aluminum bar installation anchors 'central' café reopening in cologne by gathering gallery

Gathering gallery reopens Cologne’s iconic Café

Gathering gallery reopens the legendary Central, reviving one of the most important cultural sites in Cologne. Once the meeting point of the city’s radical thinkers and artists, the café–bar returns with a fresh look, a new bar, and artworks, but the same spirit. Central is a former home to the German painters Martin Kippenberger and Jörg Immendorff, among others, who shaped Cologne’s 1980s art scene. Now, it comes back as both a tribute and a reboot, still at the center of the city’s creative life, this time alongside Gathering’s recently opened gallery just down the street.

The relaunch includes the return of Kippenberger’s mirrored panels and original caricatures of guests from the café’s fifth anniversary in 1991. These hang alongside new site-specific works by Mexican visual artist Stefan Brüggemann and British artist Tai Shani. Brüggemann’s aluminum bar installation sits at the center of the redesigned space. In the corner, the newly built Peters Bar, named after Dr. Werner Peters, who once ran the café, offers a quieter space, with deep red velvet, warm light, and a carpet designed by Shani.

all images by Hendrik Poggenpohl

Central returns as a meeting point for artists

In 1980s Cologne, Central was a place where artists, musicians, and philosophers crossed paths. Kippenberger lived upstairs at Hotel Chelsea. Peter Sloterdijk and Johan Galtung gave talks. The space became part of Kippenberger’s work. Now, as new galleries open and Cologne’s art scene picks up momentum again, Central returns as a space for art, food, and conversation. The new menu focuses on German and Northern European cuisine with Mediterranean touches, led by chef Sigfredo Scuticchio.

Gathering’s founder Alex Flick says the move is about building on what’s already there. ‘After meeting Werner Peters, the owner of Hotel Chelsea and Central, I was deeply moved to walk the same halls as many of my artistic heroes. Our expansion here is about tapping into that legacy and contributing to its next chapter,’ he shares. ‘The energy is here, the history is undeniable, and the appetite for something new is palpable. With Central and our new gallery space, we want to be part of Cologne’s cultural revival, creating a place where art, ideas, and community come together in a way that feels both forward-looking and deeply rooted in the city’s artistic heritage.’ The reopening of Central happens alongside Gathering’s Cologne gallery debut, a solo show by late German artist Sibylle Ruppert, her first exhibition in the city since 1971.

Gathering gallery reopens the legendary Central