Art Cologne 2024: The Oldest Contemporary Art Fair, Still Going Strong

Pauline Loeb in front of the series by Lothar Quinte (1923-2000) showcased by Malte Uekermann Kunsthandel at ART COLOGNE 2024. Outfit by Soi Paris © artfairmag

I had only visited Art Cologne once before, in 2022, and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of its offering. As the oldest contemporary art fair—its first edition dating back to 1967—it’s far from outdated, quite the opposite! So, with great enthusiasm, I hopped on my train from Gare du Nord to attend its 57th edition, which brought together 175 galleries from 24 countries.

At Galerie Max Hetzler, a successful yet fairly conventional stand, one standout piece caught my eye: a surprising and even unsettling work by Berlin-based duo Elmgreen & Dragset. Titled The Touch, it featured a silicone male figure lying on a massage table, wearing nothing but a terry towel. I must admit, its realism was quite disturbing. I’m more used to seeing their lacquered bronze figures of children or groups of children interacting with technological tools at fairs.

Sticking with the well-established galleries, Karsten Greve—a must-visit gallery with locations in Cologne, Paris, St. Moritz, and Palma—offered its usual impeccable presentation: minimalist but highly effective! I particularly enjoyed the Weimar series by one of their star artists, Gideon Rubin, which was introduced to me by someone from the gallery (more on this below). However, it was a large painting by Qui Shihua, a Chinese artist known for his subtle monochrome landscapes, that truly captured my attention. The featured work, a white monochrome titled Ohne Titel and dated 2008, was an impressive triptych over six meters long.

Qui Shihua, Ohne Titel, 2008. Oil on canvas, 300 x 630 x 6 cm. Featured by Galerie Karsten Greve at Art Cologne 2024 © artfairmag

One of Art Cologne’s missions this year was to highlight underrepresented art scenes, particularly that of Turkey. Mission accomplished with the participation of five excellent Turkish galleries. Anna Laudel showcased the playful and cheeky pop works of Ardan Özmenoğlu and the stunning textile pieces by Belkis Balpınar. At Galeri Nev, visitors could admire the alchemical creations of Tayfun Erdoğmuş and the three-dimensional works of Nevin Aladağ. At Zilberman, I was intrigued by Kindly Ghosts by Itamar Gov and the message-bearing mirrors by Isaac Chong Wai. It was hard to miss the stand of Sevil Dolmacı Gallery, featuring Ekrem Yalçındağ’s vibrant circular artworks and Daniel Knorr’s flashy, crumpled sculptures. But my favorite was the stand of the excellent gallery Dirimart, which showcased the work of three very different yet complementary artists: Ayşe Erkmen with her minimalist monochromes, Nasan Tur with his textile pieces that balance aesthetics and deeper questioning, and, last but not least, Sarkis, a brilliant artist who dramatizes his black-and-white photographs with vibrant neon lights.

Dirimart’s booth at Art Cologne 2024 featuring Nasan Tur, Ayse Erkmen and Sarkis © Dirimart

Art Dealers Interviews

I kicked off my interviews with the gigantic, unmissable spinning ecstasy pill at André Schlechtriem’s booth. This artwork by Zuzanna Czebatul wasn’t as playful as it seemed. One side read “Reality,” the other “Embargo,” denouncing totalitarian systems in a striking way.

Next, I was drawn to an utterly unsettling piece at Galerie Gisela Clement’s stand: a silicone piglet lying in a maternity crib, created by Austrian artist Anouk Lamm Anouk. The hyper-realistic details—complete with real eyelashes and hair—provoked a visceral reaction, powerfully supporting the artist’s advocacy for animal rights.

At Galerie Karsten Greve, Christina-Marie Luemen gave me a detailed tour of Gideon Rubin’s Weimar series, a collection of small, haunting portraits. These were beautifully complemented by a larger painting by the same artist on the same wall: a faceless couple dressed in evening wear, steeped in Rubin’s signature ambiguity.

Over at Ron Mandos, I fell in love with a pair of Empty Chairs, a commemorative installation symbolizing the absence and memory of children lost to school violence. The piece drew inspiration from Malala Yousafzai’s moving speech at the United Nations.

And finally, who could resist the iconic 60s paper dress created for a Campbell’s Soup campaign in collaboration with Andy Warhol? Oliver Schaffer, from Galerie Benden & Ackermann, enthusiastically shared the fascinating story behind this vintage pop art gem.

How Much Does It Cost?

My selection blends painting and sculpture, abstract and figurative, featuring both well-established galleries and emerging ones. At the booth of the young New York gallery, I was captivated by Nell Brookfield’s canvas She Threw Up Her Heart, priced at $11,000. The vividly red, emaciated hands and the bird’s-eye perspective amplified the drama of the scene. At the blue-chip gallery Thaddaeus Ropac, it was a small statue by Antony Gormley that truly caught my eye. VICE, priced at £500,000, reimagined Rodin’s The Thinker with an extreme, minimalist twist. On the exterior wall of Sprüth Magers, a large canvas by Andreas Schulze was all the more enigmatic due to its title, Untitled, offering no clues about its meaning or message. It was available for €110,000—provided you had a wall at least 350 cm wide to display it. Finally, at Christine König Galerie, I found the perfect addition to the bathroom theme started with Nell Brookfield: a fantastic painting by Kristof Santy, depicting a pink sink against colorful tiles, priced at €220,000.

My visit confirmed the excellent impression I had from my previous experience, and I can confidently place Art Cologne in my top 5 European art fairs! Can’t wait for next year.