A diverse range of fairs catering to all tastes can be found in Europe this November. Running from 17–20 November, Cologne Fine Art presents 150 international exhibitors, offering everything from antiquities and Old Masters to post-war art. The contemporary strand of the fair, COFA Contemporary, also returns following a successful pilot last year. Among the 40 or so galleries from across the Rhineland – including Beck & Eggeling, David Achenbach Projects and Philine Cremer – are a number of non-commercial spaces that highlight the region’s independent scene; this draws on the network established recently by Art Initiatives Cologne.
As ever, the fair offers plenty of modern art. Works by Gerhard Richter and Georg Baselitz can be found at the stand of Andreas Binder, while the post-1945 focus at Galerie Maulberger includes Zero group artists Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker. Linked with the Zero group in Düsseldorf is Adolf Luther, whose work is on display at Berlin’s 401contemporary. Luther is most well known for his Op Art experiments – don’t miss his dizzying 1974 kinetic mirror relief made with overlapping concave mirrors. Among the highlights at Galerie Schwarzer is a 1926 gouache and watercolour depicting a sunset by Lyonel Feininger; works by other German Expressionists are on show at Galerie von Vertes, including Nolde, Campendonk and Münter. Following his successful Otto Modersohn exhibition last year, Dr Michael Nöth this time focuses on German and French Impressionists, and features Max Liebermann’s pastel Lady and two girls on a park bench (study for Parrot avenue) of 1901. Elsewhere, there are painted icons to be found at Ikonen Galerie Sophia, and the medieval art at Elmar Robert includes a sculpture of a Madonna and Child from northern France dated to around 1360.
Goblet (c. 1870), J.C. Klinkosch. Kunst und Antiquitäten Sonja Reisch at WIKAM
There’s also plenty to see in Austria. WIKAM (Vienna International Fine Art & Antiques Fair), which is held across two palaces in the city, returns from 4–13 November and features 40 exhibitors offering a broad range of objects – from furniture and textiles, to ceramics and Asian art. Painting highlights include works by Argentinian artist Helmut Ditsch at Galerie Szaal, and Couple (1983) by Otto Muehl, the actionist artist and provocateur. For impressive 19th-century silverware, head to Kunsthandel Stephan Andréewitch which offers an Empire centrepiece by Jakob Krautauer from 1817, and Kunst und Antiquitäten Sonja Reisch, whose plated silver and gold goblet was made around 1870 by Josef Carl von Klinkosch for Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria.
Running alongside WIKAM is the 48th edition of Art & Antique Hofburg, at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna from 5–13 November. There’s a vast array of work available here and the usual line-up of important Austrian dealers, as well as the notable addition of Kálmán Makláry from Budapest. Highlights include a 1912 Kokoschka drawing at the ever-interesting stand of Galerie Ruberl; a Glitter Head from 1995 by Kiki Kogelnik at Galerie Walker; and an Egyptian limestone head of a young woman from the Roman period at Christoph Bacher. Complementing both these fairs is Vienna Art Week (14–20 November), which sees museums, galleries and art spaces across the city celebrate art under the broad theme ‘Seeking Beauty’. More than 200 events will be staged, including tours, open studios, talks and performances.
Schreitender Akt in Stiefeletten (Walking in ankle boots) (1912), Oska Kokoschka. Galerie Ruberl at Art & Antique Hofburg
In Belgium, Antica Namur celebrates its 40th anniversary from 11–20 November. This year, the fair welcomes 115 Belgian and international dealers under the celebratory theme ‘Grand Cru’. Newcomer Patrick Berko joins regular exhibitors Albert Vandervelden, Florence de Voldère and Gilles Linossier. Klaas Muller offers the oil on copper Perseus and Andromeda by the 16th-century German painter Hans Rottenhammer, while a marble and bronze pendulum clock from the Louis XIV period can be found at Benoît et Sébastien Tercelin de Joigny. Also marking its 40th anniversary is Madrid’s Feriarte, Art and Antiques Fair, which runs from 19–27 November and includes 90 exhibitors.
The autumn edition of Art en Vieille-Ville in Geneva’s historic Old Town sees a number of galleries and museums (such as Gagosian, Galerie Patrick Gutknecht and the Baur Foundation) run concurrent exhibitions until early next year (3 November–January 2017). While in Geneva don’t miss Artvera’s exhibition ‘Red Desert: The Place Where Activism Becomes Attitude’ (18 November–25 February 2017), which explores the legacy of Monte Verità in contemporary art and includes works by artists such as Joseph Beuys, Hans Op de Beeck and Olafur Eliasson.
In London, the Winter Art & Antiques Fair returns to Olympia for its 26th year
(31 October–6 November). Featuring over 100 British dealers, the event offers everything from sculpture and jewellery to fossils and glassware. Babbington Fine Art presents the 1909 John Arnesby Brown canvas The Study for ‘Silver Morning’, and there’s some fine Regency period furniture on show at Wakelin & Linfield and Patrick Sandberg. Meissen ceramics can be found at Serhat Ahmet, while Laura Bordignon continues to impress with her range of Japanese works (timely, given that the fair overlaps with Asian Art in London). Once again, there’s a vibrant talks programme involving the Ashmolean, the British Museum and the Wallace Collection.
Ring with cat and kittens (1540–1295 BC), Egyptian, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty. Les Enluminures at Sam Fogg, London
Also in the capital, Les Enluminures stages ‘Rings Around the World’ at Sam Fogg (2–11 November; travelling to the Les Enluminures New York space from 17 November–3 December), an exhibition featuring more than 40 finger rings from China, the Middle East, Europe and the US. Spanning four millennia, from the Bronze Age to today, the show looks at examples from different periods and cultures, and includes contemporary pieces by artists such as Wallace Chan. The display is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, with an introduction by Diana Scarisbrick. Finally, Sophia Contemporary Gallery presents the UK’s first solo exhibition of Iranian artist Azadeh Razaghdoost (24 November–18 February 2017). Fifteen recent paintings, including works from her Sick Rose and Letters series, reveal the extent to which Razaghdoost draws on both 19th-century European poetry and Abstract Expressionism.
From the November issue of Apollo: subscribe here.