Art Cologne & More

Photo courtesy Koelnmesse

Eduardo Chillida, "Lurra" (1983)

Photo courtesy Sprüth Magers

Karen Kilimnik, "The fortune Teller's view, my house in France in charming village" (2004)

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At off times, the show seemed almost empty, though business still moved along swimmingly. The reason for the frequently empty halls was that most visitors were attempting to take in everything around Cologne, including a few piggybacker shows (Liste Köln—no relation to Basel’s Liste—and Tease Art Fair), nearby Art Brussels (April 20–23) and the inaugural version of dc düsseldorf contemporary (April 19–21).

This writer instantly picked up the sense of rivalry that Cologne felt toward its new competitor from Düsseldorf. The issues went beyond fair politics, to a historic division between the two cities (one Cologne resident told me that his city was known for its laid-back nature, while Düsseldorf saw itself as glamorous and superior). But Art Cologne, now in its 41st year, was definitely coming out with all the stops, filling up their agenda with VIP events and special exhibitions. Still the real draw remained what it’s always been: the wide range of modern and contemporary art on view, supplied this year by 160 dealers.

From Booth to Booth

Spread out over four separate halls, which were linked by fun, little pit stops (including a much-needed juice bar), Art Cologne was bursting with treasures for most art-world tastes. A more classical section contained German Expressionism, a sprinkling of Surrealism and some more recent work, including a stunning white marble Botero sculpture of a woman and a bird, from Manuel Barbié of Barcelona, priced at €280,000, and Matisse’s Paysage des environs de Toulouse (1898–99), which Salis & Vertes of Salzburg and St. Moritz sold for around €300,000.

The more contemporary areas of the fair drew a significantly younger crowd, with a smattering of interesting works. Cologne gallery Sprüth Magers featured a small installation of soft but spooky Karen Kilimnik landscapes (ranging from €70,000 to €130,000); they were arranged between rented 1920s chandeliers to add to their kitsch appeal.

Christian Nagel, of Cologne and Berlin, opened his booth with Michael Beutler’s Outdoor Yellow (2004, €20,000), a massive sculpture of interlocking pieces, and Martha Rosler’s early 1980s photographs of a nightmarish, Stepford-wife window display (€25,000). Nagel also featured Heimo Zobernig’s installation of large steel balls set on grass in the fair’s “Open Spaces” area, which surrounded a lounge area featuring a hanging neon Keith Sonnier sculpture, from Häusler Contemporary of Munich.

Rosenfeld Gallery of Tel Aviv caught eyes with Hitler’s Hunter Room by Boaz Arad from 2007. The work depicted a “skin” of the Führer surrounded by canvases of swastikas, all priced at €35,000. According to director Zaki Rosenfeld, “Ninety percent of people who walk by photographed it.” He added that three newspapers had already published the image in their fair coverage. A canvas by Israeli artist Zoya Cherkassky, from her “Action Painting” series, showing terrorists running amuck in an On Kawara exhibition, was under negotiation for €18,000.

In the fair’s final days, many works seemed unsold, probably due to the notoriously deliberate nature of German collectors. “This isn’t a rush fair. People really think about the works,” said Cologne-born New York dealer André Schlechtriem, who had already sold five of Berlin artist Ralf Ziervogel’s delicate but grotesque drawings, priced from €1,000 to €22,000, to German collectors.

Other precious finds included sculptures covered with a weave of string by the Russian twin artists Maria and Natalia Petschatnikov, at Berlin’s Galerie Herrmann + Wagner. A bobble-head dog edition sold like hotcakes at €350 a pop, while a French garden still-life installation was waiting to be picked up for €15,000. Art Seasons, a gallery with branches in Singapore, Beijing, Jakarta and Zurich, had a large gorgeous painting by Chinese artist Luo Qing, Bath (2006), of a bashful man, for €4,500. And Galerie Altxerri of San Sebastian offered Lurra (1983), a precious little ceramic piece by Eduardo Chillida, for €105,000, which attracted a lot of interest.