In the early days of the gallery, which was founded as Galerie Isabella Kacprzak in Stuttgart in 1986 and relocated to Cologne in 1989, comprehensive monographic exhibitions were given to American artists who were at that time virtually unknown in Europe: Allan McCollum, Louise Lawler and Richard Prince were among those presented here at an early stage of their careers. In Cologne, two outstanding
painters joined the gallery – South African-born Marlene Dumas and Luc Tuymans from Belgium. The Polish sculptor Miroslaw Balka also had his first German exhibition here in 1991. Following the significant shift in the geopolitical situation in Central Europe, the gallery moved to Berlin in the mid-1990s. Among the many individual and group exhibitions that have been held here since then, two major exhibitions in 2007 and 2009 focussed on the work of the forgotten Polish sculptor Alina Szapocznikow. While continuing to work with established international artists, Galerie Isabella Czarnowska places great emphasis on fostering the careers of young and emerging talents. The artists represented receive the full support of the gallery, whether they are mounting an exhibition in our space or preparing shows and publications with museums or other art institutions. Galerie Isabella Czarnowska also publishes its own exhibition catalogues and monographs. From 1986 to 2003 the gallery operated under the names “Isabella Kacprzak” and “Galerie Isabella Kacprzak”. From 2006 onwards this changed to “Galerie Isabella Czarnowska (formerly Kacprzak)”, and since the beginning of 2011 the gallery name has been “Galerie Isabella Czarnowska”.
