“Collecting begins when the house is full, and one nonetheless continues,” said Christian Boros, who, along with his partner Karen Boros has been named the recipient of the Art Cologne Prize recognizing their extensive contributions to contemporary visual art. The awarding of the prestigious prize is in acknowledgement of the couple’s wide-ranging support of the arts, including exhibition organizing, book publishing, and, the most physically monumental, the founding of the Boros Collection museum.

Exterior view of the Boros Collection bunker, Berlin. © NOSHE.

The Boros Collection is housed in a former bunker, Reichsbahnbunker Friedrichstrasse, in Berlin, a site established in 2008. The start of the project (perhaps an apropos moment in the couples collecting history in regard to “nonetheless continuing” to collect) can be traced to the acquisition of a ventilator by Olafur Eliasson, which was one of the first pieces exhibited when the bunker opened. Both have a professional and personal history with visual art, and the bunker offered a natural extension of their passion for collecting, allowing the works to be exhibited to a greater audience. The venture takes inspiration from Berlin subcultures of the 1990s, as the industrial space evokes the types of venues exhibitions were then staged.

Installation view of work by Bunny Rogers. Courtesy of the Boros Collection, Berlin. © NOSHE.

Since its opening, exhibitions derived from the collection’s more than 1,000-work-strong holdings, representing 183 international artists, have debuted quarterly in the 3,000-square meter space. Other activities the couple have engaged with include initiating Studio Berlin during the height of the pandemic, an exhibition within the iconic Berghain club, which saw experimental and explorative works installed within the massive dance floor, the corridors, and bars from artists like Wolfgang Tillmans, Isa Genzken, and Rirkrit Tiravanija participating.

DISTANZ Verlag, another of the Boros’s projects founded in 2010, has become a publishing house recognized for their books on fine art, architecture, and design, as well as exhibition catalogues coordinated with exhibiting museums. Furthering the imprints mission is Fundus and Kontext from the DISTANZ series, featuring writings on art and cultural theory.

Klará Hosnedlová, Untitled (from the series “nest”) (2020). Courtesy of the Boros Collection, Berlin. © NOSHE.

The Art Cologne Prize, which will be officially awarded during the Art Cologne fair November 8, 2024, at Cologne’s city hall, is presented both by the Art Cologne fair—the oldest art fair in the world—along with the German association of galleries and art dealers (BVDG). Presented annually and endowed with €10,000, the Boros join the ranks of previous winners such as Ileana Sonnabend (1988), Michael Werner (2011), Monika Sprüth (2022), and Walther König (2023), just to name a few. Dedicated to honoring exceptional support and mediation of contemporary visual art, the Boros’s and their legacy to date are a testament to both their singular contributions to the arts, but arts power to influence the greater cultural and societal climate as well.

Art Cologne will take place November 7–10, 2024.