In a move that’s bound to shake up the contemporary art world, veteran gallerists Michael Werner and Gordon VeneKlasen have announced their professional partnership will come to an end after an impressive 35-year collaboration. This split marks a significant turning point in the careers of these influential figures, with each planning to forge new paths ahead. The official farewell is set for February 1, 2026, but the story behind this split is rich with history, influence, and some intriguing questions about the future of their respective galleries.
Michael Werner will continue to oversee his renowned gallery bearing his name in Berlin, maintaining his long-standing tradition of championing important modern and contemporary artists. Meanwhile, Gordon VeneKlasen is preparing to launch his own new gallery, aptly named VeneKlasen. This fresh venture will take over the spaces previously occupied by Michael Werner in major art hubs—London, New York, and Los Angeles—signaling a new chapter for both galleries and their artistic rosters.
While both gallerists have yet to disclose the specific artists they plan to represent moving forward, they emphasized their ongoing collaboration on existing artist projects and museum exhibitions featuring the historical artists once championed by Michael Werner. This suggests that, despite the split, their shared dedication to art and artists will continue, albeit in different organizational forms.
Looking back, Michael Werner’s journey in the art world began with the founding of Werner & Katz in Berlin in 1963, before establishing Galerie Michael Werner in Cologne in 1969. Gordon VeneKlasen entered the scene in 1990, initially launching the New York branch, and was named a partner fifteen years later. His influence was instrumental in expanding the gallery’s footprint, leading to the openings in London in 2012 and Los Angeles in 2024—though the Cologne location closed in 2022, and the Athens branch, opened in 2024, quietly shut down after only a few months.
The gallery has built a formidable reputation for representing a stellar roster of German painters and influential artists. Among its most notable figures is Georg Baselitz, who was given his first solo exhibition by Werner. The gallery also counts Jörg Immendorff, Markus Lüpertz, A.R. Penck, and Sigmar Polke among its core represented artists. Beyond this core, it features works by Kai Althoff, Marcel Broodthaers, James Lee Byars, Per Kirkeby, and Don Van Vliet. The gallery’s contemporary roster includes younger talents such as Sanya Kantarovsky, Florian Krewer, Raphaela Simon, and Issy Wood. Its exhibitions often showcase seminal works by art legends like Hans Arp, Joseph Beuys, Peter Doig, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Piero Manzoni, Francis Picabia, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, and Kurt Schwitters.
This transition invites a host of questions about the future direction of these influential galleries and their impact on the art market. Will VeneKlasen’s new venture bring fresh energy and innovative programming to the scene? How will Werner’s continued leadership shape the legacy of his gallery? And perhaps most provocatively—what does this split say about the evolving dynamics of long-standing partnerships in the art world? Share your thoughts—do you see this as a natural evolution, or does it signal deeper shifts in how art institutions operate today?
