DUSSELDORF.- After a brilliant last day, the second edition of Art Düsseldorf closes with a positive result. More than 40,000 visitors came to the light-flooded halls of the industrial complex Areal Böhler. Among them private collectors Monique Burger, Rosi and Rudolf Dahmen, Ole Faarup, Lieven & Chris Declerck, Mimi Dusselier, Yannicke and Wilfried Cooreman, Galila Barzilaï-Hollander, Gil and Anat Bronner, as well as directors and curators affiliated with museums and institutions, including Felix Krämer (Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast), Susanne Gaensheimer (Kunstsammlung NRW), Florian Wethmar (Kunstverein Düsseldorf), Hans Ulrich Obrist (Serpentine Galleries) and artists such as Andreas Gursky, Mischa Kuball, Diango Hernández, Gerold Miller, Andreas Schmitten, Erika Hock and Ulrike Rosenbach.

The fair featured 91 young and established galleries from 19 countries, with 10% more space for exhibitors this year. Around half of the participating galleries came from Germany and Benelux, while international galleries came mainly from Europe. The next edition of Art Düsseldorf will take place from 15 to 17 November 2019.

Exhibitors have reported sales to regional and international collectors and institutions. Stiftung Freunde Museum Kunstpalast acquired Stefan Wissel’s What Goes Up (2010) from VAN HORN (Düsseldorf) and Natalie Czech’s A poem by repetition by Bruce Hainley (2013) from Galerie Kadel Willborn (Düsseldorf) for a total of €25,000. This acquisition was made possible thanks to the donations of friends from the museum (€20,000) and support from Art Düsseldorf (€5,000). Another addition to the important private collection Philara was made by Gil Bronner, who purchased a work by Julien Bismuth from Parisa Kind (Frankfurt am Main).

Walter Gehlen, Director of Art Düsseldorf, commented: “We are delighted that we have attracted both established and new collectors, resulting in strong sales. It is fantastic to see the growth in popularity of artists and galleries from the region, strengthening the existing local market as well a s encouraging engagement and acquisitions from museums and international collectors. We have proven that having two art epicentres in the Rhineland - Düsseldorf and Cologne, is the perfect structure for the region to shine throughout the whole year.”

Setareh Gallery (Düsseldorf) sold a work by Hans Hartung for €500,000, while works by Thomas Ruff, Stan Douglas and James Welling went for a five-figure sum each at David Zwirner (New York, London, Hong Kong). Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art (Düsseldorf) reported a sale of Fabrizio Plessi’s work for €145,000, while Galerie Boisserée (Cologne) sold a work by Julian Opie for €45,000 and a work by Ralph Fleck for €40,800. A work by Anish Kapoor was bought by a collector at Kamel Mennour (Paris) for over €500,000. Marc Straus (New York) sold seven works by artist Otis Jones for € 20,000 each.

Art Düsseldorf is an important place for discovering young talent. With reduced booth prices, the PostLehman section provided an opportunity for galleries established after 2008 to participate in the fair. The winner of this year’s Post-Lehmann Award was Lucas Hirsch (Düsseldorf), for his booth with works by Elian Gonzalez, Lukas Müller and Sami Schlichting.

Young artists were also presented at internationally established galleries including Eigen + Art (Leipzig, Berlin), who sold a work from each artist offered at their booth. The gallery showcased artists recently added to their roster such as Tom Anholt, Martin Groß, Lada Nakonechna and Titus Schade. Michael Werner Kunsthandel (Cologne) also brought works by emerging painter Raphael Egil, and Galerie Max Mayer (Düsseldorf) dedicated his booth to a solo presentation of young photographer Jan Paul Evers.

Thomas Geisel, Mayor Düsseldorf, said: "I am delighted with the popularity of the second edition of Art Düsseldorf. Many art lovers have come to Düsseldorf to enjoy and acquire great art from regional and international galleries in the fantastic atmosphere of the Böhler halls. A terrific event that contributes significantly to the appeal of the art metropolis Düsseldorf.”

Quotes from curators, museum directors, collectors and gallerists:

"The well - attended fair resembles the Grand Palais with its high, light - flooded halls. There are also many interesting exhibitions, such as Harald Szeemann at the Kunsthalle or Cao Fei at the K21. This shows that D ü sseldorf is an art metropolis." Hans Ulrich Obrist, Chief Curator at the Serpentine Gallery London

"The interest in Art Dusseldorf was visible and noticeable also in the institutions Kunsthalle and Kunstverein, because we had a very well frequented house during all days of the fair from all part s of the republic, but also from Benelux , USA and even Korea.” Gregor Jansen, Director at Kunsthalle Düsseldorf
“I do not know any fair that has such a beautiful atmosphere, flooded with day - light, the walls of Areal Böhler provide a great setting . The quality of the displayed works is high; it provides a great overview of the scene. The fair is a valuable contribution to the art city Düsseldorf, which one would not want to miss." Felix Krämer, General Director, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf

“It enabled me to reconnect with gallerists I know and to discover new artists […] Two days in the Rhineland were too short to fully experience the region’s vitality for contemporary arts. The museums, foundation s and galleries all offered their best to thos e who made the short trip from Brussels.” Frédéric de Goldschmidt, Brussels-based private collector