Pretty Portal
Urban Contemporary Art since 2007
A picture on the street belongs to everyone and no one. It is made without a commission or an invitation, often overnight, and by the next morning it may already have been painted over. What interests us is what remains of this energy when it changes place.
Since 2007, Pretty Portal has been showing urban contemporary art in Düsseldorf: works by artists who developed their visual language in public space and whose work has the power to break free from its urban origins.
What moves us about this art
Urban art is the most democratic art form of our time. It does not wait for institutions, charges no admission and speaks to anyone passing by. It is rebellious, often non-conformist, at times anarchic. It rubs up against the city, society and politics, and it is precisely this friction that makes it relevant.
In the gallery, it does not lose this attitude. It gains a different resonance there: time to look, closeness to the material, an eye for detail.
Galerie und Kuration
What we show
We show painting, drawing, collage, photography, sculpture and printmaking. Since 2007 we have staged more than 100 exhibitions: solo and group shows as well as recurring series. We also regularly take part in art fairs in Germany, France and Spain.
Artists who have exhibited with us include ARDIF, Alexis “Bust” Stephens, CHAZME, Guy Denning, FAKE, Fin DAC, L.E.T., Théo Lopez, Sébastien Preschoux, Natalia Rak, Roman Klonek, SAM3, SKIO, Vermibus and Marc C. Woehr.
Editions from our own studio
Alongside original works, Pretty Portal publishes editions, more than 80 to date. Since 2022 they have been produced in the gallery’s own screen printing studio, in close collaboration with the artists. This keeps production close to the work, from the colour separations to the final pull. Editions make the works accessible without diluting their attitude. For us, this too is part of the democratic idea behind this art.
Pretty Portal
Brunnenstraße 12, 40223 Düsseldorf
About Klaus Rosskothen
From the wall to the gallery
Before he became a gallerist, Klaus Rosskothen stood in front of the wall himself. From 1984 to 1990 he was active as a graffiti artist of the very first generation. The perspective of the street still shapes the way he sees the art he shows.
Image, media, art market
Born in Düsseldorf in 1968, Klaus Rosskothen is a trained photographer and 3D/CGI artist. From 1995 to 2006 he ran his own new media agency. In 2007 he founded Pretty Portal, where he has since been showing international artists working in urban contemporary art.
Screen printing
He taught himself screen printing, through numerous edition productions with various print studios and through his own experimentation. Since 2022 he has printed the gallery’s editions in its own studio.
Art in public space
Alongside his work at the gallery, he initiates and organises art projects in public space. He is a co-founder of the 40° Urban Art Festival, which he devised and curated in 2013 and 2015. In 2022 he initiated Pretty Wall Bilk: ten of the gallery’s artists transformed Düsseldorf-Bilk S-Bahn station into a museum in public space. Tourismus NRW, the tourism board of North Rhine-Westphalia, honoured the project with the Urbanana Award in 2022.
Tours and talks
In cooperation with the City of Düsseldorf, he offers urban art tours on foot and by bike. As a speaker, he shares insights into the history, scene and market of urban art.
Personal
His experience of club culture, as a DJ and party promoter, and his travels across five continents have sharpened his view of subculture and the city.