From the outset, the SALOON Munich’s mission is the creation of a strong network and community of women-identifying art professionals in the Bavarian capital. The empowerment and visibility of women identifying art professionals in the art world, gender diversity and the encouragement to act as women role models lie at the core of our vision. We encourage our members to actively connect, to exchange ideas, opportunities and to mutually promote each other.
The SALOON Munich was established by Eva Lengler and Christiane Gorzalka in June 2021. At the two-year anniversary celebration in June 2023, Cordula Gielen and Helena Ernst were appointed as additional Board members, supporting the growing demands of the network. From May 2025 on, Melanie Alvarado replaced Cordula Gielen as a Board member. Since its foundation, SALOON Munich has grown to an important component of the Munich art scene with a constantly growing number of members – spanning from art historians, art dealers and auction house professionals to conservators, artists and many more. This diverse melange of professionals allows a fruitful exchange between its members.
We arrange monthly meetings that are linked to an event, such as exhibition or studio visits, usually hosted by one of our members. Additionally, we facilitate workshops and panel discussions addressing contemporary topics.
Follow SALOON Munich on Instagram to engage with us and to stay up to date about our current and upcoming events and activities.
To apply as a member, please write to munich@saloon-network.org.
Christiane Gorzalka (she/her) is a specialist for Modern Art and Contemporary Art, working as a Client Development Strategist and Client Advisor for the German speaking areas of Europe at the international London-based auction house PHILLIPS.
After finishing her undergraduate studies at Maastricht University and her master’s degree at King’s College London, Christiane delved right into the art and creative world of the British capital. She first worked for various smaller institutions as well as for a leading art dealer, before staring in the Impressionist & Modern Art department at Bonhams auctioneers’s headquarter in London.
After many years abroad, Christiane returned to her home country and started a career as modern art specialist at the leading German auction house, Ketterer Kunst. From 2021 to 2023 she took up a role in the primary market as gallery director for a Munich-based contemporary art gallery. In September 2023, Christiane returned to the auction market and started a strategic and business getting role at the internationally operating auction house PHILLIPS.
Eva Lengler (she/her) is an art historian and representative for Bonhams Auctioneers in Germany.
After studying art history with the focus on Dutch Old Masters in Cologne she moved to Munich where she first gained experience in the auction world at Karl & Faber and the representative office of Bonhams. Then she started at Ketterer Kunst, the leading auction house in Germany where she worked as a specialist in 19th Century art and cataloguer in Modern and Contemporary Art. Eva returned to the English auction house Bonhams in 2020. Her job entails providing advice and valuations to her clients throughout the northern half of Germany. In her role as representative, she covers multiple categories like fine and decorative arts, jewellery, motorcars and wine. She has consigned and successfully sold major collections such as the one of Beatles photographer Astrid Kirchherr.
Together with Christiane she is board and founding member of Saloon Munich where she finds her inspiration and enjoys bringing together gorgeous, talented women from the city's art scene.
Helena Ernst (she/her) is a conservator for modern and contemporary materials. 2024 she started her own business under the name /conservation as an independent art conservator and researcher for private clients and collections.
She studied Restoration, Art Technology and Conservation Sciences at the Technical University Munich from 2009-2015. During her studies she worked in several conservation studios, including a seven-months internship at Modern Art Conservation (MAC) in New York. Her Master's Thesis dealt with the conservation possibilities of the installation "The Keep" by Mike Kelley in the Museum Brandhorst in Munich. After a short contract at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Helena begun working part-time as an object conservator at Die Neue Sammlung - The Design Museum from 2016-2023. 2020-2023 she worked additionally as a project conservator in the international research project "German Democratic Plastics in Design“.
Helena joined the SALOON Munich Board in June 2023.
Melanie Alvarado (she/her), a seasoned business professional with a dynamic career spanning management consulting, corporate leadership, and the art market, brings a strategic perspective and global outlook to every endeavor. As an Art Consultant, she specializes in Latin American art, advising private collectors, corporations, and institutions on building thoughtful, culturally rich collections that celebrate the region’s diverse artistic voices. Deeply engaged in the international art fair circuit, she regularly facilitates sales and fosters connections across the global arts ecosystem. Beyond the commercial sphere, she is a passionate advocate for cultural dialogue and equity in the arts. She currently works with Amalgama Art (London) to develop cultural partnerships that amplify cross-cultural programming and visibility for Latin American artists. She also collaborates with BLOC Art (Lima) in sales and fundraising initiatives, connecting private patrons, brands, and cultural institutions to champion Peruvian artists on a global stage. Born and raised in Washington D.C., she holds degrees from the Kogod School of Business and the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.
Melanie joined the SALOON Munich Board in April 2025.
Sara Alavi Kia (Project and Account Manager, Valuations Europe, Sotheby’s)
Melanie Alvarado (Strategic Partnerships, Art Amalgama (Latin American Art), www.artamalgama.com)
Adrienne Bauer (Lawyer for Art Law, Advant Beiten)
Mandana Bender (Gallery Manager, Arnoldi-Livie)
Jessica Capra (Head of Concept & Projects, The Artist And The Others, Curator of Training the Senses at Marres, theartistandtheothers.nl; marres.org)
Cezara Casian (Art historian, Curator)
Heike Dempster (Writer, Curator and Artist Management, heikedemster.cargo.site)
Sandra Dreher (Specialist for Modern Art, Ketterer Kunst, kettererkunst.de)
Desislava Eick (Art Advisor and Founder Young Collectors, youngcollectors.net)
Helena Ernst (Conservator of Modern Materials and Doctoral Researcher. Die Neue Sammlung / Pinakothek der Moderne, dnstdm.de)
Annemarie Faupel (Artist, painting, www.annemariefaupel.com)
Aileen Faustmann (Art Lawyer and founder of media2law (solicitor's office), media2law.com)
Tabea Flamm (Business Liaison Modern & Contemporary Art, Sotheby’s, Sothebys.com/de/über/adressen/munich
Claudia Fransen (Cultural Manager, Museums of Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen Munich)
Silvia Gardini (Artist, Business Lawyer, Activist, Speaker, LinkedIn.com/in/silviagardini)
Isabel Gebhardt (Conservator, Museum Brandhorst, museum-brandhorst.de)
Polina Gedova (Curator at Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum, Munich, dnstdm.de; Artist, polinagedova.com)
Cordula Gielen (Editor & Project Manager, Hirmer Publisher, hirmerverlag.de)
Lisa Granada (Artist, lisagranada.com)
Katharina Haider (Fine Art Conservator and Restorer at Bacon Studios, Berlin and Munich, bacon-studios.com)
Karen Irmer (Artist (video, photography, site specific, karen-irmer.de)
Jessica Keilholz-Busch (Director Franz Marc Museum)
Mariella Kerscher (Artist, drawing and painting, mariellakerscher.com)
Julia Maria Korn (Editorial Manager RESTAURO)
Anastasia Kozlova (PhD-candidate, freelance art historian, Customer Service Hiscox)
Katja Kraft (Cultural editor Münchner Merkur and tz)
Constanza Camilla Kramer Garfias (Artist, textile, constanzacamila.com)
Darlyn Carreira Krause (Art historian, Assistant Galerie Schöttle, galerie-schoettle.de)
Rieke Kreitz-Essen (DTFLR Architekten GmbH)
Dr. Rosa Kriesche-Küderli (Studio Richard Kriesche)
Dr. Kristina Krüger (Specialist for Graphics and Art, Zisska & Lacher Auctioneers, zisska.de)
Dr Zuzana Künzl (Gallery Assistance, Wolfgang Jahn Gallery, galeriejahn.com)
Julia Lachenmann (Art Historian, Author, Cultural Mediator, Founder BELLEPARAIS Gallery, belleparais.com)
Camilla Langnickel (Art Historian, PhD Candidate)
Gretta Louw (Artist, grettalouw.com, curt-wills-stiftung.com)
Janine Mackenroth (Artist, sustainable painting & sculpture, janinemackenroth.com)
Sophia Mainka (Artist, sculpture, installation, video, sophiamainka.de)
Dr. Anahita Mittertrainer (Department of Southwest Asia and North Africa, Museum Fünf Kontinente, museum-fuenf-kontinente.de)
Sarah Mohr (Specialist for 19th Century Art, Ketterer Kunst, kettererkunst.de)
Monika-Luiza Ostrowska (Specialist for Books and Modern Art, Zisska & Lacher Auctioneers, zisska.de)
Dr. Susanna C. Ott (Independent researcher, Board member Kunstclub13 e.V.)
Ingrid Pérez De Laborda (Art historian, Specialist for Provenance, Research Associate stern-photoarchive, bsb-muenchen.de, arbeitskreis-werkverzeichnis.de)
Lina Petzendorfer (Art Educator, Art Management)
Nina Radelfahr (Artist, drawing and installation, ninaradelfahr.de)
Lilian Robl (Artist, Art Historian, lilianrobl.de)
Dr. Tina Sauerlaender (Curator, Art Historian, www.peertospace.eu/tina)
Dr. Nanke Schellmann (Fine Art Editions Specialist, nankeschellmann.com, and Conservation Consultant, schellmannconservation.com)
Dr. Carola Schenk (Art historian, Specialist for Max Slevogt, Sales Underwriter at ARTE Generali)
Fiona Seidler (Koller Auctions, Head of Munich Offices & Southern Germany, kollerauktionen.ch)
Alexandra Seitz (Trainee at PLATFORM, platform-muenchen.de)
Christina Spachtholz (Art historian & founding member of research group "Paul Hoecker”)
Angela Stauber (Artist, painting and art in public space, www.angelastauber.de)
Laura Sophia Streller (Art and design historian, academic trainee at Museum für Konkrete Kunst, mkk-ingolstadt.de, Lecturer, designschule-muenchen.de)
Hannah Taege (Underwriter Art & Private Clients, Hiscox, www.hiscox.de)
Tamiko Thiel (Artist, digital art, tamikothiel.com)
Caroline Weber (Office Assistant, Artcurial Germany & Austria, artcurial.com)
Annabel Weichel-Prechtl (Director’s Assistant, Digital Communication, Sammlung Goetz, sammlung-goetz.de; Board Member, freunde-hausderkunst.de)
Constanze Zawadzky (Lead Art & Culture at Ipai (Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence, ip.ai)
Dorita Zvinyte (Artist, painting, www.dorita.gallery)
