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Visit to the Cologne Fine Art 2019

On a Saturday morning I wanted to take the time to take a look at fine art. Because the Cologne Fine Art & Design was once again in Cologne and took place in the fair in Cologne Deutz.

Cologne Fine Art

The journey

The exhibition halls are right behind the Deutzer Bahnhof and therefore easy to reach by train. Of course, I also took advantage of this good location and traveled with the regional train. The sun is shining and I am in good spirits and looking forward to nice impressions for my eyes.

The Fair

The exhibition takes place for the 50th time in Cologne ! In 1970, it was still founded under the name "West German Art Fair". Cologne Fine Art is particularly versatile because it presents not only art, but also arts and crafts, applied arts, antiques and design. She is an all-rounder, so to speak. Beautiful things from many different cultures, generations and eras.



The special show

For the 100th Anniversary of the Department of Art and Design World, the fair also presents the special Bauhaus Original show. Not only pictures are presented there, but also paper works and utility objects.

International Exhibitors

A total of 93 exhibitors presented art and design. In addition to numerous galleries from Cologne, Dusseldorf, Wuppertal, Munich, Berlin or Frankfurt, there were also many exhibitors from abroad. For example: Spain, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, England and even South Africa.





The tickets

The tickets could be purchased locally at the box office or on the Internet. There was no difference in price. You could buy a day ticket for 18 euros .

The audience

I would say the audience was definitely a lot of well-heeled people. How could I recognize this? Well, I would say, the clothes, their style and the choice of words. Certainly, clothing is not a 100 percent wealth indicator, but a small indicator. Of course, the purchase intent of some people was a clear sign of the financial status of these people. Because who had a serious interest in the buying a feat at these prices, needed a few euros on the high ridge.

Structure of the trade fair

The Cologne Fine Art took place in Hall 11.2. In front of this hall there was an information point and a bookshop. Inside the hall, I could not see any special system. Stalls with antiques followed on historical art and then fine jewelry or modern sculptures. Here I would actually have found it better if you had simply grouped a specific topic. In the middle of the hall there was a café area.



What did I see?

Well, I've actually been able to admire all epochs and art movements related works. Powerful, pompous antiques, beautiful classic oil paintings in the price range of even over 300,000 euros, fine jewelry or modern acrylic art: it was all there! The expensive works of art were partially guarded by security personnel. There were also styles and motifs: landscape painting, portrait, abstract or flower pictures.

Artist Awards of the Trade Fair

In fact, a prize is awarded and has been for many years! The Prize is awarded by the Federal Association of German Galleries and Editions and Koelnmesse. The award-winning artist will receive prize money of 10,000 euros and will be honored with a special exhibition at the next trade fair. In the years from 1996 to running, every year an artist was awarded. We list these artists in the order of their nomination: Felix Droese (art multiple award), Ottmar Hörl (art multiple award), Dieter Roth (art multiple prize), Thomas Huber (art multiple prize), Thomas Bayrle (artKöln Prize), Astrid Klein, Sigmar Polke (Cologne Fine Art Prize), Jörg Sasse, Berlin Cabinet, Thomas Schütte, Dieter Krieg, Gert & Uwe Tobias, Katharina Sieverding, Georg Baselitz (Cologne-Fine-Art Andreas Schulze, Günther Uecker (Cologne Fine Art Award), Tony Cragg (Cologne Fine Art Prize), Jürgen Klauke (Cologne Fine Art Award), Leiko Ikemura, Candida Höfer, Karin Kneffel (Cologne Fine Art Award), Georg Hornemann, Horst Antes.

How are prices going?

With these high prices , it's certainly interesting to know why exactly this painter or image is so expensive and another is not ?! At the vernissage I have seen prices from 2,000 euros to 325,000 euros . But where do these price differences come from, where artists are all just making art?

There is a famous saying about it: "Something is always worth just as much as someone is willing to pay for it." Is it special in any way and particularly appeals to an interested party, then he is certainly willing to pay a lot of money. Of course he has to have the money and be able to pay the price. In a society that is in an economic crisis, the price may therefore fall.

If the painter is very well known and the picture is very big, then the price is very high too. The painter must be best known internationally, then the value of his works increases. If the painter is perhaps already dead then, the value of the works of art increases even more, because these feats become unique and nothing can stop.


There is a very famous artist currently Bansky. He has done it particularly skillfully: he has sprayed his artwork in the form of aggressive advertising just anywhere on house walls or other objects. Connected to a clever marketing campaign on the Internet, he was simply on everyone's lips! And the special thing is certainly that he is not even known by name and his artworks are always auctioned off without revealing his identity. Pictures or works of art of him cost just over one million euros! Simply because this artist is just so in. Such a work of art certainly does not have a special intrinsic value. Even Bansky can no longer understand the hustle and bustle and the exaggerated commandments for his works and simply shredded one of his works automatically after the auction. Or, once again, it was an ingenious marketing gag, as it is now known worldwide, and its market value has even increased even further.

My conclusion

All in all the show was ok . Especially with this cheap admission price. But if I would like to have something, that would definitely be a lot more pictures from completely different painting directions. How about, for example, pictures by Mike Dargas, which is characterized by his "hyperrealistic paintings". If you would invite current and current painters to such a fair, then there is certainly a much greater media interest. Or maybe Julien Durix ?! Also a great painter who can create incredible pictures!



In April, I might also take a look at the Art Cologne, so that I have a direct comparison to this art fair. I'm curious!

Your visit to the Cologne Fine Art

Would you like to visit Cologne Fine Art? Whether as a visitor or as an exhibitor, you are exactly right with us! Rent a Apartment Cologne with a minimum occupancy of three nights and combine your visit with a city break in the cathedral city! The exhibition halls can be easily reached on foot! We look forward to your non-binding inquiry!

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