Art week and gallery inspiration
Want to be inspired or challenged by art? Want to see the work of established and emerging artists under one roof?
Or maybe you just want something to do on a rainy afternoon. If so, we have a list of art galleries and exhibitions to get you started, but first, Art Week.
Luxembourg Art Week – 11-13 November
Dedicated to contemporary art produced internationally and in Luxembourg, this large-scale exhibition, which started in 2015, is the brainchild of the Agence Luxembourgeoise d'Action Culturelle, the Cercle Artistique de Luxembourg and ArtComptemporain.lu, and is supported by the Ville de Luxembourg, the Ministry of Culture, and numerous galleries.
For its eighth edition, some 80 galleries for established and emerging artists, together with artist collectives, will be taking part at the fair's location at Glacis Square. There will be new spaces dedicated to talks and conferences, catering from two food trucks, and a restaurant by Kaempff-Kohler.
The main section brings together a selection of established contemporary art galleries representing internationally renowned artists with 49 exhibitors. The Take Off section features young emerging galleries, artist collectives and artist-run spaces, whilst the Solo section allow galleries to highlight the work of 6 artists.
Visitors can stop for lunch or a coffee amidst a series of monumental works by French artist Adrien Vescovi. The exhibitions will be open on 11 November from 11.00 to 18.00, 12 November from 11.00 to 19.30, and 13 November from 10.30 to 18.00.
Salon du Cercle Artistique de Luxembourg is an annual exhibition of contemporary art from Luxembourg housed at Tramsschapp also in Limpertsberg. It will take place from 12-27 November showcasing emerging artists whose work can be purchased.
Villa Vauban
Like your art to be at least 100 years old (preferably from the 17th to 19th centuries)? Then Villa Vauban, set in lovely gardens on Avenue Emile Reuter, is the place for you. Regular guided tours are complemented by themed ones and family tours and workshops. You can find out more about their permanent and temporary exhibitions here. Traditionalists can stick with the Collection of Old Masters with a focus on Dutch painting from the Golden Age and 19th Century French history and landscape painting. Open Wednesday to Monday from 10.00 to 18.00, entrance costs €5 for those aged 21 years and over, but entry on Friday from 18.00 to 21.00 is free.
Casino Luxembourg – Forum of Contemporary Art
The Casino Luxembourg runs an international programme that features younger-generation contemporary artists. There's a projection room for videos and an area dedicated to adult and children's workshops, as well as a Peruvian cafe restaurant in case all that exposure to art makes you hungry for ceviche. Temporary exhibition space allows the Casino to run themed exhibitions and host music.
It considers itself an "experimental think tank", so it's the place to go if you want to brush up on the latest trends in the art scene. It also runs some fantastic kids workshops, guided tours every Thursday at 19.00 and Sunday at 15.00, and for parents with babies, a morning tour once a month. For the agenda, click here. Admission is free, and it's open Wednesday to Monday 11.00 until 19.00 and late on Thursdays (until 21.00).
MUDAM
Up on the edge of the Kirchberg Plateau, the Museum of Modern Art strives to cover every discipline of contemporary art from across the world. The collection of 700 works of art in all media includes some 54 commissioned pieces. Tours can be taken in English, and there are MUDAMINI tours and workshops for children aged 3-12 years and Art Freak for those aged 13 years plus. There's a cafe if you need to reflect on your appreciation of modern art.
National Museum of History and Art
Luxembourgers know that all the country's artists are hidden away on the top floor of this museum, which prefers to show the better-known works of William Turner and Jan Brueghel in the Old Masters collection. But you can take one-hour tours of both collections, and one for modern and contemporary art including work by René Magritte. There are also excellent themed temporary exhibitions that often include works borrowed from international galleries, in addition to workshops for adults and children. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00, and until 20.00 on Thursdays, admission is free to the permanent collection and €7 per adult or €10 for a family ticket for temporary exhibitions.
Galerie Clairefontaine
In Place Clairefontaine and on Rue de St Esprit, this gallery, founded by Dr. Marita Ruiter in 1988, started out with Austrian modern painters like Gustav Klimt but now exhibits international contemporary painting, sculpture and photography in its two spaces. This gallery also runs the annual Luxembourg photo festival Photomeetings Luxembourg. Its vibrant collection includes portraits and reportages by Gisèle Freund. The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 14.30 to 18.30 and on Saturdays from 10.00 t0 17.00.
Valerius Art Gallery
Supporting numerous artists with regularly changing exhibitions, this gallery covers photography, modern sculpture and African contemporary and tribal art. It's open Tuesday to Saturday 10.00 to 18.00. You'll find it at 1 Place du Théâtre in the city.
CultureInside Gallery
This is the sort of art and photography I love. Easy to appreciate but with a sense of humour (see Thierry Bruet). Works are selected by director Gila Paris and her board of curators and focus on international art from the previous and current century. If you have a big enough stash of cash under your bed, you can even purchase an artwork. At 8 rue Notre-Dame, it's open Tuesday 14.30 to 18.00, Wednesday to Friday from 12.00 to 18.00, and Saturday 11.00 to 18.00.
Rotondes – Bonnevoie
Rotondes has some unusual gallery space such as the glass cube at the entrance to Rotonde 2, where it exhibits emerging artists through its visual arts programme that includes urban and graphic art, and LOOP, which shows video projections. The SPOT features artists' installations that are fun and interactive, and Rotondes runs a Young Creators event every three years. You can view the diary of visual art events and exhibitions here.
Am Tunnel
A gallery in a tunnel located in part of the underground casemates of Luxembourg. Now owned by BCEE bank, it exhibits mainly contemporary Luxembourgish artists and a permanent collection by Edward Steichen. It's open Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 17.30 and on Sundays from 14.00 to 18.00.
Reuter Bausch Art Gallery
The newest addition to the art scene in the city at 14 rue Notre-Dame, this gallery will bring together artists from all walks of life, both local and international, with opening exhibitions featuring Ugo Li, Pit Riewer and Valentin van der Meulen.
Konschthal Esch
A new contemporary art space in Esch-sur-Alzette that opened in early October. Housed in a former furniture store, the transformation to create 2,400sqm of space is still ongoing, but there is some exhibition space dedicated to the theme "transformation". Open Friday to Sunday 11.00 to 18.00 and later on Thursday, you will find current exhibitions listed here.
Steichen collections
Head to Clervaux Castle for The Family of Man exhibition of more than 500 photographs from 68 counties compiled by Luxembourgish-American photographer Edward Steichen for the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A post-war manifesto for peace and equality, it includes photographs by Robert Doisneau and Ansel Adams. Opening hours and tariffs are available here. A former water-tower in Dudelange houses another Steichen collection of photography documenting the Great Depression in rural America entitled The Bitter Years. The collection is currently undergoing restoration.
If you want to see photographs of yesteryear's Luxembourg, head to Photothèque. Housing more than 6 million photographs taken between 1855 to the present day taken in Luxembourg and the region, Photothèque is open Monday to Friday at 10 rue Eugène Ruppert.
Smaller galleries
At 6 rue Saint Ulric, Zidoun-Bossuyt exhibits a host of new artists and is open Tuesday to Saturday during the day.
The Galerie Beim Engel on rue de la Loge regularly hosts exhibitions of Luxembourgish and international artists. It's open every day except Mondays from 10.00 to 12.00 and 13.00 to 19.00.
The Simoncini gallery at 6 rue Notre Dame has been going for some 35 years, in conjunction with a hotel of the same name. The art is dotted around the hotel, and includes engravings, sculptures, and paintings collected over many years. The current exhibition includes sculptures by Jhemp Bastin and works by Anna Recker.
Pincothèque Luxembourg is a gallery dedicated to art from the 1900s to the present day. Founded by Hervé Lancelin who has worked with many art galleries and institutions around the world, much of what is on display comes from his private collection. The current exhibition "Beyond the Limit" features works by a number of artists.
Pop my duke exhibits urban artists from Luxembourg plus those with a talent for optical illusions, together with famous pop artists. Its collection includes Keith Haring, Victor Vasarely, Andy Warhol, and Mel Ramos, with items also for sale but viewing is from Wednesday to Saturday by appointment only.
Founded in 1949, the Schortgen Gallery displays figurative and abstract contemporary art, with a gallery in the city which regularly run solo artist exhibitions. You can find location details here, but entry is often by private viewing, so drop them an email.
Art lover Luc Schroeder shares his taste for contemporary art at Mob-Art Studio located at 56 Grand Rue. Photography is at the heart of exhibitions, but it also displays painting, sculpture and video.
Contemporary urban art is on display at the Gallery 1:1 located at 31 rue de Strasbourg. Created by Sumo, it also houses his studio.
Gallery 88 has spaces at rue de Lovigny in the City and rue de la Gare in Leudelange for regular exhibitions of artists, and it runs an Art School. Check out a number of contemporary artists who collaborate with the gallery Nosbaum Reding from Wednesday to Saturday 11.00 to 18.00 at rue Wiltheim.
Fans of Korean art should check out ArtsKoCo founded by Korean-born Orie Duplay. It focuses on promoting emerging Korean artists in Europe and is located at 5 rue Auguste Liesch.
At 21 rue Astrid, Galerie F Hessler has four exhibition rooms and exhibits different artistic movements from the second half of the 20th century. At 2A rue Wiltheim you'll find new gallery Fellner Contemporary, dedicated to the Luxembourg contemporary art scene.
Le Castel is another new gallery space dedicated to exhibiting contemporary paintings and sculpture with a focus on pop art. It's located at 75 boulevard Grande-Duchesse Charlotte and it's open Wednesday to Saturday - you can check times here.
Head westwards to Beckerich for the Mille Galerie housed in a refurbished mill. Open Wednesday to Saturday 14.00 to 20.00 and Sunday 14.00 to 18.00 (check the gallery is open before heading out). Also west in Koerich, the Sixth Floor collective of artists display their work at an End of Year show. In Bettembourg, Galerie d'Art Maggy Stein (named after a local artist who died in 1999) hosts an eclectic array of sculptures, installations, paintings and graphic art.
Kamellebuttek (Luxembourgish for candy shop) has an exhibition space at Esch-sur-Alzette. French gallery owners Ceysson & Bénétière have an outpost in Windhof.
Mobile art galleries and platforms
ARTSCAPE is a nomadic gallery that uses high-profile spaces in Luxembourg to exhibit art. You can find out more about their upcoming exhibitions here. Using Facebook, LuxembourgStreetArt seeks to document the art on the streets of this country including graffiti, stickers and stencils and some of the house sides you can find dotted around Luxembourg bearing works of art.
Buy art
If you want to browse some art and buy it for the office, the Ruth Gallery in Bertrange will be happy to advise you. For affordable limited edition art, try YellowKorner at 6 rue de Beck. Modern jewellery is at the heart of Galerie Orfeo, which also exhibits paintings, sculpture and photography promoting local talents on rue des Capucins, open Tuesday to Saturday.
More galleries are listed here.
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