Berlin, 17 September 2013 Six days of gallery openings, exhibitions and gallery tours – from today to 22 September, the German capital will be hosting Berlin Art Week. For the second year running, numerous art events are planned as part of a partnership initiative between nine well-known Berlin institutions and two art fairs: abc-art berlin contemporary and PREVIEW Berlin.

Last year, the two art fairs alone attracted more than 35,000 visitors - including many international guests. The city's art and cultural offer is a major factor when it comes to attracting visitors to Berlin. For 74 percent of the tourists, it influences their decision to choose Berlin as a destination.

Berlin Art Week: New galleries and tours

Berlin Art Week 2013 kicks off with a street festival in Berlin-Mitte. While live acts perform on the main stage in Auguststraße and in Clärchens Ballhaus, local galleries and institutions will be showing their works. Admission is free.

Over the following days, Berlin Art Week will incorporate exhibition spaces throughout the city into the program. abc art berlin contemporary is based in the "Kreuzberg Station". The venue for Preview Berlin is the site of Opernwerkstätten. In addition to established venues such as the Berlinische Galerie, the Nationalgalerie, the Akademie der Künste, C/O Berlin, Haus der Kulturen der Welt and the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, galleries on the Berlin periphery will also be represented: The Kunsthalle at Hamburger Platz in Weissensee deals with the theme of love in: "Artists in Love (& Third Parties)". Galerie M in Marzahn will feature the performance: "A common movement." Art Week will also be at the "Autocenter", a former car paint shop in Friedrichshain and "after the butcher" at the Projektraum in Rummelsburg. Other venues include the "Kleine Humboldt-Galerie", run by students at Humboldt University. The HO-Kaufhalle department store offering "everyday commodities" was built in the GDR in the early 1960s. The 500 square metre-low rise building has been an art space since October 2011. Numerous private collections will also be opening their doors during Berlin Art Week, including the Boros, Hoffmann and Haubrok collections at the Fahrbereitschaft in Lichtenberg.

The "ARTINSIDE galleries" format offers Berliners and visitors exclusive tours of the gallery quarters in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf,- Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Mitte and Schöneberg-Tiergarten. Further information at visitBerlin.de

Picasso at the Kulturforum

Both before and after Berlin Art Week the German capital is an important centre for art. The "Pablo Picasso. Women, Bulls, Old Masters" exhibition opens on 13 September at the Kulturforum special exhibition halls on Potsdamer Platz. The exhibition includes 180 drawings and prints from 1900 to 1968, almost completely documenting the whole of

Picasso's creative period.

visitberlin is offering a new package that allows priority entrance to the exhibition. The price also includes accommodation at a selected Berlin hotel including breakfast and the Berlin WelcomeCard for free travel on local public transport - from 89 Euro per person in a double room. Additional info about the package is available at: visitBerlin.de or from the Berlin Service Center: +49 (0)30 25 00 25.

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