Kobel's Art Weekly

Kobel's Art Weekly 37 2025

Relief in New York: According to consistent reports, including those from reputable press outlets, the Armory seems to have gone well. Elisa Carollo reports in the Observer: "American collectors seem to have taken the back-to-school spirit seriously this year, with several dealers reporting a brisk and buoyant first day at the Armory Show. The New York fair—one of the city’s most established and historic—opened yesterday, 4 September, at the Javits Centre and quickly surpassed expectations across price ranges, leaving dealers cautiously hopeful that this season might mark the start of a healthier moment, at least for the US market.” Valentina di Liscia, who focuses primarily on newcomers at Hyperallergic, echoes this sentiment: "For all the whispers about the market downturn, gallery closures, and art fair shake-ups, a crisp air of first-day-of-school excitement cut through the drab halls of the Javits Centre during the Armory Show's VIP preview on Thursday, 4 September. Often accompanying the gallerists fielding collectors' inquiries were the artists themselves, many of them showing for the first time at the modern-day incarnation of the historic exhibition where Marcel Duchamp shocked American audiences with his dizzying 1912 ‘Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2.’ Daniel Cassidy and Harrison Jacobs also took away an encouraging impression of the vernissage for Artnews: "It wasn't clear on Thursday morning what to expect from this year's edition of the Armory Show. But by 11am—the starting bell of Thursday's VIP preview—queues stretched the length of the Javits Center's glass atrium. For nearly an hour, the lines never let up, as attendees, wearing outfits running the gamut from traditional blue blazers and flowing dresses to full-dress fashion attire, poured inside. The turnout was a welcome sign for the art market, after a shaky spring gave way to a summer of gallery closures, lawsuits, and fair cancellations. On Thursday, however, the mood was cautiously upbeat. No dealer claimed that they had the best VIP day of their career, but many told ARTnews that the slower pace was matched by serious interest.‘

Laura Storfner also reports positively from Korea for the Handelsblatt: ’Before the art week, the mood in Seoul was subdued. Gallery owners complained about a tough first half of the year and pinned their hopes on the fairs that herald the autumn: the traditional Kiaf, organised by the South Korean gallery association, and Frieze, which is bringing mega-galleries such as Hauser & Wirth and Zwirner to Seoul for the fourth time. But global developments are not leaving Korea unscathed. Total sales in the country, whose market boomed during the Covid years, fell by 15 per cent in 2024. This is causing potential participants to weigh up whether the trip is worthwhile. Michael Werner and Neugerriemschneider are not returning this year. Instead, many South Korean gallery owners with works in the entry-level segment are trying their luck at Frieze. There is no sign of gloom on the opening day at COEX in Gangnam, where both fairs are taking place. Hauser & Wirth report the most expensive sale since the first edition of Frieze Seoul in 2022, with a triptych by Mark Bradford selling for $4.5 million. However, a gallery owner who mopes on the opening day of a fair would have missed his calling. The picture painted by Hok-Hang Cheung at Artnews of the situation in Korea is not quite so rosy: "Sojung Kang, director of the homegrown heavyweight Arario Gallery, pointed out that while the economy is slowing, it isn't collapsing, as Korean collectors are still buying, especially if the work on offer is strong. But the market isn't booming across the board. Some 40 galleries didn't return to this year's edition and the big-ticket sales by mega-galleries reinforced what many insiders say about Korea: collectors still favour traditional mediums, like painting and sculpture, and established, blue-chip names, even as the country's museums embrace more experimental practices.

Sarah Moroz visited the small Art-o-Rama fair in Marseille for the Observer: ‘DS Galerie, a Parisian space in the Marais, was participating in its fourth edition. Gallery representative Ulysse Feuvrier said that Marseille is ’an ecosystem that's growing more and more,‘ yet the size of the fair was manageable. ’It doesn't bring an overdose in its format, which means there's more time to see everything and to exchange... It's a different way to start the year than Frieze Seoul."‘

Susanne Schreiber's heart beats for the Rhineland, as can be seen from her tour of the DC Open for the Handelsblatt: ’The Rhineland is still vibrant today. Newly arrived, ambitious galleries such as Gathering from London, LC Queisser from Tbilisi and Josey from Norwich prove Cologne's unbroken appeal. Düsseldorf was chosen by the Parisian gallery Petrine for its branch on the Rhine, which only opened in April. In both cities, art colleges train the next generation, collectors pass on their passion to the second and third generations, and large museums and institutions provide guidance. Both new and long-established gallery owners feel at home here." Georg Imdahl is also impressed by the region in the FAZ: "Full of energy, the Düsseldorf and Cologne galleries are kicking off the autumn season for the 17th time this weekend as “DC Open”, even though the industry's sales – see article below – have recently left something to be desired. A successful generational change is also noticeable here and there in the Rhineland, and the younger generation is gaining experience that they are not even complaining about.

In search of a bracket for the introduction and conclusion to her report from Brussels in the FAZ, Julia Stellmann reaches high: "Art can evoke feelings similar to those of a first date: excitement, disappointment or, at best, great happiness. Expectations for Art Week Brussels, officially taking place for the first time under the title “RendezVous”, are correspondingly high. [...] Whether officially participating or not, it makes little difference to the audience. Thanks to producer galleries, off-spaces and private collections, the Brussels scene is presenting itself from its best side. The inexplicable is the focus of several shows – almost like a really good rendezvous." I visited the start of the season in Brussels for the Handelsblatt. In Brussels, in the Rhineland and in Frankfurt, I was there for Artmagazine.

The German art market is showing resilience at a low level, Christiane Meixner summarises Hergen Woebken's IFSE study in the Handelsblatt: "For Germany, his institute expects total sales of €600 million for all galleries in 2024 – which is also significantly below the €890 million reported in the previous gallery study from 2020. Woebken states that the boom times, when collecting art was hip, are finally over. Nevertheless, there are positive signs. These include the reduced VAT rate of 7 per cent on art, which has been in effect since January. On the other hand, the current study shows that just under half of art purchases in galleries in 2024 were made by new customers. For the survey, the institute contacted 500 galleries online, and the responses from 150 participants were ultimately evaluated. Most of the responses came from Berlin, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg and Bavaria. Just over half of these galleries have an annual turnover of less than £400,000, 28 per cent are in the £400,000 to £1.5 million segment, and only 13 per cent exceed the £1.5 million mark." The Protestant Press Service epd also summarises the results of the study: "The pandemic-related decline of around ten per cent in jobs has now been largely offset. Overall, the galleries have created more than 3,000 jobs. The majority of them employ up to three people. According to the study, 39 per cent of galleries generate most of their turnover with works priced between £1,000 and £5,000, while a further 30 per cent generate most of their turnover with works priced between £5,000 and £10,000." The number of questionnaires sent out and the response rate do not allow the use of the scientific term ‘representative,’ but the situation is no better in all other studies on the primary market.

Elisa Carollo attempts to herald the end of the streamlined art that currently dominates the market in The Observer: "In a cultural moment defined by crisis, urgency and fragmentation, both collectors and institutions may finally be turning away from art that demands nothing of them. What resonates now are works that reach outward and deeper—toward universal themes that transcend identity and context. Art that invites reflection rather than distraction; works that offer space for contemplation, emotional depth and complexity rather than mimicking the frictionless consumption of a scroll." It would be nice if this development proved to be true.

Benjamin Sutton reports in The Art Newspaper (possibly paywall) on a departure at the top of Art Basel Paris: "Clément Delépine, the director of Art Basel Paris since the spring of 2022, will leave after the conclusion of this year's fair (22-26 October) to become the director of Lafayette Anticipations. He will succeed Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel, who has been Lafayette Anticipations’ director for six years; his first day in the new role will be 17 November."

Stefan Weiss describes Klaus Albrecht Schröder's move from the Albertina to the private sector in the Viennese Standard: "No one believed that he, the country's longest-serving and most active museum maker, would retire after the Albertina. He was inundated with offers from home and abroad, turning down Basel and Munich in favour of Vienna, and finally building himself a small, pretty house in the surrounding area – which he also designed himself. [...] The WAM was founded in 2024 by a private group of investors and collectors led by art dealer Philipp Konzett. The core of the museum is the collection of the former Muehl commune Friedrichshof. Konzett previously served as managing director, a role now taken over by Schröder. The director of content, Julia Moebus-Puck, will remain, but will have to accept that Schröder will also be heavily involved in the programme. However, everyone is still pulling in the same direction, as could be seen from their delighted faces, and sharing their expertise on roses with each other.