The world’s longest-running art fair, Art Cologne, is heading back to the Balearic Islands. Nearly two decades after its first (and fleeting) Spanish outing, the fair is reviving its Mallorca edition this month, betting that the island’s art scene has finally caught up with its reputation as a travel hotspot.
The new fair, Art Cologne Palma Mallorca, will take place from 9 to 12 April at the Palau de Congressos de Palma. The fair first staged a Spanish edition in 2007, but the project faltered after its initial run.
“Mallorca was very different at that point in time,” says the fair’s director, Daniel Hug. “The art scene had a couple of galleries that were internationally active, but for the most part, it was missing young galleries.”
The revival came after an approach about two and a half years ago from Art Palma Contemporani, the island’s association of contemporary galleries. In the intervening years, Mallorca’s cultural ecosystem has grown considerably, alongside its rising status as a luxury destination.
“What made it different is there’s also a new generation of younger galleries—like Galería Fermay, Florit Florit and La Bibi + Reus—that really define the art ecosystem on the island,” Hug says.
Art Cologne director Daniel Hug in front of Palau de Congressos de Palma, designed by the renowned architect Francisco Mangado. The convention centre will host this year’s Mallorca fair © AConecta
The wider Balearic region has also seen an influx of international players. Hauser & Wirth operates a space in Menorca, while galleries such as Gathering and Parra & Romero have opened in Ibiza. Mallorca itself hosts established commercial galleries including Baró Galeria, Kewenig, Pelaires and Xavier Fiol.
Over a third of galleries are Spanish
Of the 88 galleries participating in Art Cologne Palma Mallorca, 32 are from Spain, nearly half of them based in Mallorca, alongside 26 from Germany and a wide international contingent from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the UK, the US and Eastern Europe.
“I think people were quite surprised when we released our exhibitor list,” Hug says. “They expected Art Cologne to create a German fair on Mallorca. And what we did was create a Spanish fair.”
For Hug, the island ticks all the boxes for a good fair. It has a strong local art scene, plenty of hotels and sunny but moderate weather in April. Mallorca sits within a three-hour flight of most major western European cities, with particularly strong links to Germany—whose visitors are so numerous that the island is sometimes referred to as the country’s “17th state”.
“It’s basically fertile ground for an art fair,” Hug says. “You have all the elements and the strong art ecosystem that you need in order to have a viable art fair on a local level, and also on a pan-European level.”
The Palma fair will be organised into two sections. Gran Saló follows a classic art-fair layout, while Parkour offers a more experimental format, encouraging galleries to move beyond traditional stand presentations.
If the first Mallorca edition was premature, the organisers are confident the island is now ready for its return. In April, collectors may find that Europe’s newest art fair stop is also one of its sunniest.
