into the galleries and artists that are participating in the 20th edition of art KARLSRUHE.

Enjoy art in four halls

In keeping with the motto “A City to Enjoy”, which the city of Karlsruhe has proclaimed as this year’s Michelin Host City for 2023, art KARLSRUHE also promises unforgettable moments of enjoyment. Pleasure in Baden not only includes top-class gastronomy, but also the delight of interacting with art and culture. As at previous editions, art KARLSRUHE 2023 promises aesthetic enjoyment in four exhibition halls. To ensure that visitors always have a clear overview, the halls are again arranged according to specific. focal points:

• Hall 1: Prints and Graphic Prints

• Hall 2: Art after 1945 and Contemporary art

• Hall 3: Classic Modern and Contemporary art

• Hall 4: ContemporaryArt21

The fair experience is enhanced by the Sculpture Areas, which are interspersed among the galleries’ stands and rank among art KARLSRUHE’s unmistakable unique selling points.

art KARLSRUHE celebrates sculpture

In keeping with the outdoor sculpture garden, which is sponsored by the Vollack Group, the theme of sculpture is also of great importance inside the halls. “This year there will be no fewer than 26 Sculpture Areas”, says art KARLSRUHE’s curator and founding father Ewald Karl Schrade. On the occasion of the fair’s 20th anniversary, the free zones, each with an area of 100 square metres, can be experienced in all four halls for the first time this year.

The programme of the galleries is broad, and so too is the spectrum of three-dimensional art: it runs from figurative Contemporary positions to outstanding examples of Concrete art. For example, Villa de Arte Galleries (Barcelona) will present the austere yet imaginative sculptures of Arik Levi (Hall 1), while Herbert Mehler’s steel sculptures, which are characterised by their disciplined design, will be on display at the Sculpture Area of DIE GALERIE (Frankfurt) in Hall 3.

Another real eye-catcher is the installation by the Karlsruhe-based artist Fahar Al-Salih (Yvonne Hohner Contemporary). With a height of 5.5 metres, a width of five metres and a length of eight metres, his work “The Cage” combines some 600 bird cages to create one of the largest artworks at this year’s Sculpture Areas. As a bridge builder between cultures, this several-metre-tall structure reflects the issue of homeland as a question and a quest.

Another Sculpture Area presents “mirror mirror on the... throne” by the artist Nicole Doth (Galerie Hühsam). As its name suggests, the installation is a mirrored throne. The artist’s choice of mirror as a material transforms a functional object into an interpretive space that, like the mirror itself, invites reflection. Doth’s series of artworks questions power and claims to power in accord with this artist’s personal credo: “don’t be afraid of art”.

Political positions at art KARLSRUHE

“Is a stand at an art fair allowed to be socially critical?” This is the question posed by Galerie Schacher – Raum für Kunst. If the Stuttgart-based gallery’s owners Katrin and Marko Schacher have their way, this question can undoubtedly be answered in the affirmative. They believe that art should not only be colourful and aesthetic, but also thought-provoking, and that is why the gallery is dedicating a One-Artist-Show to the young artist Joséphine Sagna, whose large-format, concrete, colourful, expressive and lively paintings address her experiences and emotions as a Black woman in a predominantly white society.

In addition to sustainability, war is also an important theme in the galleries’ programme. For example, Galerie J. J. Heckenhauer, which is participating in art KARLSRUHE for the first time this year, is presenting works by the Ukrainian artist Sergii Chaika. “We procured paint and canvas for Sergii Chaika in December 2022. These art supplies, which are difficult to obtain due to the war in Ukraine, enabled him to keep painting in his studio, even under the most adverse circumstances, such as power outages and heating failures”, explains Roger Sonnewald, who belongs to the sixth generation of the family that runs Galerie J. J. Heckenhauer in Munich.

The Karlsruhe Centre for Art and Media (ZKM) is also showing political art at this year’s fair, including works by the Ukrainian media artists Alina Bukina and Anna Manankina. Both were artists-in-residence at the ZKM for several months last year after the outbreak of the war. The online platform “antiwarcoalition.art”, which collects, shares and distributes artists’ statements against the war worldwide, will also be presented.

From special show to talk format: the supporting programme

In addition to the SWR2 Messetalk and the LBBW Monopol Talk, the ARTIMA art meeting will once again take place. This year’s symposium, which is open to the public, includes six lectures that combine the fair’s anniversary with the aspect of sustainability. The speakers include the action artist HA Schult and the renowned sustainability experts Stefanie and Uwe Voigt (University of Augsburg) as well as art KARLSRUHE’s curator Ewald Karl Schrade. Elsewhere, too, the fair bears the signature of its founding father more than ever. As a token of appreciation for his many years of dedication, Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre is dedicating the traditional special show to the art collection of its originator and longstanding curator, Ewald Karl Schrade.

Award ceremonies are also part of art KARLSRUHE. In addition to the Hans Platschek Prize for Art and Writing and the art KARLSRUHE Prize of the City of Karlsruhe and the State of Baden-Württemberg for the best One-Artist Show, the Loth Sculpture Prize, which is sponsored by the L-Bank, will once again be awarded.

Art enjoyment in the city and region

It is not only inside the exhibition halls that art can be enjoyed from 4 to 7 May. Parallel to art KARLSRUHE, numerous other art events will likewise be taking place in and around Karlsruhe, the UNESCO City of Media Arts. For example, the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, whose main building has been closed for renovations for more than a year, will display paintings and sculptures from the late Middle Ages to the present at the ZKM. Also at the ZKM: the “Renaissance 3.0” exhibition, which deals with the increasing scientification of art.

With “P for Performance: All about us”, the Badischer Kunstverein offers exciting insights into the work of the artist Maja Bekan. This exhibition opens another chapter in the discourse on various performative practices at the Kunstverein and includes all of the works that Bekan has created to date.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of art KARLSRUHE, the “after art party” likewise returns. On Saturday, 6 May (starting at 8 p.m.) and Sunday, 7 May (starting at 1 p.m.), the party’s organiser Shahrokh Dini invites everyone to the Hirschhof in Karlsruhe to end the week of the fair in style and with live music.

Karlsruhe, 30.03.2023 - From sculptures and paintings made from recycled materials to the long-term support of artists and reusable carpeting that adorns the four light-flooded halls: sustainability can be experienced in many places at art KARLSRUHE 2023. On the occasion of the upcoming 20th edition of the international fair for classical modern and contemporary art, Messe Karlsruhe wants to offer all friends of art a particularly sustainable fair experience from 4 to 7 May. In doing so, art KARLSRUHE benefits just as much from the commitment of the exhibiting galleries as from the efforts of Messe Karlsruhe, which has been actively promoting the issue of sustainability for some time now.

From catering to green electricity: sustainability as a multifaceted field of activity at Messe Karlsruhe

"We have recognised sustainable action as an important global social issue and are aware of its strategic importance for the trade fair, congress and event business," says Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Messe Karlsruhe. Messe Karlsruhe's actions are guided by the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, which were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 and set targets for a better future. In addition to climate protection measures, gender equality and the creation of high-quality educational opportunities are among the aspects to which Messe Karlsruhe is already making a contribution today.

Like the entire event portfolio, art KARLSRUHE also benefits from Messe Karlsruhe's efforts to organise more sustainable events, for example by using appropriate building technology and infrastructure. For example, Messe Karlsruhe only uses certified green electricity from hydropower and regularly conducts energy audits to identify further potential savings. On the exhibition grounds themselves, cooling is exclusively provided by well water, while groundwater is used instead of drinking water for watering the green areas - such as the sculpture garden at art KARLSRUHE, which is sponsored by the Vollack Group.

Catering is another component of the sustainability concept. As a long-standing partner of Messe Karlsruhe, Gauls relies exclusively on regional suppliers for beverages, which are located within a radius of 100 kilometres from the trade fair venue. The same applies to food: regional suppliers "first". For ready-made food that has not been consumed, Gauls works together with food sharing companies that collect this food and make it available to social institutions. Leftover food that cannot be passed on is strictly separated from other waste and goes into organic waste. For this purpose, there are bins from the special supplier ReFood, which processes the organic residues into environmentally friendly energy and guarantees the traceability of the disposal - a procedure that is also used at art KARLSRUHE.

Sustainability at art KARLSRUHE

In the planning of art KARLSRUHE, the aspect of sustainability is first of all put into practice through the conservation of resources used: for the first time, the art fair will be completely equipped with sustainable Rewind carpeting beyond the company standards, the lighting system has been completely converted to LED technology and sustainability is also ensured in stand construction through the multiple use of walls. The fleet of VIP shuttles uses e-technology, and the print materials in the press and marketing areas are also being made more sustainable: for example, the number of printed products has been reduced compared to previous years and the remaining materials have been converted to FSC-certified paper.

"When planning the twentieth art KARLSRUHE, we not only paid attention to making our day-to-day business more sustainable in order to improve our ecological footprint, but also to making the topic of sustainability visible in the fair programme," explains Olga Blaß, Project Manager of art KARLSRUHE. The starting point for this is the fundamental idea of sustainability in the art business: to preserve art, to promote it and to make it accessible. These principles are ultimately also confirmed in the concept of art KARLSRUHE.

Offering sustainability a stage

A first measure to promote art is the traditional format of one-artist shows. On at least 25 square metres, a gallery dedicates its programme to a selected artist. This commitment of the galleries has always been rewarded by Messe Karlsruhe with reduced stand prices. Over the years, this has led to galleries increasingly dedicating a one-artist show to young, up-and-coming artists. A trend that will continue in 2023: Many of the 180 one-artist shows are once again dedicated to young artists, for example Joséphine Sagna (Galerie Schacher - Raum für Kunst). In her painting, the German-Senegalese artist repeatedly reacts to latent and open racism, which she was already confronted with as an adolescent in the white majority society.

Under the title "Reverberation and Sustainability: 20 Years of art KARLSRUHE", the ARTIMA art meeting also offers a stage for sustainability. In the traditional talk format, a total of six lectures will take place on 4 and 5 May 2023, which will combine the round anniversary of art KARLSRUHE with the aspect of sustainability. In addition to trade fair director Britta Wirtz and art KARLSRUHE curator Ewald Karl Schrade, the speakers will include action artist HA Schult, who has been promoting a conscious use of resources for decades. On the other hand, philosophy professor Uwe Voigt and his wife and cultural scientist Stefanie Voigt will speak about "Sustainability as a social obligation".

Sustainable art and art in the service of sustainability

The theme of sustainability is also reflected in the programme of the 207 exhibiting galleries, which will be making their way to Karlsruhe in May from a total of 15 countries.

At art KARLSRUHE, environmentally friendly artworks made of recycled materials can increasingly be found - an approach taken, for example, by artist Micky Focke (Galerie Jeanne). Focke follows an ecological approach and uses found materials, among other things, and thus addresses humanity's interaction with the world.

Artist Rainer Jacob (Yvonne Hohner Contemporary) is just as creative as he is sustainable when he uses the bark of old trees that have died as a result of global warming and drought to make sculptures. The artist Mechthild Ehmann (to be seen at Art-Isotope), on the other hand, shapes her artistic work in a resource-friendly way by making her solid glass sculptures from industrial waste from glass smelting.

The works of the artist Matthias Garff (on view at the Tobias Schrade and Tammen galleries) also turn out to be real crowd pullers. The animal sculptures by the Swiss artist, born in 1986, are also made of recycled material and found objects and are intended to draw attention to environmental protection and species conservation. At art KARLSRUHE 2023, for example, the statue of a donkey is waiting to be discovered by visitors. In addition to a water jug, it also consists of a thermos flask, a shoe, aluminium moulds, axe handles and a rubber boot.

The works of Katrin Fridiks (Circle Culture) offer a special reference to nature. The Icelandic-born artist is an advocate of environmental sustainability. Her latest series of works is an example of her commitment to using art as a tool for change. By incorporating environmentally friendly materials and processes into her work, Fridriks is pioneering a new era of conscious art production. Fridriks also uses a variety of recycled materials in her work, from old books and magazines to discarded industrial objects.

Some galleries are even dedicating their entire trade fair presence to the theme of sustainability. This year, our stand is themed "joie de vivre and sustainability", explains Holger Hegemann from the gallery of the same name.

Climate protection and painting women

However, sustainability is not only reflected in artistic creation, but also serves as a theme in its own right. At the stand of Galerie Brouwer Edition in Hall 4, art lovers will find works by Andreas Scholz, for example. Known for his landscape paintings, he will be showing climate-activist landscapes at art KARLSRUHE. For several years, the artist has accompanied the tree squatters of the Altdorf forest. Fascinated by their commitment, Scholz has paid tribute to the "activists" in the Altdorf forest in paintings.

A different facet of sustainability, on the other hand, will be featured at the stand of Dr. Nöth Kunsthandel. To strengthen female art, the Potsdam gallery is presenting the programme "Painting Women - Painted Women" at art KARLSRUHE 2023, thus paying tribute to the UN's sustainability goal of gender equality. The focus is on Lotte Laserstein's works across all her creative phases. In addition, there are works by Tamara de Lempicka, Jeanne Mammen, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Berthe Morisot, Suzanne Valadon and Gabriele Münter.

Female art can also be experienced elsewhere, such as the sculpture square of the Cyprian Brenner Gallery, which is designed with "Yolanda" by Miriam Lenk. The sculpture shows a female archetype, tall and powerful, liberated from all discipline, a figurehead for all those who feel they do not conform to the norm but live diversity. After the empowerment of female art has already been a major concern of art KARLSRUHE in previous years, visitors can also look forward to expressive positions this year.

Sustainability is a lived virtue for galleries

Just how far the commitment of galleries can go is shown by the "Galleries for Future" competition, in which the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Industry awards prizes for sustainable gallery concepts. With the Belin galleries mianki and Kornfeld, two art stores are represented at art KARLSRUHE 2023, which received awards in the competition.

The everyday work of galleries is also becoming increasingly sustainable. "So far, we have implemented the topic of sustainability in business travel by no longer flying domestically and travelling by train to a large extent. Another aspect is the packaging material, which we are gradually making more sustainable," explains Roger Sonnewald from Galerie Heckenhauer, for example. Gallery owner Anja Knoess has also decided to largely avoid flights and encourages her collectors to do the same. When it comes to transporting art, she relies on additional loads and agreements.

Social aspects of sustainability are served by the artist Ulrika Eller-Rüter (Geißler-Bentler Gallery). The artist deals intensively with the topic of water by microscoping water drops from all over the world and putting them into the picture as fine art prints. Together with the Geißler-Bentler Gallery, Eller-Rüter supports well projects in Guinea and Ghana through the sale of her "Drops".

Galleries benefit from renewed funding

Thanks to the multifaceted efforts of art KARLSRUHE, the fair can once again look forward to receiving funding from the rescue and future programme Neustart Kultur. As a condition of the funding, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) requires a commitment to sustainability - which art KARLSRUHE successfully fulfils. As with the summer edition of the fair in 2022, the entire funding amount will be passed on to the exhibiting galleries in the form of discounted stand rents.

Last but not least, visitors can also contribute to the sustainability of the trade fair experience, for example, by carrying their trade fair ticket with them in digital form instead of in printed form, or by using the Messeexpress to get there. The shuttle service brings all visitors to art KARLSRUHE free of charge every ten or twenty minutes by shuttling from Karlsruhe main station to the exhibition grounds in Rheinstetten and back

This year’s fair in Karlsruhe again remains true to its successful concept: as it did at its premiere in 2004 and throughout the two subsequent decades, art KARLSRUHE presents the entire spectrum of 120 years of art.

art KARLSRUHE as a marketplace of artistic diversity

Project manager Olga Blass explains: “We have always assured that art KARLSRUHE is a fair for everyone. That is particularly appropriate for an art fair because art excludes nothing and no one.” The art marketplace in south-western Germany will again offer an exciting experience for all aficionados in 2023, when 207 national and international galleries display the full spectrum of the art market – from first-rate Classic Modern paintings to outstanding Contemporary artworks. The list of artists includes numerous established masters such as Picasso and Miró, Nolde, Pechstein and Kirchner. Among many other creations, works by members of the ZERO group (Mack, Piene, Uecker) will be shown in the Post-War section. art KARLSRUHE’s visitors an also look forward to big names in the field of Contemporary art such as Imi Knoebel, Karin Kneffel and Georg Baselitz.

The diversity of artistic positions is reflected not only in the many different styles that are brought together at the fair, but also in the price ranges on offer. art KARLSRUHE thus not only provides established collectors with a favourable platform for adding new artworks to their existing collections. Exciting works of art in all price classes await discovery in each of the four exhibition halls.

An exciting stroll through four exhibition halls

art KARLSRUHE’s founding father and curator Ewald Karl Schrade retrospectively regards this twentieth edition of the fair as yet another confirmation: “Our basic concept of thoughtfully recognizing and taking into account the interests of both the exhibitors and the public has proved its worth.” Schrade has been a gallery owner for over fifty years and intends to retire from his post as art KARLSRUHE’s organizer after the upcoming twentieth fair. During the planning phase for each edition of the annual art event, Schrade has always prioritized the creation of optimal gallery neighbourhoods, while simultaneously ensuring that visitors can enjoy a stimulating parkour through the four exhibition halls. In 2023, the halls will again be divided according to their traditional focal points: Hall 1 contains graphic prints and objects in limited editions; Hall 2 highlights art after 1945 and Contemporary art; Hall 3 focuses on works of Classic Modern art in interplay with Contemporary artworks; and Hall 4, the dm-arena, hosts Contemporary Art21. Art can also be experienced outside the halls in the Sculpture Garden, sponsored by the Vollack Group, where three-dimensional artworks are displayed outdoors.

Sales fair, networking forum and stage for award ceremonies

Among the unmistakable trademarks of art KARLSRUHE are not only the numerous One-Artist-Shows staged by the participating galleries, but also the generously designed Sculpture Areas, which have been a regular feature of the fair’s programme since 2004. This year’s fair includes 26 of these large-scale installations, which are strategically interspersed among the galleries’ stands to create spaces for interaction between artworks and their viewers.

In addition to its focus on the art trade, art KARLSRUHE also serves as an important forum for sharing information and for networking. The art scene meets in Karlsruhe to discuss new projects, upcoming exhibitions and challenges currently facing the art market. “With art KARLSRUHE, we have successfully positioned the city as an important location for art in the German-speaking region of Europe. It is wonderful to see how the fair has evolved since its founding in 2004, steadily gaining in reputation and charisma, and repeatedly inviting the national and international art business to Karlsruhe, UNESCO’s City of Media Arts”, says the fair’s managing director Britta Wirtz. art KARLSRUHE’s twentieth anniversary is a good indication of the importance of the fair, Wirtz adds. Having begun with approximately 75 galleries in just one hall, two decades later art KARLSRUHE now provides a platform for more than 200 galleries to present themselves and their artists’ creations. “Of course, the fair’s reliability and consistency have much to do with the ingenious and time-tested concept of its founder and mastermind Ewald Karl Schrade, who has always been passionate about offering our exhibitors the best possible fair experience”, Wirtz declares.

Award ceremonies have been an integral part of the fair for several years already. The three prizes that will again be awarded at the twentieth art KARLSRUHE in 2023 are the art KARLSRUHE Prize, the Loth Sculpture Prize (donated by the L-Bank) and the Hans Platschek Prize for Art and Writing.

Many exhibitors have been with the fair from its beginning

It would be impossible to imagine Germany’s calendar of art fairs without art KARLSRUHE, says Berlin-based gallery owner Werner Tammen, who is not only a member of the current advisory board, but was already an exhibitor at the fair when it was first founded in 2004. Tammen is convinced by art KARLSRUHE, as are a great many of his colleagues, who likewise plan to participate for the twentieth time in Karlsruhe in 2023. The broad spectrum of offerings from Classic Modern to the latest Contemporary art, the spacious exhibition halls and, last but not least, the enthusiastic response from the public keep Tammen returning to south-western Germany every year. “It’s an obligation I gladly uphold”, the well-known gallerist says, “not least thanks to the fact that the density of collectors is so high at this fair – and handsome sales are accordingly generated.”

Galleries such as Schwarzer (Düsseldorf), GNG (Paris), Brennecke (Berlin), Obrist (Essen), Rothamel (Erfurt) and the Galerie an der Pinakothek der Moderne (Munich) also eagerly participate year after year and are among the galleries that have accompanied art KARLSRUHE since it was first founded in 2004.

The Mainz- and Venice-based gallery owner Dorothea van der Koelen, who has likewise been a participant since 2004 and is active on the fair’s advisory board, has regularly set up Sculpture Areas over the past two decades featuring works by her artists, who include Lore Bert, Francois Morellet, Fabrizio Plessi, Günther Uecker and Bernar Venet. “We have always received a strong and positive response”, she reports. “Of course, this popularity had to do with the art itself, but the wonderful light-flooded exhibition halls surely played a role too by creating optimal conditions in which to experience art.”

A total of 207 nationally and internationally renowned galleries will present their programmes in the four high-ceilinged and light-flooded exhibition halls. The participating galleries were chosen by the seven members of art KARLSRUHE’s advisory board at the end of December 2022.

Nationally and internationally renowned galleries

Art lovers can look forward to galleries from a total of fifteen different countries at the fair in May 2023. With 47 participating galleries, the European region is particularly well represented. Internationally renowned galleries such as Cortina (Barcelona), Gilden’s Art (London), gimpel & müller (Paris), Kovacek (Vienna), Laudel (Istanbul), Brita Prinz (Madrid), Rubrecht Severens (Maastricht), Várfok (Budapest) and Galleri MDA (Helsingborg) will make guest appearances at Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre. Gallery Tableau (Seoul), a renowned gallery from South Korea, will also be taking part.

Of course, big names from the German art scene will likewise be represented. They include Galerie Friese (Berlin), Ludorff (Düsseldorf), Osper (Cologne), Thole Rotermund (Hamburg), Schwarzer (Düsseldorf), Galerie Française (Munich), Samuelis Baumgarte (Bielefeld) and van der Koelen (Mainz). art KARLSRUHE will once again be a prominent meeting place for the regional and national art industry this year. Among the participants are 36 exhibitors from Baden-Württemberg, including Schlichtenmaier (Grafenau) and Yvonne Hohner Contemporary (Karlsruhe). Exhibitors from Berlin’s gallery scene will also be strongly represented: a total of 31 galleries from Germany’s capital city will show their programmes in Karlsruhe in May.

“We are very pleased that renowned galleries from Germany and abroad will again come together in our halls to jointly celebrate art, thus reaffirming Karlsruhe’s attractiveness as a location for art and creativity and, not least, as a UNESCO City of Media Arts”, says the fair’s director Britta Wirtz.

Art for all

A visit to art KARLSRUHE 2023 is like an excursion through the past 120 years of artistic creation. The fair spans a wide spectrum from classical modernism to the latest examples of contemporary art. “Based on the submitted applications, we can see that all the exhibitors who have been admitted to the upcoming art KARLSRUHE will again bring the best of the best to Karlsruhe”, reports founding curator Ewald Karl Schrade with satisfaction. The list of artists whose work will be shown at the upcoming edition of art KARLSRUHE is a veritable “Who’s Who” of the 20th and 21st centuries – from classic names such as Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró to the “Max Trio” (i.e., Beckmann, Ernst and Liebermann), as well as great pop artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol. The leading German old masters of contemporary art will also be represented: e.g., Georg Baselitz, Gerhard Richter and Günther Uecker. The spectrum ranges from sought-after painters and sculptors such as Stephan Balkenhol, Tony Cragg and Neo Rauch to members of the youngest generation such as the draughtswoman Ambra Durante, who won the art KARLSRUHE prize last year.

Not only the styles, but also the price ranges on offer at art KARLSRUHE are wide-ranging. The spectrum begins with artworks in the low-threshold price segment and ascends into the seven-figure range. “Rather than appealing only to established collectors, our fair also deliberately targets a younger audience, to whom we offer an affordable introduction to the passion of art collecting. This is precisely what underscores our reputation as the most democratic art fair in the German-speaking world”, explains the fair’s project manager Olga Blass, who is one half of the dual leadership that will run the fair after the Schrade era comes to its close.

Special show by gallery owner Ewald Karl Schrade

On the occasion of his final curatorship of the annual art fair, this year’s special show bears the signature of its founding father, the gallery owner Ewald Karl Schrade. In recognition of his many years of dedication to art KARLSRUHE, Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre invited him to present artworks from his collection in the traditional special exhibition in Hall 1. Following in the footsteps of other renowned private collections, including most recently the Frieder Burda Collection (2018), Peter C. Ruppert (2019), Hans-Peter Haas Foundation (2020) and Maria Lucia and Ingo Klöcker (2022), who have exhibited at art KARLSRUHE in previous years, a representative selection from Schrade’s collection will be displayed on approximately 400 square metres of floor space.

The presentation reflects more than 50 years of Schrade’s work as a gallery owner, during which time his collection evolved as vitally as art history itself. In addition to classic positions with well-known names such as Georg Meistermann, Walter Stöhrer, Erich Heckel, Karl Hubbuch, Shmuel Shapiro, Bernd Zimmer, Lore Bert, Cornelia Schleime, Marion Eichmann, Antonio Marra and HA Schult, Ewald Karl Schrade also focussed on young artists from the very beginning and accompanied their development over many years. Christopher Lehmpfuhl, Stefan Strumbel, e. g. Christopher Lehmpfuhl and Willi Siber.

After the twentieth edition of art KARLSRUHE – International Fair for Classic Modern and Contemporary Art (4-7 May 2023), its curator and founder Ewald Karl Schrade will hand over the management of the art fair to proven and new hands. After the handover, art KARLSRUHE will be jointly managed by the art historian Olga Blass and the advisory board’s chairman Kristian Jarmuschek.

New management concept for art KARLSRUHE

The starting shot for the transformation process was fired in July 2021, when Ewald Karl Schrade announced his intention to retire from his position as curator after art KARLSRUHE 2023. His decision was followed by a structured tender and selection process. Together with Schrade, Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre developed a new management concept. In the future, the fair will be headed in-house by Olga Blass, who has been part of the art KARLSRUHE team since 2011 and has guided the fair as its project manager since 2017. A strengthened external advisory board is planned as the second head, which will be active on the market with a leading chairperson. This position has now been filled by Kristian Jarmuschek, who has been the managing owner of the Berlin-based gallery Jarmuschek + Partner since 2004. Since 2013, he has also been a board member of the Federal Association of German Galleries and Art Dealers, where he recently started his third term of office.

The following individuals served on the selection committee for the new position: the director of the Städtische Galerie Stefanie Patruno, the director of the Zentrum für Kunst und Medien (ZKM) Dr. Helga Huskamp, the gallery owner and publisher Dr Dorothea van der Koelen, the journalist Dorothee Baer-Bogenschütz and the Berlin gallery owner Werner Tammen. Birgit Rolfes, head of the art collection of Mannheimer Versicherungen, was represented from the circle of long-standing partners. In the run-up to the selection, the internationally renowned agency Odgers Berndtson interviewed numerous personalities from the international art world who were aligned with the new management profile.

To ensure a smooth transition, Kristian Jarmuschek will participate as a guest in the meeting of the advisory board on the jurying of exhibitors for art KARLSRUHE 2023 in December 2022 and will assist Ewald Karl Schrade and the fair team in their planning.

For the subsequent 21st edition of art KARLSRUHE in 2024, Kristian Jarmuschek and Olga Blass will officially direct the fair together for the first time.

Comments on the new management of art KARLSRUHE

“The new management concept is an important step towards ensuring that art KARLSRUHE will continue to be successful in the future”, confidently says Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre. “The unanimity of everyone involved in the selection process over the past months is a significant signal for art KARLSRUHE. The anticipation of being able to work with Mr Jarmuschek in the future is great. In addition to the perspective of a gallery owner, he also brings with him the knowledge of an experienced fair organiser who knows what it means to manage all aspects of a large project – from acquisition through stand construction to visitor management. He is very well networked in the scene, not only thanks to his association activities, and his recent re-election affirms the recognition of his work within the industry. This makes him an excellent choice for our new structures. But my special thanks at this point go to Ewald Karl Schrade, who has not only helped art KARLSRUHE attain its current radiance over the last twenty years, on which we can now continue to build, but has also accompanied the transformation process with advice and action.”

Ewald Karl Schrade is likewise pleased with the new orientation: “It was an all-round successful planning and finding process. I am sure that the duo of Blass and Jarmuschek will put the fair in a very good position in the future and that it will continue to develop without losing its DNA. Since taking my decision, it has been extremely important to me to know that the fair will be in trustworthy hands after my departure as curator. We have succeeded in this. Already since 2017, I have been able to hand over numerous tasks to the team at Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre, especially to Ms Blass. I view the interaction between the fair’s market team and a strengthened external advisory board as the right path for art KARLSRUHE. Now, however, I look forward to my last term as curator. Of course, I plan to remain with the fair as an exhibiting gallery owner afterwards.”

Looking ahead to his new role as external director, Kristian Jarmuschek is equally expectant: “The joy on my part is immense”, says Jarmuschek. “As a gallery owner, I know how a fair ‘has to feel’ from an exhibitor’s standpoint and I can optimally contribute this perspective to the conception of art KARLSRUHE. The concerns and wishes of the exhibitors are of particular importance to me. I will take on my new function as chairman of the advisory board with great respect. Since its founding in 2004, art KARLSRUHE has established itself as one of the most important art fairs in the German-speaking region. Especially in the southwestern part of Germany, a region with a diverse and lively art industry, this fair is appreciated as a prominent contact point for experienced art collectors and newcomers alike. This achievement deserves recognition. Above all, I admire the passion with which Ewald Karl Schrade has dedicated himself to art KARLSRUHE over the past two decades and the heartfelt dedication with which he has shaped the fair. In the coming years, I will use my experience to further evolve art KARLSRUHE, in awareness of its special character, as an important platform for all market participants regionally and internationally.”

As the voice of the advisory board, Werner Tammen, Chairman of the Berlin Galleries Association, is satisfied as well: “We have made a very good choice with Kristian Jarmuschek. Of course, the new management team has big shoes to fill, but I am sure that with him as the new chairman, the advisory board will fulfil an important function for the further development of art KARLSRUHE so that the fair’s planning will reflect and incorporate the concerns of the market.”

Finally, the new management concept is also a trend-setting signal for Gabriele Luczak-Schwarz, Lord Mayor of Karlsruhe and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre: “The appointment of Kristian Jarmuschek to head the external advisory board is good news for Karlsruhe’s city administration. I am sure that Kristian Jarmuschek will contribute to further strengthening Karlsruhe’s excellent reputation as a city of art. At the same time, thanks to his excellent network, he will no doubt succeed in leaving a lasting mark on art KARLSRUHE and in leading the fair into a continued successful future. Many thanks to Mr Schrade, who has succeeded in making art KARLSRUHE an internationally renowned art fair. Through art KARLSRUHE, our city – which has been a UNESCO City of Media Arts since 2019 – annually moves into the focus of the interested public and also places Karlsruhe in the media as an important location on the national and international art scene.”

For fifteen years now, award ceremonies have been an integral part of the art KARLSRUHE fair experience (until 10 July). "It has always been an important concern of art KARLSRUHE to promote artists and galleries. One aspect of this commitment is the three award ceremonies, with which we would like to honour strong artistic positions and make them visible," says Ewald Karl Schrade, curator of art KARLSRUHE.

In addition to the Hans Platschek Prize for Art and Writing, the art KARLSRUHE Prize and the Loth Sculpture Prize were again awarded at this year's fair.

art KARLSRUHE Prize goes to Ambra Durante (Friese Gallery)

As experience has shown, the fourteenth art KARLSRUHE Prize remained exciting right to the end. Since 2008, the award, an alliance of the state and the city and endowed with a purchase budget of 15,000 euros, has honoured the best one-artist show on the one hand, and on the other, it serves to continually expand the art KARLSRUHE Collection.

This year, the young artist Ambra Durante (presented by Galerie Friese, Berlin) was able to join the list of prize winners. The draughtswoman, who was born in 2000 and has only been on the art market for a short time, is already attracting a lot of attention. At art KARLSRUHE, Durante convinced a jury of experts with her picture stories, which she immortalises on a wide variety of media. Thus, her works are created sometimes on paper, sometimes on glass and sometimes on train tickets.

A jury of experts chose the most convincing individual presentation from a total of 180 one-artist shows at the fair. The prize was awarded on Saturday (9 July) at 11 a.m. in the ARTIMA art Forum in the newly designed Hall 3. "Ambra Durante is perhaps the youngest artist at art KARLSRUHE. Her works assert themselves with humour and irony, igniting fireworks of figuration within which the figures repeatedly lose themselves," said laudator Dr. Stefanie Patruno, Director of the Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe, explaining the unanimous verdict.

The members of the jury were Dorothee Baer-Bogenschütz (art historian and journalist), Nikolai B. Forstbauer (author and journalist), Prof. Dr. Pia Müller-Tamm (Director of the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe) and Dr. Stefanie Patruno (Director of the Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe).

Loth Sculpture Prize - donated by L-Bank - goes to Stefan Rohrer (Scheffel Gallery)

The prize, donated by L-Bank and endowed with 20,000 euros, is awarded by a jury of experts for the best sculpture space at art KARLSRUHE. Galerie Scheffel (Bad Homburg) and the artist Stefan Rohrer can be pleased about this year's award. The Loth Sculpture Prize is awarded equally to the gallery and the artist.

The prize was awarded by a jury of experts who justified their judgement as follows: "Traffic vehicles such as cars are central objects, cult objects of the 20th century. Rohrer transforms these concrete objects into abstract sculptures, vectors of space. In doing so, he convinces through the precise alienation effects and the powerful work on the material. He takes everyday objects, mostly vehicles, out of shape and into new forms. These transformations create humorous, surprising and powerful objects."

The Sculpture Prize is named after the artist Wilhelm Loth (1920 - 1993). In 1958, he was appointed head of a sculpture class at the Art Academy in Karlsruhe, where he worked as a professor from 1960 until his retirement in 1986.

The expert jury consisted of Alexander Heil (Wilhelm Loth estate, jury chair), Dr. Sebastian Baden (Schirn Frankfurt), Dr. Pia Dornacher (Museum Lothar Fischer, Neumarkt), Prof. Werner Pokorny (sculptor), Prof. Dr. Peter Weibel (ZKM Karlsruhe).

Hans Platschek Prize for Osmar Osten

The Hans Platschek Prize for Art and Writing, which has been awarded at art KARLSRUHE since 2008, kicked off the award ceremonies. Following Monika Baer (2021) and Helga Schmidhuber (2020), the Chemnitz-based artist Osmar Osten was presented with the award at the opening of the fair on 7 July.

This year's individual juror Dr Ulrike Lorenz explained her choice for Osten as follows: "My choice fell on Osmar Osten because the Chemnitz artist, with his post-dadaist painting and in his ironic short texts, has remained unimpressed on the trail of the absurdities of human existence and interpretive power for many years and beyond an overall social upheaval - a quick-witted contemporary with a philanthropic delight in the grotesque according to the motto: 'What does winning mean here, survival is everything'?"

In addition to prize money of 5,000 euros, Osten was able to enjoy a further honour: for the duration of the fair, his works will be presented at the Foundation's stand in dialogue with selected positions by Hans Platschek.

The 17th edition of art KARLSRUHE attracted approximately 50,000 art collectors and art lovers to the exhibition halls in Karlsruhe. From 13 to 16 February, the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre was transformed into a showcase and marketplace for art from a time span of over 120 years. A total of 210 nationally and internationally renowned galleries from fifteen countries presented their programmes, which ran the gamut from Classic Modern to Contemporary art. The fair’s steadily growing importance was particularly evident in the increased participation by international galleries and the longer travel distances, especially for first-time visitors. Many exhibitors enthusiastically reported brisk business with new collectors.

Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre, explains the conceptual approach of the art fair: “In Karlsruhe, passion prompts people to buy art. Our consistently high numbers of visitors and the strong satisfaction expressed by visitors and exhibitors alike confirm our concept. We see ourselves as perhaps the most democratic of all art fairs: art KARLSRUHE adeptly builds a bridge between works by established artists on the one hand and less costly yet nonetheless artistically valuable positions that pave the way for new aficionados to begin collecting art.” In accord with the latter objective, the trade fair also highlights graphic prints. This year’s presentation featured the collection of Hans-Peter Haas, Germany’s most important screen printer, whose compilation of graphic artworks was warmly received by visitors.

In keeping with the fair’s tradition, art KARLSRUHE also gives high priority to sculpture and its interplay with the other genres of fine art on display. art KARLSRUHE’s Curator Ewald Karl Schrade comments on the design of this year’s fair: “I am pleased that our concept is so successful. This year we sorted and arranged the artworks even better in accord with the focal points of our halls, while simultaneously creating a harmonious image for the trade fair, especially through the interplay between two-dimensional art and sculpture.” The traditional twenty Sculpture Areas were augmented in the atrium by a sculpture garden, which was supported by the Vollack Group. art KARLSRUHE also awarded the Loth Sculpture Prize for the third time: sponsored by the L-Bank, this year’s prize was awarded to the artist Gary Schlingheider and to the Galerie Burster (Berlin, Karlsruhe).

Numerous sales and a knowledgeable audience

art KARLSRUHE 2020 was very successful for Galerie Ludorff (Düsseldorf). Manuel Ludorff says: “We sold two very large objects and we are very happy about those sales. A large painting by Karin Kneffel was purchased for 180,000 euros and a watercolour by August Macke for 550,000 euros. Of course, these are big highlights that you don’t sell every day, but here in Karlsruhe you meet collectors who buy objects in this price range.” Kunsthandel Osper (Cologne) is similarly pleased with good sales throughout the fair. Knut Osper says: “We were fortunate to sell our most costly painting within the first two hours – a Gerhard Richter that was sold 850,000 euros. There was plenty of activity afterwards too and we again sold briskly on the final days.” Thole Rotermund Kunsthandel (Hamburg) likewise recorded six-figure sales in the Classic Modern genre.

Kirsten Floss from Galerie Floss und Schulz (Cologne) especially praises the audience: “Our concern is that our clientele of collectors is ageing. That’s why it’s nice to see so many 30- to 40-year-olds walking through the halls this year. Many of these younger collectors are on a strict budget, but they are nonetheless ready and willing to spend within their means. We held many in-depth discussions. There’s a great deal of interest and we were pleased to welcome numerous new customers. We consciously focused on initiating new contacts and our expectations were met. Galerie Feldbusch, Wiesner and Rudolph (Berlin) is likewise quite satisfied with its first participation at art KARLSRUHE. Andreas Wiesner says: “We only sold to new customers. That’s very important for us. We had a very good response to our presentation. And we will surely come back again.”

Kirsten Eggers from Galerie König agrees: “We are incredibly pleased that we won the art KARLSRUHE prize for the best One-Artist Show with Annette Kelm’s solo presentation. We are all the more delighted that this prize is associated with a museum’s purchase. We met many of our collectors here and we also sold two works by Annette Kelm and Peter Dreher.”

A newcomer at art KARLSRUHE, Gad Edery from Galerie Gadcollection in Paris: “This is my first fair in Germany. I see plenty of terrific art here. We are in good surroundings. And, I must say, the German public is keenly interested in high-class photography. We were able to sell several photos to new customers and we reached a new audience. People from all over Germany, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland and even Argentina visited our stand.”

Strong presence for women artists in the halls and on the podium

Many galleries brought works by well-known women artists to Karlsruhe this year. Kunsthandel Dr. Nöth showed artworks by Lotte Laserstein, Galerie Friese from Berlin hung works by Franziska Holstein, Galerie Cyprian Brenner exhibited needle-felted sculptures by Stefanie Ehrenfried, and Helga Schmidhuber’s works were honoured with the Hans Platschek Prize for Art and Writing, which was awarded for the thirteenth time at this year’s fair.

The talks at art KARLSRUHE also brought women in the art market into sharper focus. In the SWR 2 Talk, Karin Kneffel described her path to art: “I do believe that it is more difficult to assert oneself as a woman. I had a belief in painting and then I came into Richter’s class, where everything was called into question. I wanted to look at the world with an open mind, so I consciously chose not to internalize the prohibitions that I saw coming towards me from outside.” In the ARTIMA art meeting, the sculptor Vera Röhm talked about art’s role, especially in the context of today’s societal discourse: “Female and male artists undoubtedly have a special responsibility. Our responsibility is to make artworks that offer an interpretation of this world and give people a chance to see the world from a different point of view.”

Agile contacts exist in Karlsruhe between the trade fair and the city. This cultural dialogue reaches its annual peak during art KARLSRUHE. The award of the title “UNESCO City of Media Arts” to the city of Karlsruhe at the end of 2019 confirms the commitment to art by both the trade fair and the city. Christiane Riedel, managing director of the ZKM (Centre for Art and Media), spoke about the award and the significance of media art in the Monopol Talks: “The ZKM wants to become the Prado of media art so that people can continue to benefit from our expertise, also 500 years from today. The ZKM is founded for the future: we convey the past into the future.”

The next art KARLSRUHE will take place from 25 to 28 February 2021 at Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre.

Insights into the Programmes of the Exhibitors

In addition to offering a broad spectrum of outstanding works of art from the past 120 years, the 210 exhibitors from fifteen countries will also create special focal points in the four exhibition halls.

A number of gallery owners have decided to bring artworks by important female artists of the 20th century to Karlsruhe. Although these women artists helped to write new chapters in art history, they were neglected for decades by museums and, in some cases, by the art trade. This applies, for example, to the painter Lotte Laserstein, whose works will be among those shown by the gallerist Dr. Michel Nöth (Ansbach), who is exhibiting at art KARLSRUHE for the first time, as well as to the sculptor Renée Sintenis, who is represented by Galerie Ludorff (Düsseldorf). Nöth and Ludorff, as well as Kunstkontor Dr. Doris Möllers (Münster), are among the exhibitors who will bring artworks by Gabriele Münter to this year’s fair. Galerie St. Gertrude (Hamburg) will present works by Hannah Höch. Varfok (Budapest) plans to show artworks by Francois Gillot. Creations by other female artists of the 20th century such as Tamara de Lempicka and Käthe Kollwitz will be shown at the stands of Eggerbauer (Cologne) and Koch-Westenhoff (Lübeck).

Many gallery owners are again emphasizing Classic Modern artworks, so this art-historical epoch will be strongly represented at the fair. None of the genre’s well-known artists will be missing. The Classic Modern roster begins with Lovis Corinth and Max Ernst. It continues with Pablo Picasso, whose works can be seen at the stands of no fewer than thirteen galleries and in a One-Artist-Show staged by Galerie Klaus Benden (Cologne). And the list of illustrious names culminates with Otto Dix, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Joan Miró. Internationally renowned galleries that specialize in Classic Modern art – for example, Cortina (Barcelona), Gilden’s Art Gallery (London) and Schwarzer (Düsseldorf) – will likewise bring superlative artworks to Karlsruhe.

Another spotlight will shine on artworks by members of the Zero movement. Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker will each be in the focal point for eight to ten exhibitors. Galerie Dorothea van der Koelen will dedicate a One-Artist-Show to Günther Uecker, who celebrates his ninetieth birthday this year.

Contemporary art of the highest quality will likewise be on display. This year’s fair features numerous contemporary American artists such as Christo, Alex Katz, Jeff Koons, Julian Schnabel, Cindy Sherman and Richard Serra.

Aficionados can also view creations by well-known Pop artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist and Tom Wesselmann. Seven galleries will show works by Andy Warhol.

Gerhard Richter’s paintings are again certain to attract collectors’ keenest interest. Works by this world-renowned German painter will be shown by half a dozen gallery owners, the majority of whom will come to Karlsruhe from the Rhineland, e.g. Bernd Bentler (Bonn) and Kunsthandlung Osper (Cologne). Galerie Hegau from Lake Constance is also bringing one of Richter’s artworks to Karlsruhe.

In addition to Gerhard Richter, many other well-known contemporary artists will likewise be represented. Their ranks include, for example, Georg Baselitz, Miriam Cahn, Katharina Grosse, Jürgen Klauke, Karin Kneffel, Imi Knoebel, Markus Lüpertz, Julian Opie, Neo Rauch, Anselm Reyle, Sean Scully and Daniel Spoerri.

The upcoming art KARLSRUHE will present an unprecedentedly large number of photographs, drawings, paintings and objects created by artists from other disciplines, e.g. musicians, actors and writers. Works by the musician and poet Bob Dylan, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016, will be on sale at Premium Modern Art (Heilbronn). Photographs by the comedian and cabaret artist Dieter Nuhr will be offered at Galerie Obrist (Essen). And photographic work by the world-famous jazz trombonist Till Brönner will be shown at the stand of Galerie Alexander Ochs Private (Berlin).

Foreign and domestic galleries

The heart of the fair is the programme of exhibiting galleries. This year’s list of exhibitors once again brings together galleries specialising in all genres from Classic Modern art to the latest Contemporary creations. Renowned galleries such as Ludorff (Düsseldorf), Friese (Berlin), Maulberger (Munich), Osper (Cologne), Rotermund (Hamburg), Schwarzer (Düsseldorf), Scheffel (Bad Homburg) and van der Koelen (Mainz) are among the German exhibitors. In addition, 47 foreign galleries further enrich this year’s programme with their multifaceted artistic positions. Among them are longstanding exhibitors such as Várfok (Budapest) and Gilden’s Art (London). Naturally, new exhibitors are also represented: for example, the Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery from London, which will be a guest in Karlsruhe for the first time. With eight galleries from Karlsruhe and over 43 others from Baden-Württemberg, the fair is also an important venue for galleries from the local region.

The diverse programmes of the selected galleries will be showing works by a large number of well-known artists at art KARLSRUHE. To name only a few, the artists range from Josef Albers and Salvador Dalí, through Otto Dix and Max Liebermann, to Pablo Picasso, Markus Lüpertz and Alex Katz. Works by young, up-and-coming artists will likewise be on display. Among these are the pictorial stories of Ambra Durante: born in 2000, Durante is a doubly talented artist who works in two genres. Visitors can also look forward to viewing animal sculptures by the Swiss artist Matthias Garff.

Insights into the oeuvres of individual artists

The fair’s programme promises plenty of excitement, and so too do the 180 One-Artist-Shows, which together comprise an exciting stroll through art history. Established masters of Art Informel such as Karl Otto Götz (Die Galerie, Frankfurt) will be part of this programme, as will contemporary artists, such as Elvira Bach (Galerie Art Affair, Regensburg). Works by international stars will likewise be shown at One-Artist-Shows in Karlsruhe: the exhibiting celebrities include Christo (Art Edition Fils, Düsseldorf), Bob Dylan (Premium Modern Art, Heilbronn) and Neo Rauch (Galerie Erik Bausmann, Halle). Enjoy art outdoors As always, art KARLSRUHE is again also dedicated to three-dimensional art. The two dozen Sculpture Areas in the exhibition halls are a unique feature of art KARLSRUHE. They alternate with the galleries’ stands, provide space for creativity, and offer sculptural surprises. Particular attention will also be paid this year to the sculpture garden, which is sponsored by the Vollack Group. In harmony with a catering offer, three-dimensional works of art can be experienced and enjoyed here in a summery atmosphere under the open sky. The new season is also artistically reflected inside