Lumas-The Editions Gallery

The editions gallery LUMAS in Berlin is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this autumn. To celebrate the occasion, the gallery for contemporary photographic art is releasing five limited and hand-signed editions by renowned artists.

Lumas presents an Anniversary Collection of previously unpublished works. It features five artists who have shaped LUMAS over the past two decades and contributed significantly to the gallery’s artistic identity and success.

Breathe 01 ©Isabelle Menin

Isabelle Menin’s breathtaking collage Breathe 01 is composed of countless individually lit and photographed flowers, whose meticulous composition beguiles the viewer – and has become an integral part of the LUMAS visual language.

Noras-Sight-©-Luc-Dratwa

Luc Dratwa’s views from the window reveal striking cityscapes, such as New York Voilage from the Windows series, which the artist has expanded over the years exclusively for LUMAS. The detail and black and white contrast make the view of Manhattan both majestic and contemplative.

Cordoama-II-©-Wolfgang-Uhlig

Wolfgang Uhlig’s panoramas also invite you to immerse yourself: his infinite views of the sea, such as that of Amoreira, have repeatedly provided LUMAS collectors with moments of peace and inspiration.

Canadian photographer André Monet illuminates icons such as David Bowie, Frida Kahlo and Freddie Mercury with his complex portrait collages. Using a special technique, Monet weaves a kilometre of thread around nearly 8,000 nails to create a portrait of Kate, adding to the diversity and depth of the LUMAS collection.

Pool-23-©-Carl-Miller

The digitally created pools set against Carl Miller’s mid-century Californian architecture invite for a daring journey into the world of the hyperreal.

Even the smallest wave in the pool, complete with shimmering reflections, is precisely positioned. To make the Californian evening sun shine even brighter, LUMAS presents Miller’s Pool 88 as a large-format light box.

what-could-possibly-go-wrong-©-Niki-Hare

With the iconic works of these long-time companions, the Anniversary Collection embodies the essence of the editions gallery, reflecting the diverse tastes of collectors as well as the essence of the LUMAS portfolio.The limited editions will only be available from September to October 2024.

It is not only collectors who will have the opportunity to own a piece of the history of LUMAS.

Palm-trees-on-Wilcox-©-Stefanie-Schneider

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.

Suni-©-Marta-Contreras-Simo

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.

The Anniversary Collection will be available online and in galleries worldwide from September, 1st to October, 31st.

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. From greats of street photography such as Christophe Jacrot and Werner Pawlok to up-and-coming newcomers, the book offers a fascinating cross-section of contemporary photographic art in over 150 colour and black-and-white photographs.

Radha-doing-her-nails-©-Stefanie-Schneider

The foundation
First gallery opened in Berlin in 2004, multi-channel sales since inception.Today, 40 percent of sales are generated through the gallery’s own website.

Red-Maple-Tree-©-Massimo-Colonna

The founders
Marc Alexander Ullrich founded the video game company Rainbow Arts in 1986 at the age of 18, followed by the internet provider Strato in 1997, LUMAS in 2004 and the digital photo lab WhiteWall in 2007. After studying art history and communications, Stefanie Harig founded her own agency, Die Brücke Public Relations GmbH, in 1995. Her clients included several federal ministries, Mercedes-Benz, McKinsey & Company and Deutsche Bahn. In 1999 she sold her shares and worked as an interior designer and art consultant in Berlin and New York. In 2004 she founded LUMAS with Marc Ullrich and in 2007 the digital laboratory WhiteWall.de.

Chanel-Paris-©-Bart-van-Leeuwen

Locations
19 galleries worldwide, including Berlin, London, Paris and New York

The Portfolio
4,500 editions available and around 1 million sold

The Artists
Christo, Christophe Jacrot, Damien Hirst, Gavin Evans, Heinrich Heidersberger, Herta Müller, Isabelle Menin, Jeff Koons, Olaf Hajek, Robert Lebeck, Stefanie Schneider, Werner Pawlok, Wolfgang Joop and many more. Since its inception, LUMAS has paid  more than €33,550,000 in royalties to its artists.

From-a-Dream-01-©-Isabelle-Menin

About LUMAS

Making high quality art accessible to everyone at affordable prices – with this mission, LUMAS has become an important institution in the art market since it was founded in 2004. Starting with the aim of offering limited edition art photography, the edition gallery has made a name for itself with innovative presentations and multi-channel distribution. With a total of 19 locations worldwide, LUMAS works with both established and emerging artists, bringing their work to a wide audience. Since its inception, more than €33.5 million has been paid out in artist fees, supporting independent artists around the world.

Ceres-©-Carol-Muthiga-Oyekunle

The significance of LUMAS lies in the “democratisation of art”: without any pretence, customers become art lovers and collectors who would otherwise be afraid to visit a traditional gallery. This approach has permanently changed the way contemporary photographic art is viewed and accessed, and has established LUMAS as a key player in the global art market.