COLOGNE.- Daniel Hug has been named the new Director of ART COLOGNE. Hug's assignment is to further develop the artistic and strategic aspects of ART COLOGNE and to ensure close personal support for galleries and top collectors. Assisting Hug will be Meyer Voggenreiter and Kathrin Luz, who will be intensely involved in the fair's conception and planning as well as in exhibitor acquisition and visitor marketing. Oliver P. Kuhrt, Executive Vice President of Koelnmesse, commented: "In Daniel Hug we have found a connoisseur of the art scene who possesses far-reaching knowledge of art and the art market, combined with a wealth of experience in art fair organization."
Born in 1968, Daniel Hug has Swiss-American double citizenship and lived most recently in Los Angeles. As a son of an architect and grandson of the famous Hungarian constructivist and Bauhaus artist László Moholy-Nagy, Hug grew up in a home where an avid interest in art was nurtured. He studied art history at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. At the beginning of his career, between 1998 and 2001, Hug curated a number of exhibitions in project rooms and art venues. During this period, he took part as a gallery director in events including the Liste Basel, Art Forum Berlin and Art Chicago; this was followed by appearances representing his own gallery at events such as Open Space at ART COLOGNE and Art Basel Miami Beach. As a member of the selection committee for the Art Chicago International Art Fair (2000 - 2001), he gained his initial experience in fair organization. He then served as a consultant for the contemporary art segment at Art Chicago and opened his own gallery in Los Angeles (2003). As a key consultant to the organizers of Art LA, Hug played a vital role in the acquisition of exhibiting galleries and the strategic further development of this up-and-coming art fair. His many years of service to the Moholy-Nagy Foundation enabled him to strengthen his close contacts with museum directors, curators and gallery directors in another area as well.