“The atmosphere at Art Forum is relaxed but concentrated. Professional people do not seem to be in such a rush, the way they maybe are at other fairs. A lot of things happen around the fair, too: you have the opportunity to bring people to the galleries, and to organize studio visits as well. It seems to be less about the big sales and more about discovering new work.” Sebastian Klemm, Klemm’s, Berlin. Exhibiting work by Gwenneth Boelens and Falk Haberkorn. Second year at Art Forum; also participating in ABC.
When October 7-10 (12:00-19:00)
Where Messe Berlin Exhibition Grounds, Halls 18-20, Palais am Funkturm, Hammarskjöldplatz, Charlottenburg, S-Bhf Messe Nord, Tel 030 3038 2076
How much €18/€12
Background Berlin’s oldest art fair, Art Forum, was started in 1995 by Berlin-based Russian gallery owner Volker Diehl as a local version of 41-year-old Art Basel. Art Forum was taken over by Basel organizers Peter Vetsch and Eva-Maria Häusler in 2009.
In a nutshell The city’s largest, most established art fair shows work made after 1960. Recognized international galleries make up the majority of exhibitors, but there are also sections for art associations, magazines and galleries younger than six years; more than 50 percent of participating organisations come from outside Germany. At 16:30 and 17:30 every day, the fair also holds talks about art collecting and exhibiting by leading figures in the international museum and collector scene.
New this year The number of exhibiting galleries has dropped from 130 to 110. Sector Focus, the ‘young’ galleries section, has been integrated into the main exhibition space, and the fair will include 19 gallery-curated solo shows.
The vibe Put on by the Messe itself with corporate sponsors like Audi, AXA Art Insurance and Mobel-One Hotel, Art Forum is an institutional art fair that just happens to be in scruffy Berlin. In fact, once you enter the white halls of the city’s largest convention center, you’ll forget where you are.
Rules of the game Out of 300 applications, 84 established galleries and 13 founded in the last 6 years (Sector Focus galleries) were accepted for the 2010 fair. Then, each Sector Focus gallery chose an exhibition ‘partner’ (i.e. another gallery) for inclusion.
The numbers 11,000sqm / 110 international galleries / 40,000 visitors (2009)
