COLOGNE.- Art Cologne, the oldest fair for Modern and Contemporary Art in the World, opens its doors from 14 to 17 April 2016 for its 50th year. On the occasion of the anniversary of the Internationaler Kunstmarkt, which took place for the first time in the historic Gürzenich festival hall under the name 'Kunstmarkt Köln 67', a total of 219 galleries from 25 countries will present top-tier art next April, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, multiples, installations, performances and video art. The range of offerings of Art Cologne extends from Modern through Postwar to Contemporary Art. Art professionals, collectors and art lovers will find modern masters and important artists and works of post-1945 art in hall 11.1. International galleries will offer contemporary art on hall level 11.2, ranging from blue chip and midcareer artists to new discoveries. The special sectors New Contemporaries, Collaborations and Film Cologne are gathered in hall 11.3.

Numerous international top galleries are once again represented in 2016 in the largest section for Contemporary Art in hall 11.2. Participating for the first time or returning to Cologne are, among others, PERROTIN (Paris), Max Hetzler (Berlin/Paris), Krinzinger (Vienna), OMR (Mexico City), Nils Stærk (Copenhagen), Shane Campbell (Chicago), CANADA (New York), Paragon (London), Roslyn Oxley9 (Sydney) and Rüdiger Schöttle (Munich). Among the exhibitors who have participated for many years are galleries such as Karsten Greve (Cologne/Paris/St. Moritz), Daniel Buchholz (Cologne), Hauser & Wirth (Zurich/London/New York), Thaddaeus Ropac (Salzburg/Paris), Sprüth Magers (Berlin/London/Los Angeles), Michael Werner (Cologne) and David Zwirner (New York/London).

Hall 11.1 is dedicated to the "historically progressive art" of the Modern and Postwar periods. Renowned galleries and art dealers will offer a high quality overview of these pioneering eras. Exciting new exhibitors like Bernheimer Fine Art (Lucerne), Montrasio Arte (Milan) or Hollis Taggart (New York) will join longstanding participants like Axel Vervoordt (Antwerp/Hong Kong), Beck & Eggeling (Düsseldorf), Ben Brown Fine Arts (London/Hong Kong), Lahumière (Paris), Galerie Thomas (Munich), Thomas Salis (Salzburg), von Vertes (Zurich) and Whitestone (Hong Kong/Tokyo).

Young galleries and emerging artists are found in hall 11.3, where 29 young galleries (no more than ten years old) will show their programmes in the New Contemporaries section. In the experimental Collaborations section, which is organised in cooperation with the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), a wide range of galleries will present singular and jointly planned projects around the theme of collaboration.