BERLIN.- Two new appointments have been made to the leadership of ART FORUM BERLIN, the International Trade Fair for Contemporary Art, with effect from 1 January 2009. Messe Berlin, the organiser of ART FORUM BERLIN, has ambitious plans to develop this trade fair and make it even more international. Eva-Maria Häusler and Peter Vetsch have been signed up as co-directors to implement this strategy.

Eva-Maria Häusler (43) studied Spanish and French literature and linguistics at the University of Basel (Lic. Phil. I). Between 1997 – 2007 she held a number of management posts with the Swiss trade show organisers MCH Messe Schweiz.

Peter Vetsch (55) studied art history, economic and social history and journalism at the University of Zürich (Lic. Phil. I). From 1988 to 1998 he was editor-in-chief of the contemporary art magazine ARTIS, and from 1999 to 2000 he headed the magazines Ideales Heim and Atrium. Since 2000 he has been the Communications Manager for two art fairs, Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach.

This new management duo combines a profound knowledge of the international art market and of the art of the 20th and 21st centuries with a worldwide network of contacts in the art world, as well as many years of experience of organising international art fairs.

Dr. Christian Göke, Chief Operating Officer of Messe Berlin: “We are delighted to have acquired two leading figures, Eva-Maria Häusler and Peter Vetsch, capable of strengthening and expanding ART FORUM BERLIN as a premium event.”

Eva-Maria Häusler will be making her services available to Messe Berlin during the next few weeks, although she will not be directly involved in the commercial operations of the ART FORUM BERLIN 2008. During the period until she takes up her official position she will be holding in-depth discussions with some of the leading galleries on the art market. Eva-Maria Häusler: “We shall both be intensifying our personal contacts with galleries, artists, collectors, museums, the media, sponsors and other partners.”

Peter Vetsch will commence working for the ART FORUM BERLIN in the autumn. The two Co-Directors will be able to call upon the many years of experience of Kirsten Günther (48) as Head of Operations.

From 2009 it is planned to resume holding the ART FORUM BERLIN on a permanent basis in late September / early October each year at its traditional location in Halls 18 and 20, making it once again the first in a series of European art fairs to be held in the autumn.

The Art Forum 2008 will again be headed by Sabrina van der Ley, who has held this post since 2000. The efforts that have been made in past years by Sabrina van der Ley as Artistic Director, in association with the Advisory Council of International Galleries, have successfully established the ART FORUM on the international art market, providing a solid foundation on which to develop this fair in the coming years.