A kunsthalle is an exhibition institution without a permanent collection that stages changing exhibitions, most often of contemporary art. For artists, a show at a renowned kunsthalle is a strong signal that curators, collectors and the market all follow.

Institutions, surveys and fairs

Kunsthalle

What is a kunsthalle?

A kunsthalle (German, literally an art hall) is an exhibition institution that as a rule owns no collection and, instead of a permanent display, stages changing temporary exhibitions, most often of contemporary art. Free from the duty of caring for a store of holdings, it can respond nimbly to whatever is happening in the art world right now. The curator here is therefore more of a director than a keeper. The model was born in the German-speaking countries and today you will find it all over Europe.

When and where did the first kunsthalles appear?

The roots go back to the nineteenth century, when art associations built halls for exhibitions. Kunsthalle Basel, opened in 1872 on the initiative of Basel's art societies, is Switzerland's oldest institution for contemporary art. Kunsthalle Bern is the stuff of legend: Harald Szeemann ran it from 1961 to 1969, and in 1969 he staged When Attitudes Become Form there, regarded as the birth of conceptual art. A Czech connection? Galerie Rudolfinum, revived in 1994, describes itself as a non-collecting institution of the kunsthalle type. Kunsthalle Praha opened in 2022 in the former Zenger transformer station, though unlike the classic model it is building a collection.

Why is a kunsthalle important for artists and the market?

A kunsthalle is one of the places where it is decided who will become a star in art, long before the name appears at auction. Exhibitions at major institutions and kunsthalles, ideally non-commercial ones, carry more weight because the selection is purely curatorial and nothing is for sale. A solo show at a renowned kunsthalle goes into an artist's exhibition history and is followed by museum curators, gallerists and collectors alike.

How can you visit and follow a kunsthalle?

Exhibitions change several times a year, so it pays to follow the programme and keep coming back. In Prague, head to Galerie Rudolfinum and to Kunsthalle Praha in the Lesser Town. If you are travelling to the fair in Basel, stop by Kunsthalle Basel as well. Notice whom kunsthalles exhibit, and write the names down. Isn't this the cheapest school for a collector's eye?

— Anna Pulkertová, founder of Art Part Club