Art Cologne - Contemporary art Fair 2023

We take you to ART COLOGNE 2023, the leading art fair in Germany. We introduce you to some of the galleries. Sculptures, paintings or installations by artists from all over the world. Join us at the world's first art fair to showcase contemporary art, conceptual works, American pop art and much more in the halls of the Kölnmesse.

General facts and figures about Art Cologne Exhibition 2023 at Kölnmesse

ART COLOGNE, the world's oldest contemporary art fair for contemporary art, has given the right input with its decision to always hold this fair in November in future. From November 16 to 19, 2023, fair director Daniel Hug was delighted to welcome back renowned international galleries. At the first event in September 1967, which was launched as the Cologne Art Market by gallery owners Hein Stünke and Rudolf Zwirner, 18 galleries exhibited. More recently, there have been almost 200 participating galleries. These included many internationally renowned galleries such as Galerie Peter Kilchmann from Zurich and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery from Sydney. Austrian galleries were also strongly represented in 2023, including the international gallery Thaddaeus Ropac (Salzburg/Paris/London/Seoul), which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023. Anna Laudel, who now also has a branch in Düsseldorf in addition to her gallery in Istanbul, and the suns.works gallery from Zurich, which presented the Jamaican artist Lee "Scratch" Perry in the COLLABORATIONS sector, were represented at ART COLOGNE for the first time. Discover more in exclusive Art Cologne 2023 Videos!

LBBW special exhibition with selected works from acquisitions from 2018 to 2023

A special show by LBBW (Landesbank Baden-Württemberg) presented selected works from the acquisitions from 2018 to 2023 that deal with the topicality and significance of the past in the present. Installations by Franz Ackermann such as Helicopter No. 21 or Henrike Naumann's "Fun 2000" were presented. Simon Herkner dealt with the historical scene of Verdun, Tobias Zielony documented youth cultures of the post-reunification period in East and West Germany. ZADIK, the Central Archive for German and International Art Market Research, was dedicated to the mediation work of gallery owner Barbara Gross, whose work went beyond trends and put the museum's appreciation of artists before their commercial success.

Booksellers and publishers honored for special achievements in art education

On the occasion of the 2023 art fair, a bookseller and publisher was honored for special achievements in art education for the first time. The life's work of publisher Walter König comprises over 4,000 exhibition catalogs, monographs, illustrated books and publications on the aesthetics and theory of fine art, architecture and photography. Walter König founded his publishing house bookshop during the student revolts of 1968. He has an unparalleled insight into the entire art world and transports it to the outside world. In addition to his constantly updated book stand at ART COLOGNE, he is present with art bookshops and museum stores in all major German cities.

Art Cologne 2023 with 170 galleries and 45,000 visitors

In 2023, visitors were also able to join one-hour public guided tours, the so-called PUBLIC ARTtours, which were also offered in a modified version especially for children. A wide-ranging Talks program with interesting topics and dedicated moderators rounded off the offerings at Art Cologne 2023. The results after 4 days of the fair are impressive: 45,000 visitors flocked to the exhibition grounds, even though the number of exhibitors, at 170 galleries, was down slightly on many a previous year.