A decade ago, the Cologne dealers Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers merged their businesses and created a powerhouse on the European art scene. Serving as a primary gallery for some of the world’s most important artists — including the German photographers Andreas Gursky and Thomas Demand and the American artists Cindy Sherman and Jenny Holzer — Sprüth Magers symbolized Cologne’s importance as an art center.

Now, by relocating its flagship to Berlin, Sprüth Magers is a symbol of Berlin’s ascendancy. (The two dealers also have a London branch, opened two years ago.) The space, consisting of several exhibition areas on two floors, is right in the heart of the Mitte district, once the red-hot center of the German capital’s expanding art scene and now a quarter that mixes the cutting-edge with the more mainstream. The inaugural show, held in October, featured sculptures by the local Dresden-born artist Thomas Scheibitz, known for his colorful assemblages. Through the end of January, the space is presenting a new installation by the Swiss conceptual artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss and a video by the American artist Karen Kilimnik.

Although Berlin is home to world-class artists and galleries, it still lacks collectors. This doesn’t concern Sprüth, who greets the many younger artists coming by on a regular basis. As she puts it, "The main reason we came here is because more people will see the shows."

"Paradigm Shift" originally appeared in the January 2009 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's January 2009 Table of Contents.