A Dispatch From Berlin Art Week
3 Berlin-based gallerists who hacked their way into the art world.
By Lauren Youngblood
Photos by Harry Miller
Published
See Saw's Gallery Guide is a monthly column that covers all things in the art world and exhibits to see, powered by the leading gallery guide app, See Saw.
This week marked the 12th annual Berlin Art Week, which is billed as a five-day program with special exhibitions, guided tours, live performances and awards ceremonies. However, the “official” BAW programming isn’t the draw for most. Like the rest of my gallery-hopping comrades, I was there for the openings. 61 new openings, to be exact.
Last week in Berlin, collectors and art lovers rubbed shoulders with the artists and gallerists and drank all the Grüner Veltliner and Flensburger Pilsener they could. The chrome jewelry, hand-rolled cigarettes, all-black attire – everyone looked like the coolest art kid from your high school. People had their phones down and natural wine in hand (a stark contrast to the art-fluencers twirling around the Javits Center during The Armory Show last week).
Finding each gallery was an adventure itself. Once you arrive at the address, most spaces were difficult to find, often inside a small courtyard of a communist-era building, up a few flights of a pre-war walk-up, or perhaps - as you’ll read below - in someone's loft apartment.
My highlight of BAW was meeting three gallerists who have paved their own way in the Berlin art scene. From the chic west neighborhood of Charlottenburg to the hip area of Kreuzberg, these three founders each had unique paths to their success. They embody the rebellious feeling of Berlin, with a no-nonsense attitude, and “a work hard, play hard” sensibility. Here they share their best art world hacks exclusively with Byline.
Aspiring gallerists, take note.
Alex Duve of Duve Gallery](https://www.instagram.com/duveberlin/)
Alex grew up surrounded by art. His parents started to collect post-war German art in the early 1970’s, and would take him to all the art fairs and galleries they went to. By the time he was a teenager, he had started to collect and become more fascinated by the art world himself.
After graduating from college in London, he moved to Hamburg and started to work in advertising for a few years, but never really felt at home in the business and have always toyed with the idea of opening a gallery. “I had worked as an intern with Sotheby’s in London, but couldn’t find the right gallery to work with. But I had a very good friend in Berlin, with whom I continuously exchanged ideas about art and artists. Birte Kleemann, now director at Michael Werner Gallery in NY, and at that time the right hand of Judy Lübke of Eigen Art” Alex says. So, after a while they decided to open a gallery together, called duvekleemann, founded in 2007. Birte later moved to NY to first work as director of Pace and then up to today work as director at Michael Werner Gallery. Alex continued the gallery as DUVE Berlin.
On his best advice for people starting out in the art world…
"STAMINA. You need a lot of stamina! It takes time to be successful in the art world.
There are so many different factors that can lead to success. Connections are very helpful, as in every business. I think the best way to approach a career in the art world is to work for a big gallery for a few years to understand the business and then move on. Or as I did it, without any gallery experience, to start your gallery with a world class business partner, like Birte Kleemann and lots of stamina! It took many years until I felt I succeeded.”
On the most surprising thing he’s learned as a gallerist…
“Even with the most amazing artists and the most conceptual or hip artist and with the most interesting concepts for an art fair application, it doesn’t necessarily get you into an art fair. Until today, I still haven't understood what the secret is to be admitted to a fair. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about that any more, because I don’t do art fairs any more.“
On his life hacks…
“Well, my whole business concept is a life hack. I live in my gallery.
Until 2017 I had a gallery space and a private home. Since 2019 I’ve lived in an industrial loft and turned my gallery into a salon. The hack? I live in a really cool loft now, save money, and I have new art on my walls 4 times a year for each show… I wake up with the art and go to bed with it.”
On his personal mantra…
“It’s all about karma. You do good things and good things come to you. I don’t fuck off people. That’s my mantra. And: Don’t become an artist or art dealer …Learn something real, become a lawyer or a carpenter, it’s safer!”
Marta Gnyp started her career working as an art advisor. She landed a beautiful, spacious office in Berlin and decided to use the space also for shows. The first show (with Rose Wylie and Zachary Armstrong) was in the GNYP space, after which she realized that she was actually doing gallery work, so changed the name and GNYP Gallery was born.
For her latest show, Marta partnered with the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytatjara (AYP) Art Centre Collective to show vibrantly colorful paintings made by Aboriginal women and men in South Australia. “When we were unrolling the canvas works, you could smell the earth. They use all-natural materials and paint on the ground” Marta explained with a sparkle in her eye. Her passion for supporting artists around the world is evident - anyone lucky enough to work with her knows.
On her best advice for people starting out in the art world…
“An art history degree or enthusiasm for art might help, but is not enough. Art is certainly a big part of being an art professional, but you will also need to spend time on logistics, finance and management. Remember also that most relationships in the art world are transactional.”
On the most surprising thing she’s learned as a gallerist…
“Thomas Schütte once said that you cannot make art, you only can make art happen. The same applies to the gallery work, you cannot force things to happen, really, your job is to create the best conditions in which your plans could happen.”
On her life hacks…
“I try to seek out anything that saves my time: good walking shoes for fairs, gallery visits, etc. And I only travel with hand luggage.”
On her personal mantra…
“This too shall pass.
In the current art world, trends follow each other with enormous speed. Keep cool and do your own thing.”
Silvia and her co-founder Sebastian Klemm met during their studies in Berlin. They quickly realized that they were complimentary in their working styles, but totally aligned in their love and appreciation of contemporary art. After working on a few smaller projects together, they decided to open up their own gallery. That was 15 years ago.
After spending a short amount of time with them, Silvia’s knowledge, charisma and passion for her job was evident in the way she speaks about the art. As she took us through the current exhibition by Bernard Piffaretti, she carefully explained his work, his process, and how he became widely known as “the painter’s painter.” Sebastian joined us later to snap some photos, joking about the idea of having a photoshoot the day after their show opening dinner. Both have a cool confidence that makes you want to spend more time in the space they’ve created in Kreuzberg. Below, Silvia shares her tips as an art world pro:
On her best advice for people starting out in the art world…
“Have your eyes wide open and do not follow the paved ways. Never lose your own perspective, but train your eye by seeing as much as possible. And most importantly: be aware that it’s definitely a marathon and not a sprint.”
On the most surprising thing she’s learned as a gallerist…
“...there’s always another glass-ceiling…”
On her life hacks…
“Always have a pair of sneakers for the (de-)install in your bag. And make sure to not sleep more than three hours after a long night of parties.”
On her personal mantra…
“Stay true to yourself. There’s always a way.”