A man walks past an installation by Urban Gruenfelder on October 30, 2012 in Cologne, western Germany, as preparations are under way for the 10th edition of the Art.Fair. The fair for modern and contemporary art is running from November 1 to 4, 2012. AFP PHOTO / OLIVER BERG.

This autumn, the eyes of the art world are again focused on Cologne. From November 1st to 4th, ART.FAIR | Fair for modern and contemporary art is opening its doors for the tenth time.

A great celebration of both contemporary and modern international art, from renowned galleries and promising start-ups awaits visitors in the Cologne “Staatenhaus”.

Last year over 32,000 art enthusiasts strolled through the monumental halls. This has turned ART.FAIR to one of Germany's largest art fairs and it established itself as an institution in the world of art.

From the Off-Show to a national art highlight

Founded as an Off-Show for art up to a value of 5,000 euros, ART.FAIR has developed rapidly into a respected forum of top-class national and international galleries. The driving forces behind this development are the founders and directors, Walter Gehlen and Andreas Lohaus.

"We are very pleased to offer both the seasoned collectors, as well as interested visitors a great celebration of art, from young and established artists, in an exciting range of items in painting, sculpture, photography, performance art and new media," says Walter Gehlen.

Along internationally renowned artists, on show are also top-class newcomers to discover: "Over the last ten years since the first ART.FAIR, it has been important for us to never lose sight of our roots. From the beginning, the exhibition has promoted young and emerging art. We have always remained true to our principles”, says Andreas Lohaus.

16,000 square meters of art in three halls

Once again the fair can count on the participation of prominent galleries. Among the many illustrious names are the Galerie Michael Schultz, Berlin | Seoul | Beijing, Galerie Terminus, München, Galerie Erhard Witzel, Wiesbaden, AB GALLERY LUZERN + ZÜRICH, Galerie Kunstraum 21, Köln, Galerie Albert Baumgarten, Freiburg, JP. Ritsch-Fisch Gallery, Straßburg, Galerie Voss, Düsseldorf or Galerie Barbara von Stechow, Frankfurt am Main, which has been continuously present at ART.FAIR for ten years.

Like last year, ART.FAIR spreads out over three halls. But unlike in 2011, this year's anniversary edition starts on the forecourt of the “Staatenhaus”: The visitors will be welcomed by three impressive steel sculptures designed by the artist Thomas Röthel, Fischerplatz Galerie, Ulm.

In the impressive halls of the “Staatenhaus” visitors can expect highlights such as the large solo sculpture show by John Chamberlain, and works by Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke and Julian Opie.

BLOOOM – the converging art show.

In addition to the many well-established and prestigious items at ART.FAIR there is also BLOOOM –the converging art show. with many exciting emerging artists to discover. In a separate section of the fair, newly established international art dealers and art projects show with their interdisciplinary artproductions that young artists do not only apply traditional forms of visual arts, but also deal with topics from neighboring creative fields, such as architecture, music, fashion, performance art, street art, film, advertising and games.

Thereby genre boundaries are deliberately crossed and different disciplines are interwoven together.

As part of the BLOOOM Vernissage the winning artist project of the BLOOOM Award by WARSTEINER will be proudly announced. For the first time in three years participants from all over the world were allowed to take part and the response has been impressive. Artists from 29 countries and six continents have entered their work for this year's edition of the first global interdisciplinary art competition.