Art Cologne
The world's oldest contemporary art fair: founded in Cologne in 1967, now held annually at the Koelnmesse grounds in Deutz.
What began as a modest gathering of galleries has grown into one of the most influential fixtures on the international art calendar.
Source: Wikipedia
At a glance
- Type
- contemporary art fair
- Founded
- 1967 as Kunstmarkt Köln
- Founders
- gallerists Hein Stünke and Rudolf Zwirner
- Location
- Koelnmesse grounds, Cologne-Deutz (Innenstadt district)
- Organizer
- Koelnmesse
- Director
- Daniel Hug (since 2008)
- 2026 edition
- the 59th, November 5–8
Art Cologne is the world's oldest contemporary art fair, starting out in 1967 with just 18 galleries at Cologne's Gürzenich hall.
From the Gürzenich to Deutz
In September 1967, the Association of Progressive German Art Dealers—founded by Stünke, Zwirner, and five colleagues—staged the first Kunstmarkt Köln in Cologne's Gürzenich hall. The debut drew 15,000 visitors and generated one million Deutsche Mark in sales. In 1968 the fair moved to the larger Josef Haubrich Kunsthalle, admitting foreign galleries to fend off a rival international fair planned in nearby Düsseldorf. In 1974 it relocated again to the Rheinhallen in Cologne-Deutz, with the Cologne trade fair company taking over organization.
New names, new dates
From 1975 the fair was known as the Internationaler Kunstmarkt (IKM) and alternated between Cologne and Düsseldorf. Renamed Art Cologne in 1984, it has been held exclusively in Cologne ever since. In 2007 it shifted from its traditional autumn slot to spring. Until 2022, Koelnmesse also ran the separate Cologne Fine Art & Antiques fair each autumn; since then it has been folded into Art Cologne as the Art + Object segment, curated with design specialist Sebastian Jacobi. The official website lists the 2026 edition for November.
What's on show
The fair presents paintings, sculpture, photography, installations, and digital works. For 2026, organizers have announced the sectors Contemporary Art, Modern Art, and Neumarkt. Guided ARTtours, coordinated by ZADIK, let visitors explore the fair with art educators on hand to answer questions.
Awards
The ART COLOGNE Prize was first awarded in 1975 with the German Galleries Association; since 1988 it has been presented jointly by the association and Koelnmesse each year during the fair. Past recipients include Julia Stoschek, Monika Sprüth, and Walther König. Since 2006 the ADKV-ART COLOGNE Prize has also honored Kunstvereine (non-profit art associations).
Rival fairs
Not every applying gallery was admitted, which repeatedly spawned alternative events. In 1992 Cologne gallerist Christian Nagel launched the rival fair Unfair, and in 1995 he co-founded Art Forum Berlin as an explicit competitor. Since 2003, ART.FAIR has established itself as another rival event, and in 2007 Liste Köln, Tease Art Fair, and dc duesseldorf contemporary all launched to coincide with Art Cologne's dates.
Timeline
- 1967First Art Market Cologne with 18 galleries founded at the Gürzenich
- 1968Moved to the Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle, opened to foreign galleries
- 1974Moved to the Rheinhallen in Cologne-Deutz, organisation taken over by Cologne trade fair company
- 1975Renamed Internationaler Kunstmarkt (IKM), first Art Cologne Prize awarded
- 1984Renamed Art Cologne, held exclusively in Cologne since then
- 1988ART COLOGNE Prize first awarded annually
- 2003Gérard Goodrow becomes director of Art Cologne
- 2007Moved from autumn to spring date
Gallery
Map
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-09-25
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