art genève 2025 previews vibrant international galleries

5 Min Read
art genève 2025 previews vibrant international galleries

Art Genève opened its 13th edition on January 30. The fair brought together 81 international galleries and 22 institutional projects. It showcased contemporary art in a vibrant display.

The fair featured special projects alongside the main exhibition floor. These projects offered a chance to engage with initiatives that were less commercially driven. This year’s Art Genève\Musique programme launched an experimental performance.

It explored ‘the wolf’—an acoustic anomaly in string instruments. The performance was held at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. It featured artists Charlemagne Palestine and Olaf Nicolai, alongside the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

The Prix Mobilière spotlighted emerging Swiss artists. The Art Newspaper édition française presented nominees from the prestigious Prix Marcel Duchamp. HEAD – Geneva introduced “Design Heads: Creating Tomorrow.” This exhibition highlighted innovative projects from its students.

The 5th edition of an international fair for art books and contemporary prints made its debut. It captured the energy of the fair. The event organizers have released a short video highlighting some of the standout artworks.

Art Genève returns with optimism from participating galleries in its 13th edition. The fair was set against the stunning backdrop of the Swiss Alps. It featured around 80 modern and contemporary art galleries from Europe, the U.S., Asia, and the Middle East.

It was hosted once again at the Palexpo convention center. Emerging and established Swiss galleries had a strong presence. The booth of Blue Velvet, a project space founded by Pier Stuker Alvarez in 2021, garnered attention.

A mirror-aluminium print by Swiss artist Julian-Jakob Kneer featuring David Lynch added a cinematic flair. Blue Velvet had already sold works by Marie Matusz just a few hours into the preview day on 29 January.

Butter Not Miss This:  the Louvre opens historic fashion exhibition

Optimistic outlook from international galleries

“We wanted to present to the western part of Switzerland since we’ve never done the fair [Art Genève],” Stuker Alvarez said. Another first-time participant was Contemporary Fine Arts. Their booth opened with a striking heel-wearing resin limb sculpture.

Director Katharina Hajek noted the city’s appreciation for sculpture. “That’s what Geneva is known for—materiality,” Hajek said. The booth of Hauser & Wirth featured a painting by young Swiss painter Nicolas Party.

Senior director Evelyne Presenhuber expressed her satisfaction with the visitors’ responses to the new small-scale lake paintings and mountain sculptures. “We’re very happy,” she noted, highlighting the strong reception from collectors and curators. Sales director Xaver von Mentzingen from Galerie Jocelyn Wolff reported dynamic sales.

“It’s quite a dynamic start,” von Mentzingen said, mentioning the strong interest in works by Ugo Rondinone and Alicja Kwade. A five-meter embroidered work by Otobong Nkanga was a standout at the booth of Mendes Wood DM. Managing director François Dournes commented, “We have noticed a very good quality of presentations in the fair.”

Asian galleries also marked a significant presence.

LEE & BAE reported impressive sales. Kelvin Lee shared optimism for Korean art, noting the placement of an oil painting by Jinwook Yeom for 54,000 USD and an engraved glass piece for 23,000 USD. Willa Yip, director of Tang Contemporary’s outpost, emphasized the gallery’s efforts to promote Chinese artists in Europe.

Tang placed works by young Chinese artists ranging from 18,000 to 75,000 EUR on preview day. The fair’s prize for the best solo exhibit was awarded to Richard Saltoun Gallery’s presentation of paintings by the late Algerian artist Baya. Geneva’s Musée d’art moderne et contemporain acquired several works.

Butter Not Miss This:  Jay Inslee unveils official portrait at Capitol

Director Niamh Coghland remarked, “It’s the first time that we’ve ever shown her work, and we wanted to give a particular focus on her progression as an artist.”

Founded in 2012 in Switzerland’s second-most populous city, Art Genève has cemented its place in the European winter art calendar. It continues to thrive, drawing a diverse and international array of galleries and collectors. Art Genève also expanded its horizons in 2016 by launching Art Monte-Carlo, an annual summer fair in the French Riviera, set to take place this year from 7 to 9 July.

Art Genève 2025 has clearly set an optimistic tone for the year. It is proving to be a vibrant and essential meeting point for the contemporary art world.

Share This Article