AMSTERDAM.- The 26th edition of Art Amsterdam, Holland’s largest contemporary art exhibition, will take place from 26 to 30 May 2010. In addition to the leading Dutch galleries, Art Amsterdam will welcome exhibitors from countries such as Belgium, Germany, France, the UK, Denmark and South Korea. Art Amsterdam 2010 will take place in the Park Hall of Amsterdam RAI.

Art Amsterdam will have a new look & feel as Edo Dijksterhuis takes on the role of director for the first time. The exhibitor list of around 129 galleries includes no less than 21 newcomers such as the Vegas Gallery and Charlie Smith from the UK, Locuslux from Belgium, Hartwig Rugen and Dr. Julius from Germany, and C-Space from China. This multinational diversity brings the number of non-Dutch participants to 25 percent of the exhibitor total.

The central exhibition has been replaced with the No Holds Barred presentations, while Art Amsterdam includes an extensive programme for collectors for the first time. The exhibition website is being used to inform visitors prior to and during the exhibition about the wide-ranging agenda and activities that Art Amsterdam has to offer.

No Holds Barred
Gallery owners looking to present something free spirited, unique or spectacular can take part in the No Holds Barred programme element. As the name suggests, there will be no restrictions to the presentations on this special arena on the exhibition floor. Everything is possible, from photo montages, performances and art installations to conceptual art and film, as long as it fits within the available space of 25 square metres. An international jury consisting of curator Creixell Espilla-Gilart (1978), art critic David Ulrichs (1978) and collector Alexander Ramselaar (1968) will select the sixteen best proposals. These will then be exhibited at four locations in the hall. No Holds Barred is sponsored by Accenture.

‘Club C’ for collectors
For the first time Art Amsterdam will include a collector’s element called Club C. Various Dutch and international collectors will receive a personal invitation to the three-day programme. The special Club C-lounge on the exhibition floor will host lectures, debates, presentations and a symposium, while the collectors can enjoy previews elsewhere in Amsterdam, tours by local collectors and VIP receptions in the afternoons and evenings. Club C is realised in cooperation with Renée Steenbergen, author of the standard work on Dutch art collecting (Anything costing that much is priceless: Art collecting in The Netherlands - 2002), and Donna Wolf, founder and Director of Deïska and De Verzameling.

Art Amsterdam on the web
As a dynamic art experience requires knowledge and information, Art Amsterdam’s website is being used to actively inform visitors before, during and after the exhibition about what is in store. From early April onwards the homepage will function as a blog with regularly updated content. The amount of information provided will also increase as the exhibition date gets closer. During the exhibition itself the site will be constantly updated with new input generated and processed on the exhibition floor in a media corner sponsored by UPC.

Young and Collecting
The Young and Collecting day on Friday 28 May sees Art Amsterdam place the spotlight on emerging art collectors. Renowned collectors, gallery owners and curators will be on hand to support 70 people aged between 17 and 27 as they buy an artwork from the NOG collection of the SNS Reaal Foundation and give advice on art collecting in general. The Young & Collecting day is sponsored by the SNS Reaal Foundation.

Thieme Art Award for most promising young artist
The most promising artist will receive the prestigious Thieme Art Award, presented for the eighth time by the Thieme Print Media Group. The prize consists of the production of a full-colour catalogue and a solo exhibition at next year’s Art Amsterdam. The 2009 winner Gijs van Lith, represented by Gallery Bart in Amsterdam, will showcase his work at his own stand at Art Amsterdam 2010. Previous winners include Folkert de Jong, Karen Sargsyan and Jasper de Beijer.