Kobel's Art Weekly

Kobel's Art Weekly 18 2025

For Alexandra Wach at Monopol, Art Brussels is a resonance chamber for the global situation: ‘Even though similarly strong positions on current political turmoil are few and far between at Art Brussels, which is traditionally playful but this time noticeably subdued, with 165 participating galleries from 35 countries, a latent unease can also be felt at the stands of other sections.’ Julia Stellmann found a whopping 66 first-time exhibitors at the fair for the FAZ, which she is not entirely enthusiastic about: ‘Mendes Wood DM is one of 99 galleries that are participating in the fair for the second time. Overall, however, Art Brussels has shrunk by twelve exhibitors compared to last year, with 165 galleries from 35 countries. This is also reflected in the programme. Compared to what was on offer at last year's anniversary edition, it has lost some of its vitality and willingness to experiment. Even the newly introduced ‘68 Forward’ section, which ties in with the fair's history, cannot change this.’ I was there for Handelsblatt and Artmagazine and Tagesspiegel in Brussels.

Maximíliano Durón gives Expo Chicago the thumbs down in Artnews: ‘While the number of exhibitors held steady at around 170, there was a noticeable drop-off in blue-chip galleries. To inject some fresh energy, Expo partnered with the Galleries Association of Korea to bring about 20 South Korean galleries. Still, the aisles were peppered with a number of galleries that typically don't participate in fairs of this calibre—a reflection, perhaps, of the broader market slowdown.’ Art Brussels avoided setting this downward spiral in motion this year, preferring to rent out a dozen fewer stands. However, the Expo belongs to Frieze, and like any entertainment company that would like to sell the division, a decline in sales does not look good.

Rahel Aima in The Art Newspaper finds something to like in Art Weeky Riyadh as a hybrid form with institutionally selected gallery goods: ‘For dealers, there was less freedom than found at a usual fair: curators selected artists from each gallery roster to correspond to the exhibition's themes. There were far fewer risks too: dealers didn't pay for space, production or shipping, only their flights and hotels if they wanted to attend; most did. Why wouldn't they? Here was a rare chance to test out a new market, meet regional artists, curators and art world power players, and answer the implicit questions: does Saudi Arabia's historically weak commercial sector show promise? Can it hold its own against the regional juggernauts of Art Dubai, which was held just a week later, and Art Abu Dhabi? With dealers reporting sales to individual Saudi collectors new to their programme and (as of the preview days) strong interest from Saudi institutions, the answers seem to be a resounding yes and yes. ‘I like it, to be honest. Maybe this is the future of fairs,' said Sunny Rahbar, founder of The Third Line gallery in Dubai. “Less pressure on the galleries and the collectors, knowing that everything is for sale, but not feeling like you need to stay in the booth.”’ The model can be wonderfully expanded and transferred. What a wonderful idea: state art commissioners select objects from galleries and art dealers, who then pass them on to a willing audience with free museum inaugurations, who in turn can be sure that they have acquired risk-free art in every respect. A clear win-win-win situation.

The chaotic customs policy of the United States is beginning to have an effect, reports Margaret Carrigan at Artnet (paywall may apply): ‘DHL has temporarily halted business-to-consumer shipments over $800 to the US due to new White House changes to de minimis rules this month. The updated policy lowers the threshold for formal customs processing from $2,500 to $800, significantly increasing import requirements for many shipments, which is wreaking havoc across several industries, including the luxury sector. [...] Now there are also bigger upfront costs for dealers and collectors to import works into the U.S. As Edouard Gouin, CEO of the art shipping company Convelio, noted in a ‘tariffs 101’ webinar hosted on Thursday by the gallery-focused software firm Artlogic, the U.S. doesn't have a temporary admission scheme like the U.K. or E.U. to waive import duties on objects until they are sold.’

Olga Kronsteiner attempts (unsuccessfully) to sort out the customs confusion in Der Standard: ‘Since the announcement, there has been uncertainty and, above all, confusion: Will these duties, which range from at least ten (flat rate) to 54 (or even more) percent depending on the trade imbalance, apply to this product group in the future? Will other countries refer to them in their counter-duties? And above all: How will they be calculated?’

Artsy Art Market Trends has made some remarkable findings, according to Daniel Cassady of Artnews: ‘Art Market Trends 2025 also surveyed over 1,200 collectors, although this data should be treated with caution, as Artsy defines the term ‘collector’ very broadly to include anyone who has purchased at least one work of art in the past year. Nevertheless, the report found that nearly 60 per cent of collectors purchased art online in 2024, with 73 per cent saying they purchased as much or more than in the previous year.’ This data should be treated with caution, primarily because an online retailer surveyed its own online customers about their online purchasing behaviour. For example, it is hardly to be expected that they would have a strong opinion on Monday opening hours for galleries.

Miss Lieser is being unwinded. The sale of the now infamous Klimt painting has finally failed a year after the auction, reports Olga Kronsteiner in Der Standard, where she recounts the drama in six acts: ‘The bidder represented by Patti Wong & Associates (Hong Kong) at the auction therefore insisted on indemnity declarations from all heirs of Adolf and Lilly Lieser before the purchase was completed. After months of back and forth, the majority of these were recently obtained. Only one heir of Hans Lieser refused to sign, ultimately scuppering the deal in March. It remains to be seen when Fräulein Lieser will come back onto the market and through whom. This case cost the auction house ‘im Kinsky’ more in expenses, which are likely to amount to at least 1.5 million euros, than it gained in prestige.’

No one comes out looking particularly good in Niklas Maak's (link via MSN) story about art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi in the FAZ: ‘Perhaps the strangest thing about the Beltracchi story is that it had no fundamental consequences for the system whose weaknesses it exposed. Even during the trial, the main players in the art trade behaved like the famous three monkeys. [Marc] Blondeau, who brought numerous fake Max Ernsts and a fake Campendonk onto the market, showed no interest in revealing his system: not a word about the deals in the Freilager, the payments from Swiss to Andorran accounts, or how he paid a total of 1.87 million euros for the alleged Ernst works ‘La Horde’ and ‘La Mer’ Beltracchi paid a total of 1.87 million euros and then sold ‘La Mer’ to the Triton Foundation for 800,000 euros and ‘La Horde’ to the Würth Collection for 4.3 million euros. This was despite the fact that Beltracchi's accomplice Schulte-Kellinghaus had given Blondeau two completely different stories about the origin of a work within a few weeks: once it was the Jägers collection, once it was the collection of his grandfather Wilhelm Knops. Why did Blondeau not prick up his ears? During Beltracchi's trial, the prosecutor stated that it was a ‘mitigating factor that the art market had made it so easy for the perpetrators.’ In another article, Mark Siemons explains (link via MSN) how three philosophers construct a superstructure for the criminal: ‘All three theorists are as skilled at their craft as Beltracchi is at his. Their métier is to use different frame narratives to consign entire eras and worlds to history or recreate them as required, worlds which, in this case, have in common that Wolfgang Beltracchi can be regarded as an artist in them. The word has not yet been invented to describe what distinguishes their midwifery service.’ However, the author himself falls for the legend of the artist: ‘The paintings produced by former art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi in the style of various old masters are obviously such a case. Despite their undoubted artistry, critics, curators, museums and large sections of the market deny them the seal of approval as art.’ Anyone who takes a close look at one of the painter's ‘works’ knows how mediocre his artistic talent is, even in terms of craftsmanship.

Sadie Coles' gallery is expanding in London, even though its sales fell sharply last year, according to Angelica Villa's research for Artnews: ‘In its filings, the gallery reported a steep 46 per cent drop in revenue for 2024, falling from £52.3 million to £28.3 million, according to recent UK filings. Its pre-tax profits plunged 93 per cent to just £400,000, down from £5.5 million the year prior. The downturn, Coles acknowledged in her director's report, stemmed from a slowdown at the high end of the art market that ‘squeezed gross profit margins.’ But Coles is largely insulated from the art market's downturn. The gallery carries no debt and, over the last five years, has reported a 20 percent increase in its total assets, which according to the filings is primarily stock holdings, but could also include real estate and inventory.’

Gesine Borcherdt accuses the National Gallery in Berlin of indifference in a purchase, according to WeLT: ‘One of Germany's most important museums purchases a work by an artist who glorifies the atrocities of Hamas, causing an international stir – and then claims to have been unaware of this. It still seems uninterested in the matter. The silence of the art world on the Hamas attacks was deafening, the condemnation of Israel's reactions all the louder. Since Documenta 15, at the latest, hatred of Israel, often accompanied by contempt for humanity and even anti-Semitism, has been openly expressed, tolerated and sometimes encouraged. If Manna's work had also been purchased, would the artist have applauded the bombs on Gaza? Hardly, because the outrage in the art world often only goes in one direction.’

Today is the day: the CDU is set to announce its list of ministers on Monday. Until then, speculation will run rampant. According to unanimous press opinion, we have once again avoided Joe Chialo. But the prospects may not be much better. The Süddeutsche Zeitung predicts that Wolfram Weimer (WeLT, Focus, Cicero, The European) will become the new Minister of State for Culture. He would be of a similar market-liberal calibre to Berlin's Senator for Culture, but with a right-wing conservative orientation and no political experience or affinity for culture whatsoever. In the FAZ (link via MSN), however, Andreas Kilb raises hopes for a competence-oriented solution: ‘That is why cultural experts from the coalition parties are now increasingly mentioning the name of Christiane Schenderlein, the cultural policy spokesperson for the Union faction. Schenderlein has two qualities that could play a role in the arithmetic of post allocation: she comes from the east and she is a woman. In the Bundestag, she represents the constituency of North Saxony, whose direct mandate was won by a member of the AfD. As a parliamentarian, she stands for culture in rural areas and the preservation of cultural heritage, the primacy of which she defended in a fiery speech against the culture pass and other plans by the Green Minister of State for Culture, Claudia Roth.’

Abaseh Mirvali is the new artistic director of Viennacontemporary, reports Werner Remm in Artmagazine. One could get the impression that the art fair changes its leadership even more often than its venues.

Philipp Kaiser's departure as a partner at the Marian Goodman Gallery is reported by Maximilíano Durón in Artnews.

In an obituary, Nikolaus Bernau pays tribute to Kristin Feireiss in the FAZ, owner of Berlin' sarchitecture gallery Aedes, who has died at the age of 82: ‘Feireiss always stood for surprises. It began with the daring idea of founding Europe's first ‘gallery for architecture and space’ together with Helga Retzer in Berlin's Grolmanstraße in 1980. The sale of architectural drawings was intended to fuel the debate on architecture. Commercially, the concept never took off, but Aedes developed into Germany's architectural debate forum par excellence with project and office exhibitions. Practically no one who has made a name for themselves in the contemporary architecture scene today was not presented here at the beginning of their career.’