König Galerie will open a new outpost next month in Mexico City to bridge Latin and European art, marking its first branch in the Americas.
Longtime collector Corina Krawinkel will serve as the director of the Mexico branch, in which she is an equal partner with dealer Johann König. The gallery, set to open February 5, will be based in her new home in the bustling art neighborhood of La Condesa.
“We think we can scout a lot of new talents in Mexico City,” Krawinkel said over the phone, noting that a lot of artists and collectors are moving there from Europe, the United States, and Canada, drawn by cheap rent and the bustling culinary and musical landscape of Ciudad de México. “The atmosphere is like New York in the ‘80s.”
König Mexico City is pictured in an exterior view. Photo courtesy of Santiago Grieve Torres/König Galerie
The gallery, with branches in Berlin and Seoul, will seek to incorporate native artists, not just American and European expatriates, into its future lineup, Krawinkel said. She wants to push for dialogue between new artists, established Mexican artists, and the European and Asian artists already in König’s repertoire.
The first exhibition at the gallery, “Surreal Surroundings” (February 6 through March 8), will debut the work of two young artists based in Mexico City, the names of whom Krawinkel is keeping under wraps for now. The show will be dedicated to the impact Surrealism had on Mexico in the 1930s and 1940s through artists like Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, Wolfgang Paalen, and Alice Rahon,—who mingled with the likes of Frida Kahlo, Lola Alvarez Bravo, and Gunther Gerzso.
Corina Krawinkel. Photo courtesy of König Galerie
Krawinkel herself is a transplant from Germany, who purchased the house in La Condesa in April 2023 and moved in after a two-month renovation. In this, she was following in the footsteps of her friend of 14 years, German artist Robert Janitz, who she has been collecting since he lived in New York. He now lives minutes from her residence. Through Janitz, Krawinkel got to know local and locally based artists, growing her network in the city to about 50 names.
“I want to try to make a gallery that is more like a home because I live in the same place as I show the art. A smaller, more intimate place,” she said. She hopes to capture the vibe of an “old-fashioned salon” such as those in the 1800s, where artists and intellectuals could exchange ideas.
“There are some smaller places here in La Condesa that are owned by mainly women that also show art in their houses or in smaller places,” she added. “I would really like to get to know them better.”
Krawinkel plans to put on a new major show every four to six weeks, with new artists making their debut in smaller shows in her garage every month. In her living room, she plans to display a permanent show from which people can buy pieces.
“It’s nice for me to live with the art until it’s sold,” she said, adding that the gallery doesn’t need to meet the pressure of paying rent because it’s based in her home. “Sometimes, I think I will be sad if something is sold that I really like.”
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