Erfurt (dpa/th) – Art fans meet home builders and decoration lovers: For the first time in four years, there will be a double trade fair in Erfurt with “artthuer” and “Haus.Bau.Ambiente”
Around 150 artists can again present their works at the artthuer art fair after a long pandemic break. The trade fair, which takes place every two years, was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. It is unclear how many art lovers the art fair will now attract to Erfurt from Friday to Sunday, said the Association of Visual Artists Thuringia (VBKTh) and the Erfurt Fair. Almost 9,000 guests were counted at the last artthuer in November 2018. There is great hope “that we can pick up where we left off in 2018,” said Michaela Hirche, Managing Director of the Association of Visual Artists in Thuringia. “If a fair like this doesn’t take place, then that’s of course essential for the artists.” They not only lost the trade fair income due to the pandemic, but also had a difficult time overall.
Visitors can buy works at the art fair and take them home. Around 4,000 works of art are on display – including sculptures, paintings, prints and computer graphics. Not only artists, but also Thuringian galleries exhibit.
Trade fair guests can also take part in painting technique courses, artist talks and guided tours. The fair is “not elitist”, but also not a creative market, said Hirche. In Thuringia, less money is certainly required for high-quality art than elsewhere. There are works for sale at prices between 20 and 20,000 euros. Thuringia’s Minister of Culture Benjamin-Immanuel Hoff (left) will present the artthuer art prize endowed with 5000 euros on Saturday.
The construction trade fair “Haus.Bau.Ambiente” with 50 exhibitors is also running at the same time. The trade fair deals with the topics of building, modernization and decoration and is experiencing its 21st edition. In addition to solid, prefabricated and wooden houses, small houses – so-called tiny houses – would also be presented for the first time, it said. Around 2000 guests were counted at the last solo construction fair last year. The organizers counted around 10,000 visitors at the last double-pack of art and construction fairs four years ago.