12 BP 471
Lomé - Avepozo - Togo

Togo: +228-9056 9948
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Since 1989, Galerie Peter Herrmann has been exhibiting contemporary art with an African focus by artists from around the world alongside authentic classical art from West and Central Africa.

Our meticulously curated exhibitions are well-attended by visitors from all cultural backgrounds and social strata. The participating artists are carefully chosen and coordinated into the program with emphatically diverse positions.

In presenting African content, the gallery works to high art historical standards; it is one of the few galleries in the world that consistently presents African art over a long timeline.

In the early 1990s, a number of established artists were added to the gallery’s program and introduced to the global public in the ambitious large-scale exhibitions Africa Explores and Les magiciens de la terre (Magicians of the Earth).

In addition to promoting established artists, the gallery has also had considerable success supporting talented newcomers – first at the local level, then internationally. In 1994, Der Stamm der weissen Krieger (The Tribe of the White Warrior) > exhibition of Ralf Schmerberg’s work drew record crowds, and in 1995/96, the movie Hommage à noir, also by Schmerberg, received about 20 international film awards. As production manager of both the exhibition and the film, Peter Herrmann received his first major recognition beyond local borders >. Further supra-regional attention followed with participation in the 7th Triennale der Kleinplastik Europa-Afrika (Triennial of Small Sculpture Europe-Africa) and Vielfaches Echo (Multiple Echoes), for which twelve museums and ten leading galleries came together in Stuttgart with support from large companies like Daimler and Deutsche Bahn >. For the first time, Peter Herrmann found himself at the center of the organization and was able, in cooperation with the Office for Cultural Affairs, to emphasize key pragmatic points.

He went on to curate a series of exhibitions at art societies in Landshut, Kühlungsborn, Dresden and Wiesbaden. Since that time, his art society duties, gallery tours, lecture invites and consulting work have been on the continual rise. Chéri Samba’s first retrospective exhibition, curated by Carola Grässlin in 2005 at the Braunschweig Art Society, serves as a notable example for his consulting activities.

Three artists with which the gallery worked in 2004 participated in the Documenta XI, two additional ones in the Documenta XII and nine in Africa Remix in Dusseldorf, London, Johannesburg, Paris and Tokyo. Gallery artists continue to participate in all biennales worldwide from Venice to Gwangju, Havana to Dakar. Art fair appearances include Art Cologne, Art Karlsruhe and the Johannesburg Art Fair.

The reputation built by these high-profile successes allowed the gallery to turn its attention to non-African artists whose work is nonetheless thematically related to the African continent. The very successful touring work Stille Post (Chinese Whispers) by Angelika Böck > – on view in various locations as part of the Die obere Hälfte - Die Büste seit Auguste Rodin (The Upper Half – The Bust since Auguste Rodin) exhibit – was first shown in the Galerie Peter Herrmann. The gallery was also the sole gallery in Europe to show Laura Anderson Barbata’s anthropological pieces in cooperation with the Landesbank Baden-Württemberg >, and thanks to its Around and Around > exhibition concept, it was able to obtain selected work for other exhibitions by a number of prominent western artists like Joseph Kosuth, Martin Kippenberger, Haim Steinbach, Tobias Rehberger and Imi Knoebel. Juxtaposition alongside these established artists has been instrumental in the breakthrough of many young artists from Africa. The gallery has brokered full-collection sales around the world and significantly influenced the market value of several African artists.

It also set important impulses in motion with the Künstlerinnen aus Afrika (Female Artists from Africa) > exhibition series. Until 2004, 95% of exhibited African artists were men. After intensive research, we were able to present a cycle of five group exhibitions of female artists; many of the women we showed have since gone on to international careers, and all major exhibitions on African art since then have followed the gallery’s lead, showing female artists on the market according to their actual percentage. Otobong Nkanga and Ingrid Mwangi are just two examples of outstanding women who received greater attention after being presented by our gallery, which also helped Sokari Douglas Camp become the first female artist with African roots to be commissioned for an art-in-public-space project in Germany – for the Deutsche Welle in Bonn.

Supporting local artistic activity is another importance aspect of the gallery’s work. In Stuttgart from 1989 to late 2000, in Berlin until mid-2013 and in Lomé today, the gallery has organized events and openings that provide an intellectual platform for dialogue. Music, gastrosophy, literature and theater are embedded in the gallery program, focal points of collaborations like the Afrika Festival Potsdam and the perennial Africome project, carried out in conjunction with the Federal Agency for Civic Education. Peter Herrmann’s controversial opinions are in frequent demand at panel discussions and roundtables on the subject of Africa – listen to an example here, a talk with Clementine Deliss and Stefan Eisenhofer on the cultural radio program SWR2 >.

When it comes to old, classical art from Africa, the gallery occupies a special place on the international scene. Peter Herrmann has consistently changed the imagery and wording used to communicate information in this realm, curating exhibitions without ever using terms like "tribal art" or "primitive art." As much as possible, he’s avoided designating artists as representatives of "primitive peoples" or automatically placing their work in an unreflective "fertility, mysticism and spirituality" context. Indeed, extracting Africa-related art terms from the ethnological context is one of the gallery’s basic philosophies and central themes.

One of sub-Saharan Africa’s greatest tragedies is a loss of history, which can only be truly rediscovered on the basis of art. Transmission through spoken word and artistic performances yielded to western written and archived history, producing static truths as opposed to what Amadou Hampate Bâ describes as dynamic truth. Ethnology as archive administrator offers no sufficient tools for addressing this circumstance and shows little ambition to try. Since the traditional market for classical African art is grounded in ethnological description forms, it’s no wonder the gallery is viewed as an increasingly solitary outsider. Consider Peter Hermann’s papers and provocative theses on the topic of bronzes from West and Central Africa, which have changed the market and now serve as the basis for discussion at many universities around the world. The attempt to reconcile ideals and commercial interest is among the gallery’s foremost goals.

In addition to selling high-quality art, we also loan out exhibits to film and photography productions, organize and curate exhibitions for galleries, businesses and museums, provide expertise to customers and issue reports for insurance and customs purposes.

As an expert on African art and culture, Peter Herrmann frequently consults on political and economic matters. Examples include the preparation of several parliamentary specialist discussions under the direction of Dr. Uschi Eid and membership in the Africa Foundation, where Bundestag members of all parties are represented. Also worth mentioning is the invitation to Bellevue Palace from former Federal President Horst Köhler, which afforded Peter Hermann the opportunity to explain his positions and offer suggestions for future German cultural policy towards Africa.

In 1995, we became the first gallery in Germany – and probably in the world – to develop an online presence; since then, we’ve been working on numerous technological projects, mostly in the realm of user support and software development. The goal of this pioneering work is to make the gallery independent of traditional geographical sites. Warehousing, exhibition preparation, placement of artists and changes in customer conduct are some of the most important areas in which this web-inclusive operational structure has made itself felt. The Around and Around exhibition was the world’s first exhibition documented online, a symbol for this technological change >.

Today, our domain is home to 4,500 pages of images and detailed texts, corresponding to around 50 catalogues whose full contents are available to you free of charge. Our site receives particularly high traffic from educational institutions, which often quote from our texts and biographies, a loyal group of collectors who appreciate illustrated artist pages and a number of international visitors who find us via links from university directories, Africa servers and general search engines. In total, the site welcomes between 20,000 and 55,000 visitors per month.

Navigation of our site is simplified by the Menu Bar, which appears on almost every page.

Our 8 Menu options, for your orientation

Home - On the left side of the old menu bar, at the top right on the new one. Clicking this link will take you back to the starting point, the best page to save as a bookmark.

Email – A virtual sheet of paper. If you’d like to join our mailing list, leave a comment, express a purchase interest or share a critique, this is the place to do it.

About – The page on which you currently find yourself, where key data is permanently presented. On the old menu bar, this page can be found under Information.

News – By far the most trafficked page, where you can find lively information about our own and other interesting exhibitions. Here, we let you know what our artists are up to, present the occasional editorial, direct your attention to new websites and share interesting information from behind the scenes.

Exhibitions – Here you will find extensive images and texts full of cross-references. A different way to experience the represented artists and Peter Hermann’s curatorial work. On the old menu bar, this section can still be found under Around and Around – the name of what was for a long time our most important exhibition, which gave this section its title for 18 years. This part of the website is highly frequented for research purposes.

Artists – Here you’ll find, alphabetically listed, the visual artists and handful of musicians represented by the gallery and exhibited in various shows. Most of the artists are presented in detail on their own individual pages. Until the mid-2000s, it was a virtually sure thing: the artists who could be found on our domain through Internet searches were automatically positioned internationally and could consequently be found in all art directories and rankings around the world – our hard work made sure of that.

Classical Art – Here you can see a portion of Peter Herrmann’s collection and works for sale divided by region. Most of the objects presented are available for purchase, though several important pieces that have already been sold remain archived on the site for research purposes. Art historically controversial pieces are accompanied by explanatory texts. In the coming years, this section will undergo a major relaunch in which the archive and current offering will be separated.

Articles – Since late 2013, a specifically designated section that previously existed only vaguely as a part of the archive. In subsections, you’ll find illuminating editorials in which we sometimes poke fun at incompetence, several keynote speeches, a small selection of books and project descriptions. A very extensive collection of press articles provides an outsider impression of our work. For collectors, art historians and exhibition organizers, an invaluable resource.

The images and texts may be copied for private use, but please note that the copyright attribution for multiple reproductions belongs to Peter Herrmann. For questions pertaining to publishing rights, please consult us directly.

Take advantage of the gallery’s extensive offering. Purchase art and seek advice about value and impact. Avail yourself of Peter Herrmann’s knowledge of exhibition design, construction and curatorial content. We organize exhibitions in various price ranges for companies, art societies and museums and are happy to provide African-influenced music and top-quality catering on request. A large network of freelancers with technical and academic training awaits your inquiry. The gallery also provides art historians for text, image and lectures and cultural managers to supervise projects or artists in exchange programs. We make books, design websites for artists and advise on portfolios.

Contact us for the resale of individual artworks or entire collections.

A warm welcome from the world’s leading gallery for African art.

-Christina Rau, Spouse of late German President Johannes Rau.
-Prof. Jutta Limbach, President of Goethe-institut.
-Dr. Uschi Eid, Member of Parliament, former Parliamentary State Secretary BMZ and G8 representative for Africa.
-Horst Köhler, German President.
-Josef Gorgels, managment board, Daimler AG. (SADC)
-Matthias Platzeck, President of Brandenburg.
-Holger Rupprecht, Minister for Education, Youth and Sport, Brandenburg.
-Rezzo Schlauch, Former Parliamentary State Secretary. Ministry of Economy.
-Prof. Kurt Weidemann, Typograph and Designer.
-Klaus Paysan. Mentor, Fotographer and Expert (Congo, Cameroon, Mali)
-Late Senator Echeruo, Ambassador, Rep. of Nigeria.
-Hartwig Fischer, Member of Parliament.

Thanks also to many journalists, authors, artists, associates and cooperating galleries worldwide.

Photo: Susanne Kaufmann © Galerie Peter Herrnann

In their Opening speeches to an audience of 300 people, both Dr. Uschi Eid, State Secretary for the Ministry of Development and Cooperation, and the late Nigerian Ambassador, Senator Emeka P.  Echeruo, emphasized the importance of the 11 years of cooperative work between Africa and Europe. (04.15.2000)

Photo:Audrey Peraldi © Galerie Peter Herrnann

21.10.2010. Former German President Dr. Horst Köhler was visiting the Gallery.

For an idea of what a collaboration with curator Peter Herrmann might look like, we present the following selection of past exhibitions, some shown in the gallery, some at other venues. Over the past 25 years, our gallery activities have included some 300 exhibitions on African themes:

Documented Exhibitions (Selection):
Around and Around
Der Stamm der weissen Krieger (The Tribe of the White Warriors)
Dreierkonferenz (Three-way Conference)
Traditionelle afrikanische Kunst (Traditional African Art)
200 Jahre Metallkunst aus Afrika (200 Years African Metal Arts)
Gruppenausstellung Über-Blick (Group Exhibition Overview)
Vielfaches Echo (Multiple Echoes)

Undocumented Exhibitions (Selection):
Die Erfindung der Skulptur (The Discovery of Sculpture)
Auf den Spuren Heinrich Barths (On the Tracks of Heinrich Barth)
Maskenwesen in Afrika (Masks in Africa)
Ausgrabungen der Nok- und Djennekultur (Unearthing the Nok and Djenne Cultures)
Traditionelle Kunst aus Mali und Burkina Faso (Traditional Art from Mali & Burkina Faso)
Das Grasland Kameruns (Cameroon's Grasslands)

Comprehensive sites are available for research purposes:
Press
Columns
Texts
Speeches

A selection of relevant literature:
Books and Videos

View of a previous location: Stuttgart, Gerberstrasse, 2000

The juxtaposition of artists (as shown above) recurs as an installation concept, notably in the exhibits Vielfaches Echo (Multiple Echoes) and Around and Around, curated by the Gallery and in 7. Triennale der Kleinplastik (7th Triennial of Small Sculpture) Documenta XI or Africa Remix.

Peter Herrmann giving a speech at the Opening of Around & Around, at the gallery in Stuttgart's Friedensstrasse (04.16.1999). Shown in the photo are works by Joseph Kosuth, Tobias Rehberger, Chéri Samba and Pascale Marthine Tayou.

Kreuznacher Straße
Stuttgart Bad Cannstatt

Friedensstraße
Stuttgart

Gerberstraße. Stuttgart

Schlüterstraße. Berlin

Uhlandstraße. Berlin

Torstraße. Berlin

Brunnenstraße. Berlin
Front. 1st and 2nd floor

Companies:
afroton. musical instruments
african cookbooks
music agency griot
Laboratory Ralf Kotalla

Stuttgart, Gerberstrasse. 1999

Berlin, Schlüterstrasse, 2001

1995 - Concept: 30 visitors per month Oldtimer site

1996 - 2003 - no statistc

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January:
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

2004

14,726
14,425
17,324
14,526
15,438
14,946
14,518
17,943
21,143
23,262
24,769
24,555

2005

25,852
26,514
25,211
24,348
25,284
22,326
20,924
22,789
27,725
30,381
32,620
31,983

2006

38,001
33,559
39,650
31,845
34,207
32,197
25,539
16,806
23,069
22,193
22,206
29,725

2007

33,559
27,194
32,683
32,562
35,716
53,557
51,223
37,653
31,373
30,303
24,025
26,244

2008

27,773
22,666
25,721
34,404
37,188
24,874
21,842
16,527
15,630
18,575
18,905
16,340

2009

17,435
16,722
19,568
17,705
18,629
17,889
21,090
21,015
23,847
28,879
24,169
22,692

2010

25,059
25,319
27,508
23,589
22,871
17,627
18,044
18,476
18,319
18,647
22,950
22,498