Kobel's
Art Weekly

Kobel's Art Weekly 38 2026

Almost everyone is delighted that Vienna has, after all, managed to organise a top-class art fair in the form of the Astoria Art Show. The event has even made it into the tabloid press. Oe24 writes: “A particular highlight of the fair was the Astoria Artnight, an exclusive evening event. The Viennese art scene celebrated together with numerous guests from Austria and abroad across several floors.” Eva Komarek expresses her enthusiasm in Vienna’s Presse (paywall): “That leaves the third question: funding. For the inaugural event, the participation fees of between 500 and 2,500 euros, depending on the gallery’s turnover, were very attractive. This is precisely where one of the structural problems of the international art fair business lies: professional infrastructure costs money, whilst rising stand prices, in turn, make participation difficult for those medium-sized and smaller galleries that are vital to the diversity of a fair. At least they have managed to secure stronger support from the public sector. The City of Vienna has funded an art fair for the very first time. And as [gallery owner Markus] Peichl emphasises, there is a firm commitment for 2027. The Astoria Artshow has been a major success. Together with ‘Parallel’, which positions itself more as a festival than a traditional art fair, and the gallery festival ‘Curated by’, this could give rise to an art week that would once again make it worthwhile to come to Vienna, even from abroad.” Michael Huber explains the fair’s pricing model in the Kurier (paywall): “Exhibitors were asked to present just one artist at a time, showcasing exceptional works, which is a benefit from the public’s perspective. Whether this also translates into financial success is, of course, another matter. At the Astoria Artshow, commercial pressure is alleviated by a ‘solidarity-based contribution model’, as co-initiator Maximilian Thoman explains: galleries that generate higher turnover over the course of the year pay more than those with lower sales volumes.” Olga Kronsteiner, writing for the Standard, finds a fly in the ointment: “Following a paean of praise for the supporters – namely Wien Holding, the Vienna Business Agency, the City of Vienna’s Department of Culture (MA 7) and the Ministry of Culture – the STANDARD’s enquiry regarding the amount of funding was brusquely rejected at the press conference. Taxpayers’ money? That’s nobody’s business, they said; one could read about it in some financial reports or other. [...] Whether Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ), who cancelled his official ‘welcome address’ at short notice (‘due to scheduling conflicts’), has a cash cow hidden away in his office must remain a matter of speculation.” Yes, it is quite common for public bodies’ expenditure to be “set out in some financial reports”. I visited the fair on behalf of Artmagazine.

Parallel, which originally started out as a rather improvised satellite event, is becoming more professional, notes Katharina Rustler in Der Standard: “Yes, the unpredictable and sometimes somewhat run-down spaces of the temporarily repurposed pavilions do present hurdles for some exhibitors and galleries. Although many appreciate precisely that about Parallel. Year on year, however, the fair is becoming more professional and polished. You can tell how much effort most exhibitors and artists put in.” Werner Remm describes, amongst other things, what this professionalisation looks like in Artmagazine: “However, anyone who first enters the Art Nouveau theatre closest to the entrance to the site may pause for a moment: white walls with classic exhibition stand design don’t really fit with Parallel’s image. Whilst the Art Nouveau Theatre served as a venue for performances and group shows in previous editions, some of Austria’s best-known galleries have now taken up residence there and are mostly showcasing solo exhibitions by younger artists.”

Katharina Rustler presents the programme for the Viennese gallery festival ‘Curated by’ in the Standard. An article by APA explains the funding model: “As they do every autumn, 24 Viennese galleries are once again inviting international curators to explore the chosen annual theme through an exhibition. Each gallery has a budget of 9,000 euros at its disposal for this purpose, with 6,000 earmarked for the production of the respective exhibition, said Attilia Fattori Franchini, who serves as co-director of ‘Curated by’ alongside Christina Linher.”

Positions is Berlin’s only remaining art fair of any note. Michaela Nolte visited the event, which runs alongside Berlin Art Week, for the Tagesspiegel (possibly behind a paywall): “With the return to two hangars, the Positions directors Kristian Jarmuschek and Heinrich Carstens have programmatically streamlined the exhibition concept for the 13th edition. This suits the fair very well. Hangar 6, where booths are arranged in a somewhat austere but clearly organised row, is reserved for the galleries, whilst the special exhibitions and Fashion Positions in Hangar 5 provide emerging artists with a grand showcase within a more relaxed and atmospheric exhibition layout. A new addition is ‘Design Positions’. Ferial Nadja Karrasch was reporting for Monopol: “Alongside the country-specific focus, ‘Positions’ has once again set itself the goal this year of promoting the next generation. This means that the fair aims to enable both young artists and young collectors to enter the art market. To this end, three different formats are available in Hangar 5: the special exhibition ‘Selected Positions’ showcases works that, with a price cap of 2,500 euros, are intended to be affordable even on a tighter budget. ‘Daisies’ is an exhibition – and, in a sense, a multi-generational project – taken over from the Spinnerei Galleries in Leipzig: Nine established ‘residents’ of the industrial-cultural site, including the Eigen + Art Gallery and the Jochen Hempel Gallery, are showcasing newcomers selected by young curators. And finally, the ‘Academy Positions’ once again feature graduates and students from German art academies.” Perhaps one day even the established Berlin galleries will take the event seriously. Niklas Maak takes a tour of Berlin’s galleries for the FAZ.

Ursula Scheer took a look around the Brussels gallery weekend ‘Rendezvous’ for the FAZ: “A number of the current gallery exhibitions in Brussels exude melancholy, yet the art week itself is brimming with exuberant joie de vivre: Re-established only last year by curators Laure Decock and Evelyn Simons following the end of the former Brussels Gallery Weekend under the title ‘RendezVous’, Brussels Art Week demonstrates just how vibrant the city’s art scene is.”

The list of exhibitors for Art Cologne has been published, reports Monopol: “47 exhibitors are taking part for the first time or returning after a long absence. Among the newcomers and returnees are ABC from Budapest, Continua with locations in several countries, Bärbel Grässlin from Frankfurt, Linn Lühn from Düsseldorf, Mennour from Paris, Nino Mier from New York, Pelaires from Palma, PSM and Wentrup from Berlin, Nikolaus Ruzicska from Salzburg, and Secci from Milan.” 104 of the 164 galleries are from Germany, twelve from Austria and eight from Switzerland, with some galleries operating from multiple locations. Berlin accounts for 33 exhibitors, more than Cologne’s 27.

Elisa Carollo is convinced, in the Observer, that Tokyo Gendai benefits from a stable domestic market: “Looking at the broader context, Tokyo Gendai takes place in a Japan that has benefited from considerable political and economic stability, which has in turn contributed to collector confidence, according to director Eri Takane. At the same time, the Japanese art market is underpinned by a culture of collecting that has developed over decades and is driven more by passion than speculation, having already experienced the consequences of an earlier bubble. “We have had around 50 years of history in the gallery business in Japan,” she said. “I think the collectors are not really investors. They’re buying out of passion.” That has helped shield the market from the trend-driven bubbles seen elsewhere.”

The auction house Bonhams has set up a voluntary resale rights programme in collaboration with the musicians Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, reports Carlie Porterfield in the The Art Newspaper (maybe paywall): “Participants can opt in to commit a minimum of 1 per cent of the hammer price or $500 from the consignor, whichever is greater. The auction house will match the percentage of the contribution in the hope that other auction houses and secondary art market businesses might adopt similar measures. Bonhams has not estimated or projected what the programme will cost the auction house.”

John Scott Lewinski, writing for the Observer, attempts to explore why New York’s art calendar follows Europe’s lead: “With the increasing globalisation of the art world, New York’s alignment with international cultural calendars should come as no surprise. London launches its strongest programme in September and October. Paris experiences an annual resurgence with autumn exhibitions coinciding with major international events that attract global attention. Berlin’s season gains momentum after the summer with museum openings and gallery weekends. Finally, Milan and Madrid unveil important exhibitions in the autumn.”

Hikmat Mohammed and Maximilíano Durón report in Artnews on the theft of two paintings from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, in the south of France: “In their haste, the two suspects abandoned two of the four paintings, according to BFM TV, but managed to escape with two artworks, estimated to be worth €9 million ($10.5 million). The museum’s alarm system went off at 5.48 am (local time), with police reportedly arriving on site within five minutes. […] “Today’s theft of four Renoir works,” said James Ratcliffe, director of recoveries and general counsel at the Art Loss Register, “is a useful, if sad, reminder that museum security is a complex area and that just as museums have been adapting to the increased targeting of objects made of precious metals and gemstones for their commodity value, they must also remain alert to the risk of more traditional art theft.” Security is all well and good, but it costs a lot of money. And that money tends to go towards prestige projects instead. There’s no glory in prevention.

For artists’ estates, there is a little-known point of contact, which Udo Badelt introduces in the Tagesspiegel: “You can get a good overview of the diversity at the Federal Association of Artists’ Estates, based on Markgrafendamm in Friedrichshain, a lobby organisation dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage. “Artists’ estates are often of great significance to urban, regional and art history. They strengthen cultural identity,” says Silvia Köhler, a member of the association’s executive board. The association does not have its own archives or storage facilities. It sees itself primarily as a facilitator. If a painter or graphic artist has passed away and the heirs do not know what to do with the estate, they can contact the association. It puts them in touch with local contacts in the federal states.”

Sarah Alberti has been awarded the ADKV Art Cologne Prize for Art Criticism, reports Monopol. Congratulations!