Just months after the city re-opened its Museum of Fine Arts, Leipzig is poised to rival the capital Berlin in attracting young artists - as well as the buyers who help secure their livelihood.

In the city district known as Plagitz, gallery owners are setting up shop on what may one day soon be known as Leipzig’s "Art Mile." The most famous of those gallerists is Gerd Harry Lybke, whose gallery Eigen+Art represents artists such as Neo Rauch, Tim Eitel and Olaf Nicolai. Lybke expects 3,000 guests at the opening of his new gallery on April 20.

"The art world is turning to Leipzig," Lybke told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung in comments that reflect more than the optimism of a dealer ready to take a chance on a new location, especially when one considers the gallerist’s success at the recent Art Basel Miami Beach. Within minutes of opening his stand at the well-attended show, Lybke sold his entire inventory, including several works by members of the so-called "New Leipzig School" that is attracting interest from both private collectors and the world’s most prestigious museums.

Lybke is one of the main supporters of Leipzig’s planned "Art Mile," where visitors can peruse galleries including those belonging to likes of well-known art dealers Torsten Reiter, Hochen Hempel, Matthias Kleindienst, and André Kermer.