Art Cologne 2012 - we have a couple of photos for you. Greve, Sprüth Magers, Zwirner plus a GoSee résumé

Only one thing is left to be said after the great PR onslaught: well done. This year, the Art Cologne sat down before the fair and – rather unusual for the quite sleepy and bureaucratic city of Cologne – did their homework.

The fact they invited young art organisation NADA from New York and its 'art of hand luggage' concept (our interpretation so far), was not as accessible as one would have hoped for, is but a small pixel-size dent in the big picture. The bar next to the area in question on the other hand was well crowded and turned out to be the place to be. Not the first time for sure that art, consumption and commerce get together and hang out.

Hence, the final résumé of the gallery owners turned out quite positive, who – in typical fair style – briefly talked numbers and made rough estimates of their profit. The bottom line we overheard: yeah, we sold stuff.

To us, a particular highlight was the booth of Karsten Greve from Cologne. A 'Methuselah' of the art world himself, with branches in Cologne, Paris (Rue de Turenne of course) and St. Moritz managed to combine classic and modern with contemporary art in his display. The two young artists Claire Morgan and Giorgia Rusell (sold out!) dazzled the audiences with their talent.

Lest we forget Sprüth Magers, Eigen + Art, David Zwirner … lots of art and even more interested guests. It was also nice to see the odd guided tour of the fair, observed by the galleries with a hint of amusement in their eyes. Well, there still seems to be an educated middle class banging around somewhere.

The verdict of Veronique Ansorge (Zwirner Gallery, New York): “We are already looking forward to next year. This year, we made the decisions to primarily pack German art, but I am already flirting with a handful of international artists, which we are planning to bring along next year. Cologne has always been a fixture in the art world and we are happy to come back.”

If you think that the whole parade of art dealers, gallery owners, artists and collectors won't see each other again for a whole year, you're wrong. Just like Formula 1, the whole shebang keeps touring across the whole year: next stop –Art Basel, see you there.