Kobel's Art Weekly

Kobel's Art Weekly 1 2025

The second half of the year was marked by Art Basel Paris' triumphant entry into the Grand Palais. But the second part of this review has even more to offer.

Tokyo Gendai was not a roaring success in its second edition either, observes Sarah Douglas in mid-July for Artnews: “While some have hoped that a weak yen right now might encourage foreign collectors to travel, as ARTnews Karen K. Ho reported earlier this week, there was not a large contingent of collectors from the United States or Europe. However, that's not really this fair's brief. [Director Magnus] Renfrew is more focussed on attracting collectors from the region. He did, however, say, ‘In an ideal world, we would want to be able to attract a wider audience from around the world, and I think that there could be the potential to do that.”

I researched the stand prices at art fairs for the new industry newsletter WELTKUNST Insider (yet without paywall).

Die CHART Art Fair in Copenhagen can be imagined similar to the former Open Space in Cologne, without booths and partitions, explains Georg Imdahl in early September in the FAZ: "It looks more like a group show, with up to three galleries sharing a room at times, so that the works of around 150 artists can sometimes only be recognised at second glance. A community spirit that is truly invoked in Copenhagen fits in with this: A positive atmosphere, as the Copenhagen fair teaches us, can also be marketed as a factor, and if you have experienced the gallery owners at long tables in the courtyard over dinner on the evening before the opening, this spirit certainly seems credible. CHART thus presents itself as a vital regional fair, albeit with a noticeable qualitative gap and works that almost completely exclude video and new technology."

I covered the Art-o-rama art fair in Marseille for Tagesspiegel and Artmagazine.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Armory in New York, Martha Schwendener poses the following question in the New York Times: "What do art fairs offer at this moment? Have they passed their due date? Can they assert their relevance? The current edition of the Armory has approximately 235 exhibitors from 30 countries but stresses its New York roots. Along with global appeal, it's also trying to recruit new art collectors from cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, and it has hired some storied local curators to organise various sections." The Armory is now part of the same group as the Frieze fairs, which leads to an intercontinental collision, remarks Barbara Kutscher in the Handelsblatt.

In her report on the Frieze and Kiaf fairs in the FAZ, Gina Thomas also points out the change in collectors in Korea: “The strikingly young demographic of the VIP audience on the opening day of the fair confirms that a generational shift is taking place. The new target audience are the children and grandchildren of wealthy entrepreneurs who grew up without Japanese occupation, war and dictatorship, and representatives of Generations Z and Y who have become wealthy in the technology sector or finance themselves. However, they still have to prove their willingness to spend large sums on art.” However, sales were probably rather sluggish, according to Andrew Russeth from Artnet.

After more than a year of vacancy, Tefaf has a new Managing Director in Dominique Savelkoul, reports Kabir Jhala in The Art Newspaper: “She is the fifth director of Tefaf in four years and arrives after a period of controversy at the fair brand.”

In the FAZ, Nicole Scheyerer draws a positive conclusion from Viennacontemporary and Particolare: “The traditional focus on Eastern and Southeastern European art markets is less pronounced at this year's Viennacontemporary. [...] Overall, Viennacontemporary is likely to sail into calmer waters again after some turbulent years. In any case, it is not failing because of the Particolare: according to reports, the new competition has brought its own collectors from Dubai and elsewhere, which is more likely to bring Viennacontemporary more audience than to detract attention from it.”

Gina Thomas visited the Biennale Internazionale dell'Antiquariato di Firenze for the FAZ: “The Biennale bills itself as the world's most important trade fair for Italian art. And, after all, as its secretary-general Fabrizio Moretti proclaims with a mixture of stylised arrogance and provocative irony, it is the best in the world. Moretti is a native of Florence who trades in old Italian masters in London and Monte Carlo. He strikes a confident note at a time when there is speculation that the market for old art is doomed due to a lack of goods coming onto the market and a dwindling connoisseurship. At the opening of the Biennale, there was no sign of any of this. In the frescoed rooms of the Palazzo, exhibitors offered a first glimpse of paintings and sculptures, as well as arts and crafts and not-exorbitantly-priced antiques from the centuries up to 1999.”

Vienna has more art fairs than collectors, Olga Kronsteiner mocks in Der Standard in early October: “Over the past few years, years, Vienna has also developed into a playground for organisers: seven of them, including two from abroad, will hold a total of 13 art fairs here from February to November next year. All in all, this seems a little ambitious, especially in view of the worldwide decline in art sales. Particularly as the economic risks are unevenly distributed: as is well known, participants have to pay the stand costs regardless of any sales successes.”

I researched the cheapest stand prices for art fairs from Arco to Frieze to Stage Bregenz for Weltkunst Insider (still free with registration).

Silke Hohmann from Monopol is impressed by Swinging London and the new layout of Frieze: “Placing all the big names next to each other, at the back, is bold, but coherent. After all, everyone can be sure of finding their way to White Cube, Sadie Coles, Gagosian or Ropac anyway. After the VIP opening at 11 o'clock on Wednesday morning, the blue-chip dealers such as David Zwirner or Jay Jopling then waited for almost half an hour for the wave of collectors, including international greats such as Maja Hoffmann, Dakis Joannou and Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, who were either stuck in the narrow connecting corridors between the tents or did not make their way to the rear of the fair until later. Perhaps because they allowed themselves to be captivated by the young art scene in ‘Focus’.”

Although the first day of Frieze was certainly busy, there were also downsides, notes Scott Reyburn in the New York Times: “The footfall on the preview day of Frieze London, a contemporary art fair, was noticeably less hectic than it has been in previous years. ‘Frieze is a solid art fair, but Art Basel Paris clearly has the edge,’ said Wendy Cromwell, a New York-based art adviser who is attending both fairs this month. Matthew Marks, David Kordansky, Casey Kaplan and Marianne Boesky, U.S.-based dealers who had been regular exhibitors at Frieze London, were notable absentees at this year's edition, choosing instead to exhibit in Paris.”

Bettina Wohlfarth of the FAZ puts the first ABP at the Grand Palais in an international context: “All eyes, as one dealer summarised, are on Paris. Some influential American galleries, including Matthew Marks and David Kordansky, skipped the Frieze Art Fair in London this time, but are taking part in Art Basel Paris. On the opening day, Thaddaeus Ropac confirmed that important collectors and museum directors from America and Europe were in the Grand Palais, and that Asian art lovers had also travelled there.”

Susanne Schreiber of the Handelsblatt was also very impressed by Art Basel Paris: “Paris combines tradition with avant-garde, joie de vivre with culture like no other city. There are countless five-star hotels, museums and private collections here, and the evening entertainment is more magnificent than in the rather staid Basel. On the first of two VIP days, collectors from overseas, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy therefore flocked to the renovated Grand Palais, alone, in pairs and in family sizes. And the exhibitors tried their best to stimulate the desire to buy.”

The art market Monopoly continues: after a good eight years, the Endeavour event and entertainment group wants to part with Frieze, along with two tennis tournaments. A press release states: “'Endeavor's portfolio includes iconic, global, and must-attend events spanning sports, entertainment, and the arts,' said Mark Shapiro, President and Chief Operating Officer, Endeavor. ‘As part of Endeavor, Frieze and the Miami and Madrid Open tournaments have each grown significantly, from Frieze launching successful fairs in Los Angeles and Seoul to the Miami and Madrid Opens setting year-over-year attendance and sponsorship records. We are proud of this progress and confident that these unique assets are well-positioned for success in the future.’'’ Maximilíano Durón writes about the background at Artnews: “The news comes after Silver Lake, a private equity firm based in Menlo Park, California, announced it would take Endeavor private after being listed on the New York Stock Exchange for three years. The equity value of the deal was set at $13 billion, with Silver Lake agreeing to pay $27.50 per share, representing a 55 per cent premium on its October 2023 share value. At the time of the deal, Silver Lake already controlled around 71 per cent of Endeavor's voting rights’.”

A positive impression of the art fair Contemporary Istanbul has Arun Khakar from media partner Artsy : “And it's this confluence of local and international, perhaps, that will guide Contemporary Istanbul into its second [sic!] decade, where both the city's galleries and its global perspective will take it firmly into its next chapter. Indeed, Güreli strikes a confident tone. ‘This is our Grand Palais,’ he joked.” Gabriella Angeleti from The Art Newspaper is also impressed: “Outside of the Spanish and Latin America focus, several local galleries are capitalising on the tailend of the Venice Biennale (until 24 November), like the Istanbul-based gallery BüroSarıgedik, which is showing a selection of paintings by Gülsün Karamustafa, who represents Türkiye in this year's edition of the biennial.” The fair's owner also owns the Turkish edition of The Art Newspaper. I was in Istanbul for Monopol.

In the current difficult market situation, Turin's Artissima in early November is well positioned, states Devorah Lauter at Artnews: “But the fair, which held its preview for this year's edition yesterday, is not known for the ultra-pricey artworks that typically appear at Art Basel's various events. Instead, dealers told ARTnews that Artissima was well-reputed for attracting curators, mainly ones from Italian and European institutions. Plus, the relatively affordable cost of booths, about half the price of what it takes to exhibit at fairs like Art Basel or Frieze, allowed smaller galleries to experiment with lesser-known artists and provide them with greater exposure. [...] In today's slower art market climate, dealers said that Artissima's focus on exposure to institutions, as well as the fair's relatively lower pricepoints and its more relaxed atmosphere, hit all the right notes.” In connection with the fair, Kabir Jhala points out in The Art Newspaper that changes in VAT may also be pending in Italy: “Italian lawmakers must decide by the end of this year on a proposition to lower taxes on art, prompted by a new EU regulation to simplify VAT structures by 1 January 2025. This could see VAT on primary market sales and also on art imported from outside the EU drop from 10% to 5.5%. Meanwhile, VAT on secondary market sales could also be lowered, from 22% to between 10% to 5%. ‘The new regulations could have a transformative effect. We are waiting in hope,’ says Luigi Fassi, Artissima's director since 2022. Fassi's words are echoed by many Italian dealers at the fair”. I was in Turin for Handelsblatt and Artmagazine.

Art Cologne doesn't let anything throw it off course that easily, notes Christof Habres for Parnass: “How strongly were the US election results and the simultaneous collapse of the German traffic light coalition felt on opening day? Did it have an immediate impact on sentiment and sales? It would be an exaggeration to speak of a generally relaxed mood. But there were no signs of an inferior hangover either. It was more of a ‘business as usual’ in a difficult market environment.” Georg Imdahl experienced a solid edition of the German market leader for the FAZ on 9 November: “Its director Daniel Hug does not currently see any effects of the American election and the German government crisis on the Cologne art fair, but no one would contradict the assessment of a Rhenish collector and financial expert that the buying mood - in principle in a 'boom-bass’ cycle - is currently to be classified as ‘in minor key’. Glamour may be the buzzword at other fairs, but Art Cologne aims to score points as the industry leader in Germany by being reliable within the scope of its possibilities. [...] Art Cologne is increasingly focusing on younger galleries, which is also noticeable in terms of numbers this time with 170 exhibitors from 24 countries in the ‘Neumarkt’ and ‘New Positions’ segments in Hall 11.2.”

Freddy Langer visited the Paris Photo at the Grand Palais for the FAZ: “Downstairs, however, in the corridors, the arrangement turns into the confusion of a bazaar, which gets fuller with every hour of the day until it can only be navigated by pushing and shoving towards evening. The 195 galleries for the 1328 artists presented have come up with some unusual wall displays to ensure that the eye is drawn to their pictures. The sometimes sacred-looking presentations on the outer walls, on the other hand, ensure that the top works at the fair are not overlooked.”

Art Basel is said to be planning to buy a daughter in Arabia, according to Daniel Cassady at Artnews: “That could soon change, if the rumours swirling in the art world are true. Numerous sources based in the US, Europe, and the Middle East told ARTnews that Art Basel is deep in negotiations to take over Abu Dhabi Art. The rough contours of the rumoured deal would see Art Basel receive a $20 million investment in exchange for operating the Abu Dhabi fair. [...] One source familiar with the deal told ARTnews that there's a lot of pressure within MCH for Art Basel's CEO Noah Horowitz to deliver big deals that could ease the financial pressure on the company.” This sounds like a similar model to that of Art Basel Cities, in which a city initially paid the Swiss to help it find sponsors.

Art seems to have played a secondary role at Abu Dhabi Art in late November, as Melissa Gronlund's report for The Art Newspaper suggests: "Contemporary dealers reported mixed results, with numerous works on reserve but fewer confirmed sales. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi team, which is edging closer to its full opening, were circulating at the fair and underlined that acquisitions were ongoing and will continue after the museum opens next year. [...] As usual in the close-knit Middle Eastern art world, rumours were on overdrive—this time around the all-but-certain takeover of Abu Dhabi Art by Art Basel. Though the Art Newspaper was unable to confirm the $20m figure that has been floated in the press—a sum one source with knowledge of the UAE leadership called ‘peanuts’ for Abu Dhabi—MCH staffers were in attendance and everyone was expecting the news to drop at any moment."

Kabir Jhala reports in The Art Newspaper on the cancellation of the India Art Fair's planned subsidiary in Mumbai, which was scheduled for November.

Lee Sharrock from Forbes is one of the few international journalists who visited the Fine Art La Biennale in Paris: “Held on the main floor of the Grand Palais, FAB Paris is less hectic than Art Basel Paris or Paris Photo, allowing visitors time to take in creative excellence across a wide range of art forms, from ancient to altarpieces, baroque to minimal. My highlights also include works from the post-war and contemporary periods, including Otto Fried at Brame & Lorenceau, Vasarely at Galerie Hurtebize and ‘Picabia, Miro, Picasso’ at Galerie Helene Bailly.” I was in Paris for the Tagesspiegel. The Luxembourg Art Week, which I visited for Monopol, met with similarly little media interest.

Katya Kazakina's report from Art Basel Miami Beach in early December for Artnet is also instructive: ‘Suffice it to say that the international, highly respected gallery Sprüth Magers didn't sell a thing on the fair's second day, after reporting nine sales on day one. Senior director Andreas Gegner shared that with me Thursday evening on the 14th-floor terrace of the still-fashionable Soho Beach House in Mid-Beach, which overlooks the tent where White Cube used to throw its famous annual party. It seemed quiet down there, like nothing was going on. I was happy to make it to Soho House after an hour-long, bumper-to-bumper taxi ride. It was just past 7 p.m. when I got there, and I braced for a long wait to enter, but—gasp!—there were no lines. I breezed through. Cecconi's restaurant and pool were eerily empty. Where was everyone?” Arun Khakar reports at Artsy.

The last fair of the year has been held by mid-Dezember. With Art Antwerp, Art Brussels in the neighbouring city allows itself a free hand that embodies a relatively new type of art fair that no longer expects visitors to travel from far and wide. Julia Stellmann characterises the event for Kunstforum: “The regional nature of the fair is something that all participants are well aware of. Both the fair management and the galleries report that participation primarily serves to maintain contacts with the local collector scene. Many galleries adapt their programme accordingly and exhibit Belgian positions. However, the regional focus does not detract from the quality of the fair. On the contrary, the intimate size allows a special focus on the invited galleries.” I was in Antwerp for the Handelsblatt.