LUMAS is celebrating its 20th anniversary this autumn. As a pioneer in the art world, LUMAS has sold over one million works by more than 550 artists worldwide through its galleries and online platforms over the past two decades. This success has resulted in over 33 million euros being paid to artists. In addition to the illustrated book Liberation of Arts, the gallery for contemporary photographic art will publish a limited, hand-signed Anniversary Collection by five renowned artists in September. The proceeds from these editions, available only in September and October, will be donated to two charitable organizations.
Berlin, 19 August 2024 | Over the past 20 years, LUMAS has brought the rich diversity of contemporary photography to a growing community of art enthusiasts and collectors. Through its online presence and 19 galleries worldwide, LUMAS has connected over one million works by more than 550 artists with eager buyers. These hand-signed originals continue to be published in limited editions of 75 to 150 copies.
The multi-channel approach and accessible pricing were groundbreaking achievements in the art world when LUMAS was founded in 2004. What began as an ambitious project in Berlin-Mitte has since grown into a globally successful institution. Founders Stefanie Harig and Marc Alexander Ullrich set out to make inspiring art accessible and affordable to everyone. In doing so, LUMAS has brought art directly into the homes of hundreds of thousands of customers, many of whom might never have felt comfortable stepping into a traditional gallery.
The carefully curated editions bring together emerging talents from major universities, as well as established international artists, including Christo, Christophe Jacrot, Damien Hirst, Gavin Evans, Heinrich Heidersberger, Herta Müller, Isabelle Menin, Jeff Koons, Olaf Hajek, Robert Lebeck, Stefanie Schneider, Werner Pawlok, and Wolfgang Joop.
As both an editor and dealer, LUMAS enables art lovers to acquire high quality, museum-grade photo-raphy, even in large formats. From architecture and landscapes to portraits, nudes, and abstract color compositions, the editions gallery offers a wide range of expertly developed motifs, professionally framed or mounted. Since its inception, LUMAS has successfully operated both online and offline, paying out over 33 million euros in artist fees and supporting independent artists worldwide.
To mark the anniversary, LUMAS is releasing five limited and hand-signed editions by renowned artists Isabelle Menin, Luc Dratwa, Wolfgang Uhlig, André Monet and Carl Miller. The works will only be available from September to October 2024. LUMAS will donate the proceeds of the sale, with a minimum of €50,000, to the Foundation of the University of the Arts Berlin (UdK) and the organisation Room to Read.
LUMAS will sponsor 15 visual arts scholars for one year as part of the UdK’s Deutschlandstipendium scholarship programme. The Deutschlandstipendium is a cooperation between the UdK and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It is aimed at outstanding students and provides them with reliable support totalling €3,600 per year. The federal government covers 50 per cent of the scholarship. Based in San Francisco, Room to Read promotes education and gender equality in Asia and Africa. Since its founding in 2000, the initiative has helped millions of children gain access to education by building libraries and schools, publishing children’s books in local languages, and providing scholarships for girls.
In addition to the Anniversary Collection, publisher teNeues will publish the coffee-table book ‘Liberation of Arts’ in September, which describes the history and diversity of LUMAS in words and pictures on 192 pages. Together with companions and artists, the retrospective reflects the essence of LUMAS and honours the artistic work and success of the past two decades. The book offers a fascinating cross section of contemporary photographic art in over 150 colour and black-and-white photographs.