Move over Berlin. Cologne is where it’s at when it comes to a vibrant German art scene. In fact, with its numerous commercial and public galleries – not to mention its music and fashion scene – it really does rival the capital’s cultural chutzpah

MENTION COLOGNE, OR Köln, and the first things that come to mind are probably Kölsch beer and Karneval (carnival); maybe also the Kölner Dom, the vast Gothic cathedral towering over the city centre. But art? Few people are aware that the German city boasts hundreds of galleries, museums and independent art spaces – and that it is home to a very happening art scene.

Cologne has long been a significant cultural hot-spot; long before Berlin. It is the birthplace of the world’s oldest art fair, Art Cologne, which was established 42 years ago and still takes place annually every spring. With its close proximity to the renowned Arts Academy in Düsseldorf, which nurtured artists including Joseph Beuys and photographer Andreas Gursky, Cologne has attracted artists from all over the world. From Nam June Paik’s revolutionary Fluxus happenings in the 1960s, which blended different artistic media and disciplines, to John Cage’s first performance of Etude for Piano – it all happened in this central Rhineland city.

When Berlin became Germany’s new capital in the mid- 1990s, Cologne’s reputation as an art destination started to diminish. A growing number of artists left for Berlin, attracted by cheap housing. Once the artists moved in, the hype followed. But now many gallerists predict that once the buzz about Berlin dies down, the art world will focus its gaze back on Cologne.

Things have already started looking up. While some galleries have moved to Berlin, a new wave of artist-led exhibition spaces and young curators has spread new optimism in Cologne. Local gallery owner Linn Lühn told German art magazine Monopol earlier this year: “[In Cologne,] it’s not like in Berlin, where you’re one of many – you have a special position.” Melanie Weidemuller, art editor of Cologne’s listings magazine Kolner Stadtrevue explains: “Berlin may be the new German metropolis but Cologne has different things to offer.”

For the visitor, the huge density of great art galleries and museums located within the small area around the city centre and surrounding quarters also makes it easy to get around.

Just a stone’s throw away from the city centre, between the Aachener Strasse and Venloer Strasse, are the picturesque squares and cosy cafés of the Belgische Viertel (Belgian Quarter). The area takes its title from its streets, which are named after the major cities of its neighbouring country, and are centred around Brüsseler Platz (Brussels Square). A steady influx of new art galleries, record shops, boutiques and bars has quickly turned it into a cool hangout for art students and young designers as well as media types.

The latest addition to the area and the Cologne art scene is the independent Blast gallery, situated at the far end of Venloer Strasse. Run by eight graduates from the local KHM art academy, it promotes contemporary art by young German artists. Of the current art scene here, Blast’s Tim Shearer says: “The Cologne scene is small yet comprised of internationally renowned gallerists, curators and collectors, so you become part of a complex artistic community. We established Blast’s space to support younger artists and experimental projects.”

Every six weeks, Blast organises new exhibitions as well as artist talks, film screenings, concerts and performances. This month it presents an exhibition of young artists from Frankfurt.

Just around the corner, in Moltkestrasse, exhibition and performance space Moltkerei Werkstatt regularly opens its hinterhof (backyard) doors to those who are interested in unconventional performance and installation art rarely seen in traditional art galleries. Founded in 1981 as a non-commercial institution and workshop, it has become a platform for young artists as well as a place for artists and their audiences to meet together.

While pretty art nouveau buildings dominate the heart of the quarter, the plain post-war architecture of many houses and shops which infiltrated the area in the 1950s creates a strong contrast. Eyesores to some, they have been rediscovered by the younger generation and turned into cool retro-bars like the Hallmackenreuther on Brüsseler Platz, and have also given many galleries a unique “Cologne charme”.

Figge von Rosen, one of the leading commercial art galleries situated on Aachener Strasse is one example. Located in what used to be a shop, the design of the space still hints at its former life. Spread over two floors, a wide staircase with handrails in typical utilitarian 1950s’ design leads down to a large second gallery used as a main exhibition space for cutting-edge installations. In a recent exhibition of works by Ulrich Rückriem the entire downstairs space was covered in wallpaper featuring the artist’s minimalist black-and-white graphic designs.

Galerie Christian Nagel, situated on the slightly grubby outer edges of the quarter on Richard Wagner Strasse, is housed within the walls of a former supermarket. With its low ceiling, wooden floors and plain white walls, the space is a strange mix of intimate showroom and cool white-cube gallery. Founded in 1990, it presents works by international established artists working in various media. Since 2002, Nagel also represents a younger generation, including graffiti artist Kalin Lindena and painter Andreas Diefenbach. (Watch out for the black-and-white poppy gallery sign on the outside wall by Austrian artist Heimo Zobernig.)

Between the Belgian Quarter and the city centre lies the Kölnischer Kunstverein (Art Association of Cologne). Founded in 1839, it is one of the oldest art institutions in Germany and fosters contemporary art by international artists. And with Kathrin Jentjens and Anja Nathan-Dorn as new young curators, its finger is firmly on the pulse of contemporary culture. It is located in the Brücke, the former headquarters of the British Council, built in 1950 by Wilhelm Riphahn who also designed the Cologne Opera House. Besides gallery spaces and workshops, it also houses a cinema and theatre, and runs film screenings and lectures. This month, the Kunstverein presents an exhibition by influential Cologne artist Michael Krebber, who was recently featured in an exhibition at Tate Liverpool.

While the new wave of art galleries and artist-led spaces are mainly in and around the Belgian Quarter, more established galleries and art museums are located within the city centre around Ehrenstrasse and the Cologne Cathedral. With its mix of trendy clothes shops, bars and cafés, Ehrenstrasse has become a popular alternative to such touristy shopping streets as Breite Strasse or Schildergasse. In the quaint, cobblestoned side streets, you’ll find a mix of fine art galleries, bookshops, antiques stores and small boutiques, comparable to the London art gallery enclave of Cork Street. Gisela Capitain in St Apern Strasse and Daniel Buchholz in the nearby Neven Du Mont Strasse are two of the leading galleries. While both gallerists have decided to open project spaces in Berlin this year, their headquarters remain in Cologne. With well-known names like Cuban artist Jorge Pardo and painter Martin Kippenberger, Capitain showcases internationally established artists, but also presents German pioneers like Günther Förg whose abstract work will be exhibited this month. Buchholz’s intimate gallery space is tucked away behind his antiquarian bookshop near the German broadcasting house WDR. Don’t be misled by the stuffy shop with its old leather-bound books. Far from old-fashioned, it champions works by contemporary artists including photographer Wolfgang Tillmans and Jutta Koether.

Closer to the city centre – between the Cathedral, the River Rhine and the main railway station – lies the well-known Museum Ludwig. Founded in 1976, it houses an impressive range of 20th-century and contemporary art, including the biggest collection of pop art outside the USA, including Andy Warhol’s famous Brillo boxes, and it also owns several hundred works by Pablo Picasso.

It is also worth venturing to the outskirts of Cologne, to peaceful Südstadt, which is only a short tram ride away and home to the well-known Sprüth Magers gallery which also has spaces in London and Munich, as well as new independent art spaces Neues Kunstforum and Simultanhalle. And if you need a break from treading concrete, the Skulpturenpark (Sculpture Park) near Cologne Zoo offers an impressive collection of contemporary sculpture by artists from Jenny Holzer to Thomas Scheibitz, set in a peaceful, idyllic green space.

Twin Town
Twin brothers Gert and Uwe Tobias (pictured from left), 34, are two of Cologne’s most exciting up-and-coming artists. The Romanian-born duo create largescale woodcuts, drawings and ceramic sculptures which are often combined in multimedia installations. The vivid colours and playful graphic compositions of their work are inspired by a wide range of sources, from historical art movements like constructivism to Eastern European folk tales and Hollywood horror films. Their fantastical gouaches and woodcuts have been exhibited in art galleries worldwide, including a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York earlier this year. Untitled, 2008, by Gert and Uwe Tobias.
Cologne, see Gert and Uwe Tobias’s work at Galerie Michael Janssen, 14-16 Norbertstrasse, +49 (0)221 130 0830; www.galeriemichaeljanssen.de

Little Black Book of cutting edge culture in Cologne:

• Museum Ludwig, 1 Bischofsgartenstrasse, Cologne, +49 (0)221 2212 6165; www.museum-ludwig.de
  Tues, Wed, Thur, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm, Fri 11am-6pm
• Kölnischer Kunstverein, Die Brücke, 6 Hahnenstrasse, Cologne, +49 (0)221 217 021; www.koelnischerkunstverein.de
  Tue-Fri 1-7pm, Sat & Sun 11am-6pm
• Artothek, 50 Am Hof, Cologne, +49 (0)221 2212 2332; www.museenkoeln.de
  Mon-Thur 1-7pm, Fri 10am-5pm
• Moltkerei Werkstatt, 8 Moltkestrasse, Cologne, +49 (0)221 739 1994; www.moltkerei.de
  Mon-Fri 3-6pm, Sat 1-3pm
• Blast Project Space, 24 Venloer Strasse, Cologne, email info@b-l-a-s-t.de
  , Fri 6-8pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm
• Skulpturenpark (Sculpture Park), Riehler Strasse (entrance); www. skulpturenparkkoeln.de
  April-Sept 10.30am-7pm, Oct-Mar 10.30am-5pm (free)
• Sprüth Magers, 23 Wormser Strasse, +49 (0)221 380 415/6; www.spruethmagers.com
  Tue-Fri 10am-1pm & 3-6pm, Sat 11am-4pm
• Galerie Christian Nagel, 28 Richard Wagner Strasse, Cologne, +49 (0)221 257 0591; www.galerie-nagel.de
  Mon-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 11am-6pm
• Galerie Daniel Buchholz, 17 Neven DuMont Strasse, Cologne, +49 (0)221 257 4946; www.galeriebuchholz.de
  Tue-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 11am-4pm
• Galerie Gisela Capitain, 20-26 St Apern Strasse, Cologne, +49 (0)221 3557 0100; www.galerie-capitain.de
  Tue-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 11am-6pm
• Linn Lühn, 19 Lindenstrasse, Cologne, +49 (0)221 397 6900; www.linnluehn.com
  Tue-Fri 2-6pm, Sat 11am-4pm
• Figge von Rosen Galerie, 65 Aachener Strasse, Cologne, +49 (0)221 2705 6840; www.figgevonrosen.com
  Tue-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 12noon-5pm
• Neues Kunstforum Köln, 1 Alteburger Wall, Cologne, +49 (0)221 344 400; www.neues-kunstforum.com
  Wed-Sun 2-6pm
• Simultanhalle, 209-211 Volkhovener Weg, Cologne, +49 (0)176 5402 4168; www.simultanhalle.de
  Sat & Sun 2-6pm
• Hallmackenreuther, 9 Brüsseler Platz, Cologne, +49 (0)221 517 970.
  Mon-Sun 11am-1am

Borrow a Masterpiece
A secret gem among Cologne’s art spaces, hidden in the shadow of the Museum Ludwig and the cathedral, is the Artothek, an art lending library founded in 1973. This 15th-century burgher’s house is home to an astonishing collection of around 1,400 contemporary art works by international and Cologne artists. Anybody, from student to businessperson, can borrow a work of art for up to 10 weeks. For a lending fee of only €6, an original Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali or David Shrigley could adorn your livingroom wall or conference room. The Artothek also hosts regular performances and exhibitions in its unusual space with a mezzanine floor, which makes it possible to view events from above.