Art in a suitcase: 88 galleries impress at Art Cologne Palma Mallorca

The participating galleries often brought their own art instead of organizing expensive transport. And these are mainly pictures – works that usually sell best at trade fairs. Caution therefore prevails in a financially difficult phase for galleries, which are offered an additional format with Art Cologne Palma Mallorca. In the Palau de Congressos directly on the beach, which looks like a late salute to brutalist architecture.

Everyone plays along

Inside, however, it is a bright, spacious building in which, for the first time, 88 galleries from 20 countries have set up their stands. The entrance is marked by a marble sculpture by Joan Costa, reminiscent of a slender, trimmed tree. But Daniel Hug already has plans for the coming year: a hedge as a border to the sidewalk, behind which an entire sculpture park will unfold.

But first the director of Art Cologne as well as Art Cologne Palma Mallorca has to make the current fair a success. He does this in good humor and optimism, and both for good reason. The weather, the atmosphere in the congress center, the Mallorcan gallery association Art Palma Contemporani – they all play along and help the Cologne trade fair offshoot to have a promising appearance.

Desire for other tourism

There is no comparison with 2007, when Hug’s predecessor at Art Cologne held a similar event in a hangar at Palma airport. After one edition it was over, and after that there was no talk of a trade fair in the Balearic Islands for two decades. But Mallorca, says Hug, has changed: there are more renowned galleries on the island, the local association and public funding. And the explicit desire for a new quality of tourism.

Hug turns it into an exciting mix. Stands are available from twelve square meters and have two different starting prices, depending on the age of the galleries. The trade fair director is relying on a young generation as well as on Mallorca pioneer Jule Kewenig, whose stand has a painting by Anselm Kiefer for 1.3 million euros. The offer from Galerie Mountains from Berlin starts at 1,300 euros and manages to provide a cross-section of its program in a small space – from the surreal fantasies of Monika Maurer-Morgenstern, born in 1942 (2,800 euros) to the work of David Medalla (31,000 euros), whose estate the gallery looks after.

A small format by Neo Rauch

Other participants such as Deborah Schamoni with Judith Hopf opted for solo shows. The moderate prices per square meter also allow this. The Galería Rafael Pérez Hernando came from Madrid and represents, among others, the Cologne artist Regine Schumann with her minimalist light objects made of acrylic glass. A dozen of them hang at Hernando, with prices between 3,700 and 35,000 euros; a medium-sized one was already sold before the opening.

Judy Lybke, the owner of the Eigen + Art gallery (Leipzig/Berlin), also did good PR in advance. A painting by Uwe Kowski (22,000-36,000 euros) and two pictures by the Frenchman Marc Desgrandchamps at 5,000 euros each are sold at the beginning. Lybke, who regularly takes part in the Art Basel fairs and is therefore one of the most prominent gallery owners at Art Cologne Palma Mallorca, ranges his offerings from the young artist Maja Behrmann and her pink fountain that spews a chain instead of water (8000 euros) to the small format by Neo Rauch from 2011, the price of which can be found out on request.

The Bastian Gallery, also represented at Art Basel Hong Kong as well as Tefaf and Art Cologne, shows ceramics by Picasso that were created after 1950. Aeneas Bastian is asking 420,000 euros for a complete, 20-piece set of his “Visage” plates, others are available from 500 euros and some are sold after the opening day.

Silver plants

The Hilgemann Gallery is putting on a double show by the sculptor Ewerdt Hilgemann, the gallerist’s father, and paintings by Jan Smejkal. Kai Hilgemann made his first appearance with both at the Art Cologne in Cologne decades ago: the renewed combination is seen as a conceptual gesture. Other stands rely on the orchestrated interaction of the artists they represent. The Galerie Kornfeld from Berlin stands out here with its carefully curated stand, and Nagel/Draxler (Berlin/Cologne/Meseberg) also sees the area as an exhibition space in which paintings by Teresa Kutala Firmino meet the silver, springy plant sculptures by Toshihiko Mitsuya; the latter cost a friendly 1300 euros.

The new trade fair, which cannot yet assess its audience, benefits from such price structures. Nevertheless, galleries such as GAA and Palo from New York have set up, Kendall Koppe (Glasgow), Longtermhandstand from Budapest and Workplace (London/Newcastle) are also taking part, they have all opted for modest appearances and a focused offer.

2027 has already been decided

An alternative is offered by collaborative stands, which include Van Horn from Düsseldorf and the exclusive jewelry maker Georg Hornemann, both of which show Jan Albers: Van Horn with an orange relief like a lunar landscape (36,000 euros), Hornemann with an individual ring that rests on a sculpture and costs the same.

In addition to art dealers like Dierking from Zurich, who are showing their classic program and a private collection with works by Kuno Gonschior in two stands, Daniel Hug has also invited Henri Neuendorf, who works as an art dealer in New York. Without rooms and represented in Palma with art by AR Penck and Jörg Immendorff.

A well-rounded program. Hug says he asked around 350 galleries in advance of Art Cologne Palma Mallorca. Half dismissed the idea. It has been decided that the trade fair will take place again in 2027. Interest will definitely be different after this premiere.