Kobel's
Art Weekly

Kobel's Art Weekly 37 2026

Georg Imdahl’s report on the dc open in the FAZ of 5 September is less a round-up and more an assessment of the Rhineland art scene based on a few examples: “Another Cologne gallery owner has already thrown in the towel after just a few months and handed over his premises – previously used by his colleague Jan Kaps – to the Berlin gallery Dittrich & Schlechtriem. The gallery is among the participants this weekend at the 18th dc open, where fifty galleries from Düsseldorf and Cologne are opening their exhibitions. André Schlechtriem, a native of Troisdorf and therefore a Cologne native, has recently downsized his premises in Berlin, thereby freeing up resources to launch a venture on the Rhine. There, he tells the F.A.Z., he can count on the “most wonderful and loyal” collectors alongside those from the United States. In any case, fewer and fewer prospective buyers have been coming to the German capital in recent years; he is still linked to Cologne through his grandmother’s memories of Art Cologne in its heyday. Schlechtriem would like to see the fair develop a sharper profile.” Boris Pofalla’s review for the WeLT is rather brief: “The fact that such a coincidence is possible is down to the format of DC Open: around 50 galleries in Düsseldorf and Cologne are opening their new exhibitions simultaneously this weekend, complemented by ten off-spaces as well as a programme organised by museums, art associations and foundations in both cities. What once began as a manageable tour of the Rhineland has long since become a model of success.” I was in the Rhineland for Monopol.

Ursula Scheer presents the openings of the Frankfurt Art Experience in the FAZ (paywall): “Anyone who does not routinely sell art that, at prices running into the millions, enhances the portfolios of but instead carries out cultural development work from the grassroots right up to the mid-market segment, not only has to contend with rising costs, changing city centres and a reluctance to invest in economically uncertain times, but must now also work hard to attract the attention of potential customers. The joint seasonal launch by Frankfurt’s galleries from 4 to 6 September demonstrates the efforts being made to attract the now increasingly rare walk-in customers, even if only for a window-shopping spree. Gallery Weekend, which has been organised for several years by the Frankfurt Art Experience platform, boasts no fewer than 50 exhibition openings, including ten in off-spaces and three in art foundations.”

Vivienne Chow, reporting from Frieze Seoul and Kiaf, tells Artnews that spirits remain high despite subdued sales: “The slow first-day sales, however, have not dampened the trade’s confidence in the Asian cultural powerhouse. Gone are the partygoers, spectators and speculators. The emergence of next-generation art connoisseurs and a vibrant local art ecosystem have convinced some industry veterans to adopt a more holistic, long-term approach to the market as they bet on the future.” In the The Art Newspaper (possibly paywall), the same author describes the state of the art market: “But this is not a decline, according to industry insiders, who view it as a necessary correction towards a more mature, diversified and sustainable ecosystem that forms part of a wider Asian context. ‘The Korean art market is now a destination in Asia for international galleries to stage exhibitions and operate spaces,’ says Hong Kong-based Yuki Terase, founding partner of art consultancy Art Intelligence Global. “It is also a sign of maturity for Asia, which can afford to have a number of fairs operating. It is not about one city replacing another; it is an expansion.”“ There is no shortage of interest among younger generations in Korea, so further art fairs could well stand a chance, believes Elisa Carollo in the Observer: “Does the world need yet another art fair? It’s a question that comes up whenever another one is announced. But the discussion changes when it comes to dealer-run alternative events created to address specific gaps in the fair system whilst eliminating entry barriers and fostering more fluid exchanges. This was the case for PAVILION, which, after Taipei and Hong Kong, has launched its first edition in Seoul. [...] But does Seoul need it? Given the abundance of local talent, particularly amongst emerging artists, and the growing demand for cultural experiences, especially amongst younger audiences, it would appear so. According to government data, 77 per cent of Koreans in their 20s attended at least one cultural or arts event in 2025, compared with 70.8 per cent of people in their 30s and 57.7 per cent of the population as a whole. Among people aged 60 and over, the rate was only 31.6 per cent.”

Sotheby’s has led the way, and others are following suit, reports Brian Boucher in Artnews: “At Christie’s, effective 1 September, the auction house is charging 28 per cent of the hammer price of each lot up to and including £1.5 million or $2 million; 22 per cent of the hammer price from £1.5 million or $2 million up to and including £6 million or $8 million; and 15 per cent of the hammer price above that threshold. The changes affect all departments except wine and were introduced “following an internal business review”, according to a press statement sent to ARTnews. [...] Bonhams is also raising its fees, with the changes taking effect on 1 October. All sale categories, except wine and whisky, coins and medals, and cars and motorbikes, will be affected by the first changes to the structure since 2023.”

Hikmat Mohammed, Daniel Cassady and Sarah Douglas at Artnews interpret the personnel changes at Phillips as a sign that the owners are pursuing a different strategy to that of simply aiming to be number three behind Christie’s and Sotheby’s: “There are some clues. Watches are performing extremely well. Prints and multiples are strong. Its e-commerce platform, Dropshop, has just collaborated with Cj Hendry on a third collection comprising a deck of 52 trading cards. Photography is another well-established Phillips business. Those departments do not require the same kind of guarantees as chasing a $30 million painting. [...] One source said that in future, Phillips could focus on areas where it already has an edge, keep costs down, and stop trying to compete with Christie’s and Sotheby’s for every high-profile lot.”

Shortly before stepping down as head of Phillips’ Hong Kong branch, Jonathan Crockett spoke to Hok-Hang Cheung of Artnews about, amongst other things, the local market: “Hong Kong has bounced back. Certain categories have performed extremely well: luxury watches in particular, as well as traditional Chinese art, whether ceramics or paintings. We have a presence in watches, so we’ve benefited from that interest, whilst other auction houses with fully-fledged Chinese art departments have benefited from the recent resurgence of interest in that sector. At Art Basel Hong Kong this year, some galleries were selling works for many millions of US dollars, and we continue to see works at that price point sold at auction, so the demand is still there. But it’s definitely lower than before, and the market has responded differently. Instead of fewer high-value lots, we’re seeing record numbers of lots offered, albeit at a much lower price point.”

Taiwan’s galleries are increasingly turning away from mainland China and towards the West, as Hok-Chang Cheun also observes for the Observer: “Coupled with geographical proximity, a shared language and China’s emergence as the world’s third-largest art market, the mainland long served as the primary growth destination. Today, however, a younger, internationally minded cohort of art professionals, shaped by their own diaspora experience, is pursuing global integration over regional consolidation. In July, for example, Taipei-based PALM Gallery opened its new premises at 48 Rue Chapon in Paris’s Le Marais district. The opening follows similar moves by Nunu Hung of NuNu Fine Art, which opened in New York in 2023, and Bluerider ART, which opened in London’s Mayfair in 2023 before expanding to Palm Beach in 2025.”

Encouraging young people – and indeed anyone on a tight budget – to buy art is one way of getting the art market moving again, believes Naomi Rea, who outlines a number of initiatives in the Financial Times (possibly behind a paywall): “Le Conte is part of a new generation of creatives trying to make collecting more accessible. She joins a landscape of long-standing efforts such as the Art Car Boot Fair, a much-loved twice-yearly event that merges the concepts of a stuffy art fair with the British tradition of the car boot sale. Artists set up tables to sell their wares, and haggling and bartering are welcome negotiating tactics.”

Christiane Vielhaber provides an insight into the process of clearing the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne by a well-known art transport firm in the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger: “The last painting – which, naturally, was also due to the painter’s fame and the dramatic staging – was taken down at the Wallraf on Monday and packed away during a photo shoot. What had been happening in the museum for weeks prior to that had taken place behind closed doors, primarily for insurance reasons. After all, priceless treasures were being moved at the Wallraf.”