‘Changes in art history from the perspective of a gallery owner’

Prof. Rudolf Zwirner, Berlin

Lecture followed by a discussion with Prof. Dr. Nadine Oberste-Hetbleck (ZADIK, University of Cologne)

As an art dealer, exhibition curator and co-initiator of a wide range of new formats in the art market, such as the first fair for modern and contemporary art – the Kunstmarkt Köln (now ART COLOGNE) – and the Cologne Gallery Weekend, Rudolf Zwirner has helped shape the art world for decades and followed developments in the market.

In his lecture, Rudolf Zwirner shares his observations since the 1950s and outlines the art market and its changes, particularly using the example of selected artists. What does Rudolf Zwirner understand by a turning point in this context? What do these developments mean for the present, especially for a young, future generation in the art market? And how has Rudolf Zwirner's work as an art dealer influenced the collection of Cologne's Museum Ludwig?

Following the lecture, Rudolf Zwirner will talk to Nadine Oberste-Hetbleck, who, as director of ZADIK, is very familiar with the gallery archive stored there.

Date: 8 November 2025, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: koelnmesse, Europasaal

(advance registration required at: zadik-info@uni-koeln.de )