Georgina Adam leads her Saturday FT column with a look at the Art Forum Berlin art fair
Two new co-directors, both previously with Art Basel, have been brought in to shake up the event and they have succeeded in attracting back many big name galleries, including Max Hetzler, Johann König, Klosterfelde and Neugerriemschneider.
“Berlin galleries want a strong fair, to match the city’s good galleries, great museums and thriving artist community,” says co-director Peter Vetsch. A link-up with the alternative ABC contemporary art event has been forged, and datelines have been pushed back to accommodate art from the 1960s.
“We didn’t want to miss the fair this year, whereas before it seemed to lack direction,” says Max Hetzler, showing works by the Berlin-based Arturo Herrera. Within a few hours of the opening, he had sold three works, sculptures and collages, at prices between $30,000 and $80,000. […]
But judging by the opening day, buyers remain cautious, with dealers reporting some “on holds” but not that many “solds”.
The Art Market: New Blood in Berlin (Financial Times)