Gallery
We specialize in buying and selling art globally. For over 40 years we have been providing our international clients with our expertise as consultants and intermediaries in all areas of the art market.
Art. Tradition. Passion
We are building a diverse programme which focuses on crucial milestones in art history: these include important artists from German Impressionism, Expressionism, post-war art, as well as selected contemporary positions.
Twice a year we present new acquisitions from our programme, as well as up to four temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary artists, in our three floor gallery. Our exhibitions are accompanied by detailed catalogues with scholarly contributions by renowned art historians. In addition, the gallery participates in up to eight international art fairs per year.
Where to find us.
In addition to our Düsseldorf gallery, you now have the opportunity to meet us at an art fair eight times a year. Digital distribution channels are also becoming increasingly important in our business. Nevertheless, direct contact with our customers and the joint viewing of artworks is very important to us.
We are convinced that art thrives on direct experiences. Therefore, we have been representing our gallery for you in Germany at Art Cologne, Munich Highlights, Cologne Fine Art & Design and Art Karlsruhe. Abroad you will find us at TEFAF Maastricht, Masterpiece London, Armory Show in New York and Art Miami. Thanks to our continuous presence at these trade fairs, our international network of renowned collectors, experts and curators is constantly growing; an essential aspect for the successful presentation of an art work.
Our contribution to the cultural landscape.
As a lender of important art historical works, we have participated in important museum exhibitions throughout our existence. In 2018 alone, we were able to lend more than 50 works from our program to museums. The latest highlights of our museum loan system include "Making Van Gogh" (Städel Museum, Frankfurt); "Zero is infinity" (Yayoi Kusama Museum, Tokyo); "Gabriele Münter. Malen ohne Umschweife" (Museum Ludwig, Cologne; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk); "Alexej von Jawlensky" (Kunstmuseum Den Haag); "Fremde Götter" (Leopold Museum, Vienna) or "Max Liebermann. Pioneers of Modernism" (Hamburger Kunsthalle). Collaborations such as these are profitable in every respect: while the exhibits receive increased attention and scientific recognition through institutional framing, the museum also receives direct enrichment with a free loan.
Please feel free to contact us about future projects. We would be delighted to support your project to the best of our ability.
Galerie Ludorff is an active member of the following associations:
Our Philosophy.
The global art market is subject to constant changes, to which we as a globally active gallery, have always responded to quickly and flexibly. New technologies, digital communication and distribution channels, as well as the needs of an increasing international customer base, are the driving forces behind our growth. Despite the high level of innovation, as a second generation family business we also feel committed to continuity:
Since 1975, Galerie Ludorff has stood for the consistency of a high quality programme. Works of German Impressionism, Expressionism and Classic Modernism form the foundation of the gallery's programme. The collection of post-war art and the presentation of selected contemporary positions remains just as important to us today.
Tradition and innovation do not necessarily contradict each other in art: against the backdrop of what has already been established, we find that confrontation with the new is a great enrichment. In light of 40-plus years of success in our company history, we are convinced both yesterday and today that we are on the right track with this philosophy.
History
Rainer M. Ludorff laid the foundation for Galerie Ludorff's success in the late 1960s, with his early awakened passion for collecting. His entrepreneurial spirit and a good eye for the special quality and value of art, proved to be decisive factors in the establishment of a top-class private collection of Expressionist works. After many years of intensive collecting, Galerie Ludorff was finally founded in 1975. At the gallery's opening exhibition the private collection's inventory was to be sold. This was not an easy decision, but one with foresight and conviction.
Today, Galerie Ludorff is one of the leading galleries in the international art market. In 2009, his son Manuel Ludorff joined the company, and together they strategically expanded the gallery's programme, and progressively internationalized their successful business. Galerie Ludorff currently presents up to six gallery exhibitions each year, for which elaborate catalogues are published. In addition, the gallery is present at up to eight international art fairs per year.