When Gerd Harry ‘Judy’ Lybke started out in the art world in East Germany, he could not open a gallery bearing that name; only one type of art, endorsed by the regime, was permitted to be exhibited, and there was no market as such because ‘everyone had little money, just the same’.
This is how Lybke recalls it from Palma, where he has come specifically, for the first time, to take part in Art Cologne Palma Mallorca, which is being held from 9 to 12 April at the Palau de Congressos. The event coincides precisely with the anniversary of his project, currently based in Leipzig and Berlin, which turned 43 today, Friday.
“It is in difficult times that the truest friendships are forged and the best in you comes out. That is where the courage to open a gallery came from,” recalls Lybke, whilst pointing out that he began his career as a nude model for artists, as it was one of the few activities that was not so persecuted by the regime. Little by little, he made contacts and forged closer ties.
“I’d invite friends to my flat, where I’d display works by different artists. It was all I could do, because we were facing censorship,” he recalls. He also recalls a time when “money didn’t exist as an element or entity; it was just you and the artist.”
“Everyone had the same amount of money. The important thing was to promote the artists; we were more interested in socialising than in selling,” he compares. Nowadays, however, he continues, money is becoming increasingly important, and that has changed relationships. From the gallery’s founding in 1983 until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Lybke worked immersed in this dynamic.
“I think you eventually learn to put money aside because, at the end of the day, it’s just a tool. What matters isn’t money, but that people trust you. Obviously, in a capitalist system you need it to pay rent or buy a house, but it’s better to invest than to keep it for yourself; it’s better that way, for it to circulate, so that you and others can grow,” he reasons.
For Art Cologne, the gallery owner has selected works by nine artists from different generations working in various formats: Maja Behrmann, Ryan Mosley, Uwe Kowski, Marc Desgrandchamps, Neo Rauch, Titus Schade, Tim Eitel, Stefan Guggisberg and Kai Schiemenz. Among the most established is the painter Neo Rauch, who has spent decades exploring the transformation of humanity and the dynamic structures that shape our existence through images and symbols from the subconscious. For the occasion, they have chosen a series of lithographs.
Likewise, Lybke is committed to supporting younger talent, represented for example by Maja Behrmann, with works that encompass sculpture and textiles as well as paper and canvas. Also standing out are the landscapes by the French artist Marc Desgrandchamps, which, according to the gallery owner, may be particularly appealing to the Mallorcan public, as well as Uwe Kowski’s palette of blues or Kai Schiemenz’s glass sculptures, given that the island has a long tradition in this field, with factories such as Gordiola and Lafiore. Prices range from €2,000 to €20,000, so “it is designed for a wide range of budgets”.
Furthermore, he urges the Balearic Government to “invest” in the promotion and exchange of local artists with international centres. “When I told my fellow gallery owners that I was coming to Art Cologne in Palma, they told me I was making a mistake, that it’s very small compared to others, but I’m very happy that they were the ones who were wrong—that way, I’ll get to keep their clients,” he joked.