Art Cologne Palma Mallorca Returns With German Buyers, Government Backing, and Early Sales
The revived Art Cologne Palma Mallorca opened in Palma with a familiar market pattern: strong German attendance, solid movement at accessible price points, and a slower pace for the most expensive works. The fair runs until 12 April at the Palau de Congressos, the Brutalist venue overlooking the city, and its first days have already clarified what kind of event this is becoming.
Of the 88 exhibitors, 32 are Spanish and 26 are German, with just three galleries from the United States. That balance was echoed in the aisles, where many visitors appeared to have traveled from Germany, a country whose wealthy collectors have long treated Mallorca as a second-home destination. For Art Cologne director Daniel Hug, the island’s appeal is now being reinforced by institutional support as much as by lifestyle cachet.
The fair’s return to Palma came after a request from the local gallery association, Art Palma Contemporani. Hug said the previous venue, a leaky hangar at the airport, had not helped the project’s prospects. This time, the fair has around €500,000 in government support, part of a broader effort to strengthen the island’s cultural profile. Palma already has a substantial arts infrastructure, including the Josep Lluís Sert-designed Miró Foundation, and local dealers say the city is increasingly trying to move beyond what Pep Llabres called “fast food” tourism toward a more durable cultural economy.
That shift was visible in the sales floor. Eigen+Art reported a strong opening, with works by Titus Schade, Ryan Mosley, Maya Behrmann and Neo Rauch selling at prices from the low thousands of euros to about €36,000. By the second day, director Gerd Harry Lybke said he had sold virtually everything on view. Paul Stolper also found buyers for small spray-painted abstracts by Brian Eno at €1,400 each, and placed a Dora Maar photograph of Jacqueline Lamba for €1,800.
Higher up the market, the mood was more measured. Kewenig showed Anselm Kiefer’s Wer jetzt kein Haus, baut auch keines mehr (2021-22), tagged at €1.3 million, without an immediate sale. THK gallery’s Baselitz, Horta de Ebro (1988), was reportedly priced just under €1 million and also remained unsold at the time of reporting. Bastian, meanwhile, devoted its stand to Pablo Picasso, offering etchings and ceramics from €6,000 to €20,000, with two unique pieces at €69,000; three ceramics sold almost immediately after the opening.
There were also signs of institutional buying. Darren Flook said he sold four Jemima Stehli polaroids at £2,500 each to Es Baluard, Palma’s contemporary art museum. And while some participants dismissed the impact of wider geopolitical instability, Justus Kewenig suggested Mallorca could benefit if wealthy holidaymakers look for alternatives to Dubai. In his view, the island offers a different proposition: sun, sea, and safety. For a fair trying to establish itself in a competitive calendar, that may prove to be more than a slogan.
