art KARLSRUHE 2024: The Advisory Board Has Chosen 170 Galleries From 13 Countries
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.”
