Christine König Galerie
Christine König Galerie was founded in 1989 in Vienna.
The gallery represents a variety of internationally recognized artists and
works simultaneously with a decidedly younger generation of upcoming artists.
The gallery’s program and its selection of the artists reflects the central
concerns of Christine König: Politics and activism, feminism, literature, as
well as post-conceptual approaches.
In the last decades art has become a dominant field of action and
discourse. Visual arts can help develop an understanding for socio-political and
cultural processes of change. In a highly stimulating and productive climate,
galleries have assumed the role of intermediaries, making a preliminary
selection and using their intellectual resources in a responsible way to back
and promote certain positions and artists vis-à-vis collectors.
An important
focus of the gallery is entering into a dialogue with the public and engaging
in art discourse: Until 2006 artists, curators, architects and philosophers
talked about their work in weekly Lunch Lectures, since 2008 this tradition has
been continued in the CONVERSATION
series, taking place in irregular intervals.
Together with three other galleries, Christine König
changed its location to Schleifmühlgasse in 1999. Along with Eschenbachgasse
and Seilerstätte, Schleifmühlgasse has become one of the central sites for
contemporary art in Vienna. The gallery is located in the immediate vicinity of
the Secession, Kunsthalle Karlsplatz, Wien Museum, Museumsquartier and
Naschmarkt.
KOENIG2
by_robbygreif opened in 2017 as the gallery's new project space just around the corner of the main space and is focused on young and experimental positions. Its main criterion being, that artists who have never before exhibited in Vienna create a site-specific installation for the almost square room. It is only open by appointment, but 24 hours illuminated and visible.
Ever since its founding, the gallery has participated
in the leading international art fairs (e.g. ARCOmadrid, artgenève, Artissima, artmonte-carlo, Art Basel, art berlin, Art Brussels, ART COLOGNE, Art Dubai, Code Art Fair, cosmoscow, Independent Brussels, The Armory Show, viennacontemporary). Artists of the gallery are regularly featured in
exhibitions such as documenta, Manifesta or the Biennials in Venice, Berlin or
Moscow. The gallery has placed works in the collections of the most important
Austrian museums (mumok, Albertina, Belvedere, Wien Museum or Museum der
Moderne Salzburg), the collections of prestigious international institutions
(such as MoMA, Tate Modern, Reina Sofia, Centre Pompidou, Moderna Museet), as
well as in numerous private collections all over the world.