COLOGNE, GERMANY – November 1, 2026 – The Bronner family, art collectors from Düsseldorf, has won the ART COLOGNE Prize 2026, announced by Koelnmesse and the German association of galleries and art dealers, the Bundesverband Deutscher Galerien und Kunsthändler. The award recognises three generations of collecting, supporting and sharing art, including through the Philara Collection, a cultural institution in Düsseldorf that is open to the public. For art lovers, it is a reminder that private collections can become welcoming places for everyone, not just insiders. The prize will be presented on 6 November 2026 in Cologne, during ART COLOGNE week.
Three Generations Honoured for Making Art Accessible
Koelnmesse and the association say the prize honours the family's commitment to collecting, promoting and making art accessible to the public. Through donations and loans to museums, and through Philara, the family has given lasting impetus to the arts and cultural landscape.
This year's award is also unusual. It is the first time since 2010, when the Grässlin family received the prize, that several generations are honoured together. The winners are Anat and Gil Bronner, their parents Cary and Dan, and the younger family members Philip and Lara. Philara takes its name from the last two, and Gil founded it in 2016.
From Museum Donations to a Collection of Their Own
The story begins with Dan Bronner, born in 1931 in the present-day Czech Republic, who worked as an architect in Düsseldorf from the early 1960s. With his wife Cary, he spent decades as a patron and donor of the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, where the Graphic Collection benefited from generous gifts, including around 120 sheets by George Grosz. Since 2015 the museum has honoured the couple with the Dan-und-Cary-Bronner-Saal. Dan Bronner passed away in spring 2023.
Their son Gil grew up with that enthusiasm but studied business management. He worked in Canada as a real estate project developer, then was drawn to Leipzig in the mid-1990s, where he and Anat discovered the scene around the Leipzig School. His interest in urban design, turning vacancies and wasteland into living places, ran alongside his collecting. From 2006 to 2016 the growing collection was housed in redesigned halls of a former Leitz factory in Düsseldorf.
Philara: A Former Glass Factory With Pay-What-You-Wish Entry
Philara found its home in a former glass factory in Düsseldorf's Flingern neighbourhood, once a working-class district. The industrial ensemble was fully converted for museum use. It now offers several exhibition cabinets and halls up to nine metres tall across 1,700 square metres, plus a rooftop patio and a café.
Accessibility is the heart of the concept. Visitors may pay admission to the extensive exhibitions, but they do not have to, under a pay-what-you-wish principle. Concerts, parties and theatre sometimes take place in the backyard and in the "Bulle" bistro, and the building sits among galleries and creative hubs on Birkenstraße. The parents gave artworks to museums, while their son gave the city an open, living space for cultural and social encounters, and that contrast is what makes this prize story feel so human.
A Collection Without a Single Theme
The Philara Collection draws on around 2,000 artworks, from painting and sculpture to installations, a few video works, a lot of photography, and drawings and graphic works. Gil Bronner has said his heart as a collector pulses for works on paper. The collection follows no programme, and the exhibitions range from solo presentations of artists such as Boris Mikhailov, Alicja Kwade and Thomas Grünfeld to a first showing of the Argentinian artist Mercedes Azpilicueta.
Past shows include "Breathing Water, Drinking Air," "Mirrors and Windows" and "Melting Sands – Glass in Contemporary Art," which looked at the material the building once produced. The Bronners also have a close relationship with the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, and new acquisitions often come from its instructors and young artists. Gil Bronner has chaired the Friends of the Kunstpalast Association and been a member of its Board of Trustees since 2017.
If you want a single starting point, the "House of Balagan" exhibition is it. Created for Philara's 10th anniversary, it presents more than 100 works by more than 80 artists, acquired by three generations of collectors. It runs until 14 February 2027.
Prize Day and ART COLOGNE Dates to Know
The Bronners join earlier winners including Charlotte Zander, Ingvild Goetz, Frieder Burda, Harald Falckenberg, Julia Stoschek, Christian Kaspar Schwarm, Wilhelm Schürmann, and Karen and Christian Boros. All of them built idiosyncratic collections with great passion and opened them to the public, and all received the €10,000 ART COLOGNE Prize for art education. Karla Zerressen of the Langen Foundation in Neuss will give the laudatory speech at the ceremony, which is traditionally held in the Historic Town Hall in Cologne.
Key dates for art fans:
- 5 November 2026: ART COLOGNE opens with a preview for invited guests and an opening reception from 4.00 pm
- 6 November 2026: ART COLOGNE Prize presentation in Cologne
- 6 to 8 November 2026: public viewing days at ART COLOGNE
What to watch next is how the ceremony and the fair's public days frame the family's story for visitors.
Mini FAQ: What the Prize Means for Art Lovers
Q: Who won the ART COLOGNE Prize 2026?
A: The Düsseldorf-based Bronner family of collectors, recognised for three generations of collecting, promoting and sharing art.
Q: Can the public see the Bronner collection?
A: Yes. The Philara Collection in Düsseldorf is open to the public and works on a pay-what-you-wish admission principle.
Q: What can visitors see right now?
A: The "House of Balagan" exhibition, with more than 100 works by more than 80 artists, runs until 14 February 2027.
Q: When is the prize presented?
A: On 6 November 2026, traditionally in the Historic Town Hall in Cologne.
Anyone planning a trip to ART COLOGNE this autumn can find dates and visitor details on the official website at artcologne.