Kerber Verlag

What Kerber Verlag does

Kerber Verlag is an independent international art book publisher founded in 1985 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany (Rudi-Dutschke-Straße 26). The company specializes in high-quality publications on contemporary and modern art, photography, architecture, and cultural history, and has published more than 2,000 titles over its 40-year history. Its product portfolio consists of two main lines: standard art books and exhibition catalogs priced between €20 and €76, and limited collector editions (Editionen) featuring works by contemporary artists priced between €75 and €1,950, with editions sold exclusively through the publisher.

The business operates a multilingual e-commerce platform (German and English) with payment integration for PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, invoice, and prepayment, supported by a MailChimp-based newsletter system and a Matomo/Meta Pixel analytics stack. Books are distributed worldwide through a network covering more than 85 countries, supplemented by regional distribution partners in Switzerland (Buchhandlung Scheidegger) and Austria (Buchhandlung Stuwerbuch), and a fulfillment partner (Zeitfracht Medien GmbH) for order processing. The company is structured as a GmbH & Co. KG, is privately held, and has remained independently owned since founding.

Kerber Verlag serves a diversified customer base of art collectors and enthusiasts, museums and galleries, and academic institutions, with no single dominant customer disclosed. Go-to-market is primarily direct-to-consumer via e-commerce and newsletter, complemented by wholesale distribution and presence at cultural events and exhibitions. The company is led by CEO Jens Bartneck and operates with a compact team of approximately 6 employees covering project management, distribution/finance, press & marketing, and design & lithography.

Name

Kerber Verlag

Legal name

Kerber Verlag GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://kerberverlag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kerber Verlag is a Berlin-based independent art book publisher founded in 1985, producing high-quality books, exhibition catalogs, and limited collector editions on contemporary art, photography, architecture, and cultural history, serving museums, galleries, art collectors, and academic institutions across 85+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hardcover & Premium Editions Publishing (MPAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Art book publishing
• Exhibition catalogs
• Limited art editions
• Contemporary art books
• Cultural history books

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sales of high-quality art books, exhibition catalogs, and cultural publications on contemporary and modern art, photography, architecture, and cultural history. Books are sold at fixed prices ranging from €20 to €76 for standard publications.
2. Limited Edition Sales: Sales of limited collector editions (Collector's Editions) featuring works by contemporary artists. Edition prices range from €75 to €1,950, sold exclusively directly through the publisher with advance payment and courier delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kerber Verlag is an independent, international art book publisher that produces and sells high-quality publications on contemporary and modern art, photography, architecture, and cultural history. The company has published more than 2,000 titles since 1985 and also offers limited collector editions (Editionen) of original works by contemporary artists, sold exclusively directly through its Berlin-based operations. Distribution reaches over 85 countries via the publisher's own e-commerce platform and an international partner network.

Product overview

Kerber Verlag operates as an independent, international art book publisher with a dual product offering: (1) Books and art catalogs covering contemporary and modern art, photography, architecture, and cultural history, with over 2,000 titles published since 1985; and (2) Limited collector's editions (Editionen) featuring works by contemporary artists, available exclusively through direct publisher sales. The company operates a multilingual e-commerce platform (German and English) for direct sales of both product lines, supported by newsletter marketing services. Books and editions cannot be ordered together on the same order due to separate distribution processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Books (Bücher) High-quality art books, exhibition catalogs, and scholarly publications on contemporary and modern art, photography, architecture, and cultural history. The catalog spans more than 2,000 titles with standard books priced between €20 and €76 (most titles €28–€48), sold directly via the publisher's e-commerce platform and through an international distribution network.
• Editionen (Limited Art Editions) Limited collector's editions featuring original works by contemporary artists, available exclusively directly from the publisher. Edition prices range from €75 (Emeka Ogboh) to €1,950 (Mel Ramos), with separate fulfillment requiring advance payment and courier delivery.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Zeitfracht Medien GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFulfillment partner for order processing and delivery. Zeitfracht Medien GmbH, located at Ferdinand-Jühlke-Straße 7, 99095 Erfurt, handles order processing for book shipments.
• Buchhandlung ScheideggercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwiss distribution partner handling orders from Switzerland. Orders are automatically forwarded to Scheidegger & Co. AG in Affoltern am Albis. Orders billed in CHF.
• Buchhandlung StuwerbuchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustrian distribution partner handling private customer orders from Austria due to Austrian packaging regulations. Located in Vienna.
• Börsenverein des Deutschen BuchhandelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association, the main industry organization for the German book trade.
• VG Bild-KunstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn - a collective society for visual artists in Germany.
• VG WortminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of VG Wort, Munich - a collective society for literary and musical works in Germany.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Steidl: German independent publisher known for high-quality photography and art books. Comparable in craft-led, premium positioning and independent ownership structure.
• Distanz Verlag: Berlin-based independent art and photography book publisher producing exhibition catalogs and monographs. Comparable geographically and in subject-matter specialization.
• Edition Schellmann: Munich-based publisher of limited editions and prints by contemporary artists. Comparable to Kerber's Editionen line in producing exclusive direct-sold art objects.
• Hatje Cantz: A long-established German art book publisher specializing in contemporary art, photography, architecture, and exhibition catalogs. Highly comparable to Kerber in subject focus, geographic origin, and institutional client base.
• Hirmer Verlag: Munich-based German publisher of high-quality art, architecture, and photography books. Comparable in editorial scope and German institutional client base.
• Prestel Publishing: German-founded international publisher of high-quality art, architecture, photography, and culture books. Closely comparable to Kerber in premium art book positioning and exhibition catalog work.
• Lars Müller Publishers: Swiss independent publisher focused on architecture, design, and contemporary culture. Comparable as a small, premium, design-led European art/architecture book publisher.
• Walther König, Köln: Independent German art book publisher and bookstore chain producing exhibition catalogs and contemporary art publications. Comparable in scale and editorial focus to Kerber Verlag.

Broad incumbents

• Phaidon Press: Global publisher of high-end art, architecture, photography, and design books. Comparable in premium positioning but operating at significantly larger scale.
• Taschen: Global art and culture book publisher with much larger scale but overlapping focus on premium art, photography, and architecture titles. Represents the scaled version of Kerber's niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kerberverlag
• Instagraminstagram.com/kerberverlag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kerberverlag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kerber Verlag