BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

Caroline Vos

Director at Amsterdam Art Weekend

Caroline Vos, 2018. Photo by Mathijs Immink
Caroline Vos, 2018. Photo by Mathijs Immink

Tell us a bit about the history of Amsterdam Art Weekend.

Over the past seven years, it's grown into Amsterdam’s most important annual contemporary art event. With more than 45,000 visitors, fifty-plus locations and a unique program, it's a key meeting place for the international art world. This year, it’s taking place from the 22nd to the 25th November 2018.

As director of the weekend, how do you ensure that it stays current and contemporary in a fast-paced art market?

Ever since the beginning, Amsterdam Art Weekend has worked very closely with the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, which holds RijksakademieOPEN as part of the event. This is the only time of year when the outside world gets a glimpse behind the scenes of residents' studios.
The fact that the academy is located in Amsterdam is hugely important to the city's artistic climate. It attracts talented artists, and encourages them to stay here and develop their careers working with leading galleries and museums.

Gallery night at Galerie Fons Felters, Amsterdam Art Weekend 2017. Photo: Almichael Fray. Opening ’Ten Parts’ by Dustin Yellin at GRIMM , Amsterdam Art Weekend 2017. Photo: Maarten Nauw
Gallery night at Galerie Fons Felters, Amsterdam Art Weekend 2017. Photo: Almichael Fray. Opening ’Ten Parts’ by Dustin Yellin at GRIMM , Amsterdam Art Weekend 2017. Photo: Maarten Nauw

Is there something in this year's program that you’re particularly looking forward to?

Apart from the first-ever Amsterdam Art X ArtReview Conference, and the gallery openings, I'm especially looking forward to Ryoji Ikeda’s live performance at the Eye Filmmuseum. The regular performance on Friday November 23rd sold out in no time, which shows how important this is to the city.

What do the artworks being presented at this year's Art Weekend reveal about current market trends?

I’m very pleased that so many of the participating galleries and institutions are focusing on the issue that we're tackling at the ArtReview conference. How will the debate about decolonizing museums, and opening up the canon to non-western and neglected art histories, shape contemporary art institutions, artistic practice, and the market?

How do you select the participating galleries?

Each year, we get an overwhelming number of applications from galleries wanting to take part in Amsterdam Art Weekend. Fortunately, we have an invitation committee of gallery owners and independent curators who help us to make the selection, based on a number of criteria.

Amsterdam Art Weekend 2017. Photo: Maarten Nauw
Amsterdam Art Weekend 2017. Photo: Maarten Nauw
Opening ’Ten Parts’ by Dustin Yellin, Grimm at Amsterdam Art Weekend 2017. Photo: Maarten Nauw
Opening ’Ten Parts’ by Dustin Yellin, Grimm at Amsterdam Art Weekend 2017. Photo: Maarten Nauw

What advice do you have for collectors attending Amsterdam Art Weekend?

The great thing about Amsterdam Art Weekend is that, unlike art fairs for example, you can see high-quality exhibitions at your own pace and in their own context. That's an unusual situation, and you can benefit from it as a collector. Take your time, stroll around the city, and enjoy all the special places we've chosen for you.

In addition to Amsterdam Art Weekend, are there any other exhibitions or events on your must-see list?

Apart from all the galleries and special exhibitions and programs at major institutions, there are always hidden gems. For example, there’s an inspiring program on Saturday evening at Framer Framed, an art book fair at Looiersgracht 60, and a number of special performance events.

More Information on Amsterdam Art Weekend

Insiders (67)

Wilhelmina Jewell Strong - Sparks

Founder of BiTHOUSE Projects - BAAR Art Journey

MATTHIAS ARNDT

Collector behind the ARNDT Collection

Sandra Guimarães

Director of Museum of Contemporary Art Helga de Alvear

Grazyna Kulczyk

Founder of Muzeum Susch

THE FAIREST

Interview with Georgie Pope and Eleonora Sutter, Co-founders

Kamiar Maleki

Director at VOLTA

Gallery Weekend Berlin 2022

Tokini Peterside

Founder and Director, ART X Lagos

Poka-Yio

Founding Director of the Athens Biennale

Boris Ondreička

Artistic Director of viennacontemporary

Maribel Lopez

Director of ARCO

David Gryn

Founder and Director of Daata

Fondation Beyeler Audiovisual Broadcast

Fondation Beyeler and Nordstern Basel present Dixon x Transmoderna

Gary Yeh

Founder of ArtDrunk and Young Collector

WATCH: The Best of the BMW Art Guide

Where will you travel next to explore art?

Maike Cruse

2020 Gallery Weekend Berlin

Touria El Glaoui

Founding Director of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair

Johann König

Messe in St. Agnes

PArt - Producers Art Platform

A crisis initiative to help artists directly affected by the pandemic

Barbara Moore

CEO of Biennale of Sydney

Unique Collector’s Item

by Independent Collectors

Alix Dana

Fair Director at Independent

When Collectors are Able to Commission

by Nicole Büsing and Heiko Klaas

Juliet Kothe and Julia Rust

Initiators of Collection Night, Berlin

Marie-Anne McQuay

Curator of Wales in Venice, 58th Venice Biennale 2019

Dorothy and Herb Vogel

Two extraordinary art collectors

Heather Hubbs

Director at NADA

Every Art Collection Needs Space

by Nicole Büsing and Heiko Klaas

Collecting Art with François Pinault

Rudolf Stingel at Palazzo Grassi

A Common Ground

by Silvia Anna Barrilà

Hidden Collections

by Nicole Büsing and Heiko Klaas

Nicole Berry

Executive Director of The Armory Show

Daniel Hug

Fair Director at Art Cologne

The Role of the Art Fair

by Silvia Anna Barrilà

Peter Bläuer

Director at LISTE

A Brush Against Nature

by Nicole Büsing and Heiko Klaas

Ilaria Bonacossa

Director of Artissima

Excessiveness, the Latent Danger of Collecting Art

by Independent Collectors

Jo Stella-Sawicka

Artistic Director at Frieze

Florence Bourgeois

Director at Paris Photo

Where Artists Can Work More Playfully

by Christiane Meixner

Specifically Commissioned

by Silvia Anna Barrilà

Manuela Mozo

Executive Director of UNTITLED, ART Miami and San Francisco

Important Museums and Private Collections

by Christiane Meixner

Susanna Corchia

Director of the Barcelona Gallery Weekend

Emilia van Lynden

Artistic Director at Unseen, Amsterdam

Carlos Urroz

Director at ARCOmadrid

Shoe Smudges Streaked Across the White Walls

by Christiane Meixner

Amanda Coulson

Director at VOLTA Basel

Douwe Cramer

Director at Singapore Contemporary

Art and Architecture – Attractive Allies

by Nicole Büsing and Heiko Klaas

Jo Baring

Curator of Sculpture Series, Masterpiece London

Bidders and Buyers

by Christiane Meixner

Anne Vierstraete

Managing Director at Art Brussels

Nanna Hjortenberg

Director at CHART

The Crucial Role of the New

by Independent Collectors

Makers and Believers

On Art History’s Most Famous Patrons

The Past is Back

And collectors are buying it up

Are Artists the Better Curators?

On the diminishing boundary between professions in the art world

The Digital Museum

On the importance of the museum’s web presence

The Man in the Middle

On the curator’s private and public engagements

A Private Matter?

On the importance of physical space for the value of art

Off the Wall

How museums contribute to the worth of artworks

Where to Go Next?

The fragmentation of Manhattan’s gallery scene

To Buy or Not to Buy

Collectors on their experiences of letting an artwork slip away

How to Pass On a Passion

On long-term challenges for new private museums