Why Berlin’s Wentrup Gallery Chose Venice for Its First International Location | Artsy (2024)

Apr 8, 2024 5:45PM

A horse stable, a textile factory, an old villa, and a post office: Berlin-based Tina and Jan Wentrup have called each of these venues “home” for their gallery Wentrup over the last two decades. Together, the couple has demonstrated a flair for experimentation and a keen eye for unconventional architectural spaces, qualities that shine through in their latest, inaugural international space in Venice, scheduled to open during the Venice Biennale.

“Artists are not really inspired by white cubes anymore,” said Tina, speaking to Artsy on a video call as the couple toured their new Venice location, the former studio of Italian fashion designer Giuliana Camerino. The approach, through a palazzo garden dotted with sculptures by Marion Verboom and Gerold Miller, leads to a stunning multi-room space illuminated by skylights. For the Wentrups, the historical ambiance is an inspiring venue for contemporary art, and here, the duo hopes to carve out a new, refreshing space for collectors and artists that balances the worlds of commercial and non-commercial art.

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Tina and Jan will inaugurate Wentrup Venezia on April 16th with a group opening, “Capriccio,” featuring the works of Mary Ramsden, Anastasia Samoylova, Marion Verboom, and Enzo Cucchi. The gallerists purposefully mixed artists from their roster, such as Verboom, Ramsden, and Samoylova, with Cucchi—a key member of the 1970s Italian Transavanguardia movement—to usher in a cross-city dialogue between the Italian city and the Berlin homestay. This event will coincide with the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, which runs from April 20th through 24th.

An international location had been a regular topic of conversation for Jan and Tina. Traditional, denser commercial art capitals such as London or Paris were eschewed. “If you look at Paris right now, there are so many galleries in Paris, and the competition is so high,” Jan said. On the other hand, Venice, despite its historical standing as an art capital, still has a limited number of commercial galleries. “You have great institutions, you have great museums, you have great private foundations, you have great Italian galleries here, but there are not that many international galleries, while there is an international art crowd coming to Venice regularly,” he added.

The choice of Venice also felt like a natural step for the gallery’s programming trajectory. In 2021, it launched Wentrup am Feenteich, a temporary project-based space in an Art Nouveau villa in Hamburg, a deliberate divergence from the traditional gallery context. The move would lay the groundwork for the foray into Venice, which offers a stage where the gallery can present its artists internationally without the pressures often in other cities. It strikes a balance for the gallery and its artists, where the pace generates thoughtful creativity, and the reach is widespread.

“We were so warmly welcomed here by the local galleries and institutions,” Jan noted. “This is something we don’t experience that much in other cities, and I think this is the atmosphere of Venice. Venice really slows things down. Navigating the city takes time.”

Wentrup’s roots trace back to 2004, when Jan arrived in Berlin and became captivated by its international and youthful arts community. After navigating the local network of emerging artists, he established the commercial gallery the same year, and by 2006, Tina pivoted from her career in theater and performing arts to join the gallery full-time. The Venice branch will mark the gallery’s third location alongside two Berlin branches.

Throughout their two decades as gallerists, Tina and Jan are committed to the long-term future of their artists. Despite the gallery’s expansion, it has maintained a close-knit roster of 22 artists, many of whom it has grown alongside. “We’re really interested in the person, in the artist, and in seeing the potential to work on it and to loyally accompany the whole career, not just a short period,” Tina said. In the gallery’s early days, Jan began working with Gregor Hildebrandt, who most recently held his ninth solo exhibition with the gallery, “Ein Wimpernschlag und hinter uns die Stunden,” in 2022. “Art is so much more than just a selling point,” she added. Another example is the Turkish German artist Nevin Aladağ, who joined the gallery through a colleague of Tina’s theater days. In their decade-long relationship, the gallerists have seen her grow into a star, with features in the Venice Biennale and Documenta 2017.

Cases such as Hildebrandt and Aladağ are not isolated examples, either. The gallery’s consistently high-profile yet highly tailored roster features the likes of Hicham Berrada, John McAllister, and Sophie von Hellermann, while its penchant for young, experimental artists has carved a tastemaking niche in Berlin. This month, as it opens a new chapter in its journey from Berlin to Venice, Wentrup’s approach remains steadfast—regardless of geography.

“Whether it’s Berlin, Hamburg, Venice—and it will probably be some other cities in the future—it’s about us creating a different mood. And that doesn’t depend on the city. It’s just us,” Tina said.