The Cologne Fine Art & Design is a year in Cologne organized exhibition for art, old art, antiques, applied art and design. It complements Art Cologne, a fair for modern and contemporary art, which is also organized by Koelnmesse. The Cologne Fine Art & Design, also Cologne Fine Art called emerged Cologne from three exhibition events in 2005: the West German art fair in Cologne, the Art Cologne and the Antiquarian Book Fair Cologne.
The Cologne Fine Art emerged from the Westdeutsche Kunstmesse, which was founded in 1970. It is thus one of the world’s shows for old art, modern art, applied art and design with the richest tradition. The Cologne Fine Art invites its guests to delve into a crossover of styles and eras that is truly unique in Germany. About 100 selected galleries and dealers present master pieces from Europe and around the globe. Discover art, handicrafts and jewelry in an inspiring interplay with furniture and accessories in an open and elegant atmosphere.
The trade fair city cologne offers many sights worth seeing and a great deal of culture and creates a perfect framework for your visit. Discover this varied and impressive city on city tours, excursions, and boat tours. You can look forward to a host of sights and cultural highlights such as the Cathedral, Romanesque churches, the historic city hall, museums, parks and gardens, architecture, and design.
At all times, in all cultures and all genres of art, there have been and are a few people who create the truly extraordinary: masterpieces that have survived the changing times and have fascinated art lovers for generations. At COLOGNE FINE ART & DESIGN you can find real highlights from all epochs of art and design history. Selected galleries present carefully selected objects: exhibitors become curators. Those looking for new inspiration come to Cologne.
Cologne Fine Art & Design has been an integral part of the Art Cologne fair, in addition to ancient art, antiques, and crafts, the fair has also gradually acquired a very good reputation for non-European art, at the same time 20th-century art has established itself at the fair. Cofa become an important collection area that is also increasingly attractive to younger collectors. Design is emphasise aspect from 2019, an attractive topic especially for younger target groups and perfectly complements the exhibition spectrum of the trade fair.
Cologne fine art & design 2019
The 50th edition of the art and antique fair Cologne Fine Art & Design in 2019, held at Koelnmesse with almost one hundred participating galleries. Cologne Fine Art & Design was founded in 1970 as West Deutsche Kunstmesse. Exhibition segments include Antiques, Art of the 19th Century, Art of the 20th Century, Asian Art, Tapestries, Design, Furniture, Handcrafts, Icons, Jewellery, Non European Art, Old Masters, Porcelain, Prints/Books, Sculptures, Silver, Watches, and Works on Paper.
Founded in 1970 as Westdeutsche Kunstmesse, COLOGNE FINE ART & DESIGN celebrates its 50 anniversay of being one of the leading fairs in Germany for Art, Antiques and Design. To commemorate the 50th edition of COLOGNE FINE ART & DESIGN, the developments in the world of art over the past 50 years will be reflected upon with a special focus on the “Ancient Art” sector. The changes on the art market up to the present day will be illuminated from various perspectives, while we also look ahead to the future.
Art, antiques and crafts arethe DNA of COLOGNE FINE ART & DESIGN. Non-European art and design forms a strong field at the fair. Classic modernism and post-war art are also important focuses. With the special show ‘Bauhaus Original’ we offer our visitors a very special encounter with the Bauhaus and its artists. The three Berlin galleries Fiedler, Berinson, and Derda contribute original furniture and utensils, as well as photos and graphics.
There are two more special shows. One, the ‘Utopia of Form’, is an encounter with the design successors of the Bauhaus; an example, Donald Judd and Max Bill have a clear connection to Marcel Breuer in their designs and yet find their own modern design language. This special show is curated by P.C. Neumann.
The ‘Young Collectors Room’ showcases pieces from the exhibitors’ holdings that cost less than $5,500. This presentation area, which was very successful in previous years, is intended to appeal to younger people interested in art and collecting. There will also be so-called Art Lunches, where industry experts give insights into specific topics.
Cologne fine art 2018
Cologne Fine Art 2018, held at the Koelnmesse exhibition centre in autumn, will show extraordinary exhibits. From Far Eastern sculptures and exotica of the past and present, to American design classics and young contemporary positions of painting and photography, Cologne Fine Art unfolds a kaleidoscopic dialogue fed by the most varied art genres, eras and style, and invites discovery.
Cologne Fine Art 2018 features galleries and traders from nine countries, which show exhibits from around the world. The art fair’s exhibition concept sets different genres and times in dialogue. Exhibition segments are Antiques, Art of the 19th Century, Art of the 20th Century, Asian Art, Tapestries, Design, Furniture, Handcrafts, Icons, Jewellery, Non European Art, Old Masters, Porcelain, Prints/Books, Sculptures, Silver, Watches, and Works on Paper. The fair also has a section for young collectors, the Young Collectos Room, with works that cost no more than EUR 5,000. This year’s Cologne Fine Art Prize honors the painter, sculptor and draughtsman Horst Antes for his life’s work.
No other German art fair presents art and artistic craftwork with this complexity and depth, while still achieving an approachable and exciting atmosphere, due to its lively exhibition concept. Cologne Fine Art addresses both established art connoisseurs and budding collectors. At the same time it is an exhibition, chamber of curiosities and realm of experience, presented by select, high quality galleries and dealers from nine countries.
Cologne fine art 2017
A concentrated selection of around 90 international galleries and art dealers from nine countries, including several high quality new exhibitors, in COLOGNE FINE ART 2017 for an encounter with old and non-European art, with antiques, artistic crafts and design, as well as with masterpieces of modern and post-war art. The offering is further enlivened by the integration of contemporary art. Following its theme ‘Discover Art. Discover the Exceptional“, a temporary chamber of curiosities is opening in hall 11.2, in which an inspiring mix of various styles and eras can be experienced.
History
The West German Art Fair Cologne was founded as the “West German Art Fair Cologne-Düsseldorf” in 1970 and took place for the first time in March of the same year in the Artibus hall in the Düsseldorf courtyard. In its first year the show, which showed art, handicrafts, antiques and furniture from antiquity to classic modernism, had around 32,000 visitors. The trade fairs took place alternately in spring in one of the two Rhenish metropolises, in even years in Düsseldorf and in odd years in Cologne. The ideal sponsor was the Rhenish Art Dealers Association (RKV). At the second edition of the 1971 trade fair in Cologne-Deutz, 130 exhibitors had an area of 3500 square meters available, 35 gallery owners (for graphics and paintings), 80 antique dealers and 15 houses for antiques and ethnology took part. The 3rd West German Art Fair adopted the subtitle Art and Antiques from Antiquity to Modern Times. Since the 21st West German Art Fair in 1990, Cologne has been the only exhibition venue.
The annual Cologne Antiquarian Book Fair took place for the first time in Gürzenich in Cologne in 1986 and moved to the Josef Haubrich Kunsthalle on Neumarkt in 1995. From March 2001 it was organized in connection with the West German Art Fair Cologne in the Rheinhallen of the Cologne Fair with 37 dealers. The sponsor was the Association of German Antiquaries.
The forerunner of KunstKöln, the art multiple art fair, took place for the first time in 1992 on the initiative of the Federal Association of German Art Publishers (now the Federal Association of German Galleries and Art Dealers) at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Center. As a common market, it was initially intended primarily for graphics dealers and editors, as well as for publishers of multiples. In 1999 the Art Multiple failed after Messe Düsseldorf had tried in vain for years to find a workable concept. The publishers’ association came to an agreement with the new organizer, Koelnmesse, in 1999 and the following year the new art fair kunstKöln 2000artistically high-quality edition sheets and objects, Art brut, art after 1960, artist books, and photography, offered by 102 exhibitors parallel to the West German Art Fair.
In 2003, the three spring art fairs in Cologne, West German Art Fair Cologne, the Antiquarian Book Fair in Cologne and KunstKöln, counted 27,000 visitors after ten days. In 2004 the 35th West German Art Fair Cologne and the 5th KunstKöln (for editions, Art Brut, art after 1980 and photography) took place from April 21st to 26th again with a common duration. The joint vernissage was on the evening before the first day of the fair. The running time of the 18th Antiquarian Book Fair in Cologne was overlapping from April 23rd to 25th, 2004. It started with a long evening opening until 9:00 pm for all three art fairs. The trade fairs were accompanied by extensive catalogs.
After the three trade fairs had previously taken place in parallel in the Rheinhallen in Cologne-Deutz, the concept was changed for 2006 – combined with the move to the new exhibition halls – and the “Cologne Fine Art” trade fair as a uniform event for these three KoelnMesse activities educated. At the same time, the fair changed from a spring to an autumn date.
The first Cologne Fine Art, which replaced these former Cologne spring fairs, took place in February 2006 on one level in the upper floors of Halls 4 and 5 of the Cologne Exhibition Center. The around 190 international exhibitors, art and antique dealers, antiquarians, art publishers and gallery owners showed old and contemporary art, handicrafts, antique furniture, design classics, precious books, photography, edition objects, prints, young paintings, Art brut and artist books.