The 59th edition of ART COLOGNE closed on Sunday 8 November, ending four days at Koelnmesse in Cologne. The fair, founded in 1967 and billed as the world's oldest fair for modern and contemporary art, brought together 164 galleries and dealers from 22 countries, including 47 exhibitors taking part for the first time or returning after a long absence.

Galleries reported major sales during the fair's opening days, and organisers described a positive atmosphere among dealers and visitors. Cologne's mayor, Torsten Burmester, toured the fair with organisers, and Spanish partners of the fair's Palma de Mallorca offshoot visited Cologne during the week. The federal culture minister, Wolfram Weimer, also attended the opening on 5 November and spoke at the fair.

Alongside the main gallery presentations, the fair ran its NEW POSITIONS programme, giving 18 up-and-coming artists their own sponsored booths, and a series of focused artist presentations. Special exhibitions looked at the LBBW Collection and the ZADIK archive, while another strand of the supporting programme examined the art trade between East and West Germany before reunification.

The presentations spanned the fair's sections, from established modern masters in the main GALLERIES sector to young galleries in NEUMARKT and joint presentations in COLLABORATIONS, alongside design in ART + OBJECT. The strong close comes as the German art market's flagship fair looks ahead to its next steps, including a second edition of ART COLOGNE PALMA MALLORCA, scheduled for 1 to 4 April 2027. For Cologne itself, the 2026 edition reinforced the fair's long-running mix of post-war and contemporary positions with a substantial intake of younger galleries and first-time exhibitors.