Interview with Art Cologne Director Daniel Hug

After many years in which the tradition-rich Art Cologne was loosing more and more of its importance, the world’s oldest art fair not only seems to be back on the right track but also gaining momentum. Since Daniel Hug took over the director position at Art Cologne, the criticism has been muted and the press is talking about the miracle of the Rhine. For this year’s edition that runs from 18th to 22nd April 2012, Daniel Hug is breaking new grounds by collaborating with the New Art Dealers Alliance, who already runs a fair in Miami. Thus, Art Cologne 2012 will see the collaboration between two independent fairs, Art Cologne and NADA Cologne.

VernissageTV met with Daniel Hug in Zürich to talk about the collaboration with NADA. We wanted to know how this collaboration with NADA came about, the hopes he puts in it, and how NADA Cologne is integrated in the overall concept of Art Cologne, both from a strategic point of view as well as regarding the fair layout on site. But one and a half years after our first interview with Daniel Hug as Director of Art Cologne, we also wanted to know how the fair has developed since then regarding attendance and sales, and his goals for the next years. He explains why he discontinued the Open Space section, which played an important role for the fair during the last years. He talks about why he stopped Art Cologne Palma de Mallorca when he took over Art Cologne in 2008, and where he sees the future of art fairs in general and Art Cologne in particular. Finally, Daniel Hug let’s us know what to expect from the 2012-edition of Art Cologne – 46. Internationaler Kunstmarkt in Cologne, Germany, and hints at some of the highlights of the upcoming fair, the participating galleries and the supporting program.

The above video is an excerpt. Watch the interview in full-length with English and German subtitles below.

Interview with Art Cologne Director Daniel Hug. Caféteria Kunsthaus Zürich, Zürich / Switzerland, January 20, 2012.

PS: See also: NADA Director Heather Hubbs on NADA and the Collaboration with Art Cologne.

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Complete interview (16:33 min.)

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