Art Galleries

Since 1996, Berlin has overtaken Cologne as the nation's capital of both commercial and underground art. Bringing the cutting edge to the deep cultural history of the city, in a way a deja-vu of Berlin's dada years (only without the radical political bite).

The shift from West to East gained initial momentum within the city itself as young West Berlin galleries uprooted to reposition themselves around the increasingly popular East Berlin art mile, Auguststrasse in Mitte.

Now the area boasts some of the highest rents in the city and sees some of the trendiest artists, collectors and exhibitions in all of Germany. Two major events helped focus world attention on art in Berlin: the annual Art Forum fair for commercial art (started 1996) during the first week of October, and the Berlin Biennale (started 1998).

In the past couple of years Auguststrasse has gotten way to crowded, and expensive, prompting a whole group of hot galleries to relocate within Mitte, a flew blocks south, to Zimmerstrasse around Check Point Charlie.

top of page © 1999-2011 Berlin Information Groupanything missing or wrong?