FOUNDER OF GALERIE THOMAS FUCHS

Kamiar Maleki:

Thomas, tell us a bit about the history of your gallery, when did you open your first space in Stuttgart?

Thomas Fuchs: I started the gallery in 2012 and since 2018 I run it together with my partner Andreas Pucher. We hold exhibitions in our gallery in Stuttgart and participate in art fairs in Germany and internationally. Our program focuses mainly on contemporary figurative and abstract paintings, including artists like Mona Ardeleanu, Rudy Cremonini, TM Davy, Rainer Fetting, Jochen Hein, Ruprecht von Kaufmann and Yongchul Kim. We also represent the estate of American artist Patrick Angus, who died in 1992 at the early age of 38.

KM: What encourages you to support young and mid-career artists?

TF: For us, it is exciting and extremely important to find young and new talents. Together with our collectors we support them and accompany them on their path in the art world. In my opinion, this is one of the most important tasks of a gallery and what sets us apart from other art sectors like auction houses for instance.

KM: Which artist(s) do you represent during your current exhibition?

TF:  We are currently showing Danny Romeril, a young artist from London. This is our first solo exhibition with him and we are very excited. His exhibition Music shop music is inspired by a closed music shop, which he passed during the lockdown. Walking into his solo exhibition is like entering a fictional music shop, which is full of music, while at the same time, none is played. The show is on view October 23 through November 21, 2020.

KM: Have you and your team taken on new measures to attract visitors and collectors during the past months, have you gone online? 

TF:  We have remodeled our website completely to provide more information on our artists and the gallery. We have also added an online showroom. All in all, we have increased our online presence, especially on social media. 

KM: In your opinion, what will change the art market long term after the past months?

TF: In our opinion, much like in other sectors, the pandemic accelerates already existing developments and we noticed an increased interest in artists, who were already in high demand.

KM: We all enjoy the spirit of art fairs, what do you miss most? And are you participating in any upcoming art fairs?

TF: We just returned from Positions Berlin, which took place from September 10–13, 2020. Art fairs do not only have an economic value but are also a place to mingle with collectors, curators, press, colleagues and visitors. It is this diverse personal contact that makes art fairs truly special.

KM: Which advice would you give to the next generation of collectors that are making their first steps into the art world, especially in these current times?

TF: Do your research! Look online and offline for information on artists and artworks and if possible, try to look at the artworks in person. I always buy artworks I like and that truly move me.

KM: When did your relationship with VOLTA start? And how many VOLTA Art Fairs have you participated with us?

TF: Our first VOLTA was in 2016 in New York, where we showed Jochen Hein. Following that, we participated in VOLTA Basel in 2017 and haven’t missed a VOLTA fair since.

KM: What is unique about our fairs? And what do you feel the new ownership/directorship brings to the fair?

TF: VOLTA is always a great place to find new and young but also established artists. The fair has a special spirit, which can essentially be traced back to the VOLTA team. This spirit is carried on by the new ownership/directorship. Notably, they want to progress the fair even during these rather difficult times by establishing VOLTA Miami.

KM: Why do you believe VOLTA will have a strong future ahead and what is it that we can do to further assist galleries like yourselves?

TF: This VOLTA spirit brings hope for a strong future in which we want to participate. We are excited to see what happens next!