Kobel's
Art Weekly

Kobel's Art Weekly 5 2026

Andreas Platthaus finds a gauntlet thrown down to TEFAF at Brafa in Brussels for the FAZ on 24 January: "The expansion has a clear goal: to outdo Maastricht's competition (not only in the Benelux, but on a global scale). TEFAF will be held there in March, and the two universal art fairs are competing for the reputation of offering the most exclusive selection. TEFAF is more elaborate in terms of stand design and has more exhibitors, albeit in a smaller space. Brussels also scores points with its growth. And with its location: ‘For us, this is the best fair here,’ says Florian Kolhammer from Vienna, a specialist in Secession art, ‘nowhere else is the audience so international.’ Brussels is easier to reach than Maastricht, and there is also more money in the city itself. This can be seen in the local galleries represented at the fair as well as in their offerings, which are fed not least by Belgian collections." The dealer quoted at the opening of Tefaf does not seem to have paid much attention to the audience fighting over the oysters. I was in Brussels for the Tagesspiegel (paywall) and Artmagazine.

Ursula Scheer visited the House of Galleries in a former Frankfurt bank tower for the FAZ on 24 January: ‘The Frankfurt galleries seem to have found the right format for themselves for the moment: located where the money is in the city, but not too aloof; local, but internationally reinforced; with art ranging from friendly entry-level prices to the tens of thousands, accompanied by “talks”. Of course, there is still room for improvement.’ Eugen El reports for Monopol: "The format, which this time spans over 40 galleries, four days and three floors of a high-rise building, explicitly does not want to be seen as a fair – which is not surprising in a city that has had to do without a serious art fair for several years. The approach of trying to make vacant spaces interesting through high-profile art events also seems genuinely Frankfurtian to us. Equally familiar to the viewer are some local heroes whose mediocre flatware contrasts with the risk-averse collector's metropolitan, daring outlook – the Frankfurt art market, in other words." I was in Frankfurt for Artmagazine.

Following Viennacontemporary, the Spark Art Fair in Vienna is also taking a break. Even before the official press release, the owner has published his statement on the tabloid portal Heute. Eva Komarek and Almuth Spiegler spoke to Viennese gallery owners for the Presse (paywall): Emanuel Layr "clearly articulates what the entire gallery scene is probably thinking: ' I'm tired of the organisers' promises, constant changes of directors, unclear ownership structures – and I think we have to be careful that this doesn't rub off on the galleries, which are doing great work.' Sophie Tappeiner, one of the younger members of the industry, would very much like to see a fair in Vienna. Although she is in no hurry either. […] Nikolaus Oberhuber, the Viennese who runs the KOW gallery in Berlin and sat on the Viennacontemporary committee, believes that it would be important for a new fair to convince the city of Vienna that “a fair is a project worthy of support”. Michael Huber states in the Kurier: ' Against this backdrop, this year's cancellation of Spark should probably be seen as the start of a fundamental reorganisation of Vienna as an art location." I have written an article on this topic for Artmagazine and a commentary for Monopol.

Daniel Hug, director of Art Cologne Palma, talks to Marcus Woeller in WeLT about the art market in general, the situation of art fairs and the upcoming premiere of Art Cologne Palma: "The island has a long art history – Joan Miró lived there, Miquel Barceló is Mallorcan, Roni Horn has owned a house on the island for a long time. Mallorca probably has a larger art scene than the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia combined. For a good art fair, you need galleries, artists and collectors above all else. This microcosm is crucial. That's why Art Cologne exists in Cologne – and why it can also work in Palma. [...] We are creating a model with two fairs under the Art Cologne brand. Palma is a boutique fair with an experimental character on the Mediterranean. Cologne remains a strong German fair. Both are locally anchored in strong regions. They can inspire each other."

In the first weeks of February, galleries in Spain will remain closed in protest, reports Clementine Kügler in the FAZ: "The reason for the strike is the Spanish government's unwillingness to implement EU Directive 2022/542 for a reduced VAT rate in the art trade. While music, theatre, cinema and literature remain competitive within the European Union with a reduced percentage, the Spanish tax office still burdens the visual arts – artists and galleries, the trade in antiques and collectibles – with a VAT rate of 21 per cent. In other EU countries, rates of five to eight per cent now apply."

Confidence in the art market is back, sums up Daniel Cassady for Artnews in ArtTactic's Global Art Market Outlook 2026 (only £245): "The recovery, however, is not evenly spread. The strongest confidence sits at the very top and the very bottom of the market. Works priced above $1 million are seeing renewed interest as high-quality supply returns, while sub-$50,000 works benefit from steady transactional activity and broader buyer participation. The mid-market remains squeezed between those two poles, with fewer buyers willing to stretch.‘ The term ’mid-market" has different meanings on either side of the Atlantic.

Cultural policy reporter Peter Grabowski elicits insights into the art market from Isabel Apiarius-Hanstein of Cologne's Kunsthaus Lempertz, Düsseldorf gallery owner Rupert Pfab, Nadine Oberste-Hetbleck from the Central Archive for German and International Art Market Research (ZADIK) in Cologne, and myself in the radio programme ‘Moon prices and million-pound losses: the art market in crisis’ on WDR3, also available as a podcast for download.

The British Culture Secretary has brought out the bazooka, reports George Nelson in Artnews: "London museums are being urged to extend their reach across the country, as Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced a landmark £1.5 billion funding package for the arts on Wednesday. National institutions, including the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, will receive £600 million, but Nandy emphasised that the investment comes with a responsibility to engage audiences outside the capital. [...] The funding aims to repair the UK’s creaking cultural infrastructure and is described as the largest reset in the arts for a generation. It follows decades of constrained budgets, including a 30 per cent reduction in Arts Council England (ACE) funding in 2010 and a previously announced £270 million investment.”

The Berlin gallery Johann König is leaving the Kunstkraftwerk Bergson in Munich after two years, reports Brita Sachs in the FAZ.

Monopol reports the death of former Hamburg gallery owner Ulrich Dörrie: ‘From 1987 to 2011, he was a partner at the Dörrie | Priess Gallery in Hamburg, and from 2005 to 2010 he was also a partner at the gallery's Berlin branch. Prior to that, Dörrie made his mark as an important player in the off-scene with the Buch Handlung Welt bookshop and the weltbekannt association.’