At the end of 2019, the three art lovers found an ideal location in Zurich Oberdorf and they began to set everything up. «We planned to have an opening day vernissage but then came the lockdown,», Claudius Ochsner remembers. Their large, faithful clientele, however, helped them to bridge that while the gallery put more of an emphasis on social media.

Becoming partners

Daniel Wahrenberger had previously led a gallery focused on contemporary art. Ochsner, an art dear and gallery owner, specialized in classical modern art, and had been active for a long time in New York. Thomas Schaffluetzel, who originally worked as an assistant for Wahrenberger, increasingly took over administrative tasks and is now part of the trio responsible for image and social media.

«I met Daniel Wahrenberger by way of Thomas Schaffluetzel. The idea of a joint gallery first came to us during a fair in Lausanne around a glass of wine - maybe more», Claudius Ochsner said. 

Galerie WOS in Zurich (Image: Karin Bischof)

Challenges

It was not easy to start a gallery during the pandemic. «We had to build our systems, take inventory, and strengthen our online presence at the same time,», Schaffluetzel said. But they stayed optimistic. «My grandfather always said - if whining helped, I would do it 24 hours a day,», Ochsner said, laughing. Today, the gallery owns and administers over 2,000 artworks.

The survival strategy? «Stay in contact and be flexible», Schaffluetzel emphasized. They used the display windows to exhibit artworks, something that was appreciated by those passing by. Selling continued, even if it was emotionally difficult at the time.

Work by Luciano Castelli, Carlo, 1991 (Image: Galerie WOS)

5-Year Jubilee

At the gallery's jubilee, they held a classical exhibition, presenting works by Georg Baselitz, Luciano Castelli, Christo & Jeanne-Claude, Jiří Georg Dokoupil, Piero Dorazio, Günther Foerg, Markus Luepertz, Joan Miró, Martin Noël, A. R. Penck, Pablo Picasso, Otto Piene and Guenther Uecker.

The celebrations took place in the gallery and the garden, with a comprehensive program helping visitors to dive into the diverse world of art.

Vernissage Galerie WOS: Leon Loewentraut in the Kulturhaus Helferei (Image: Sebastian Drueen)

«Our highlights in the last five years are surely the individual exhibitions by artists such as John Kiki, Jacqueline de Jong, Leon Loewentraut und Martin Noël», Schaffluetzel said. «The events showed the enthusiasm and engagement of our clients.»

They already have big projects in mind for the future. «We have excellent portrait photographers from the US who have taken pictures of famous personalities. We are also excited by the works of A.R. Penck, and we intend to show them soon», Ochsner added. «Interestingly, we all recently discovered that we all like black and white artworks».

Work by A.R. Penck, Die Bedingungen - Systembild, 1999 (Image: Galerie WOS)

Joint Mindset

The success of the Galerie WOS relies on the partnership and the joint objectives of the three founders. «We supported each other and relied on our strengths. Our focus lies in offering high-quality art and positioning ourselves as a gallery. Wir are the Three Musketeers – one for all and all for one», Ochsner maintains. «Being in full agreement and having a joint mindset are key», confirms Schaffluetzel. «That has helped us to work together well and survive in the art world.»

Work with soap bubbles by Jiří Georg Dokoupil, Bubbles Pink, 2018-2020 (Image: Galerie WOS)

Not Easy

Galerie WOS has faced challenges from the start. «The biggest challenge was certainly developing into equal partners after being individual gallery owners», erklärt Ochsner. «It was not easy to share decision-making and act as one.»

Despite all the challenges, they have managed to fulfill their vision. «The support of our artists and clients has shown us that we are on the right path. We are optimistic about the future», Ochsner maintains.

The exhibition «5 Jahre Galerie WOS» is open until 14 September 2024.

Further information: Galerie WOS