Art Basel‘s world-leading shows in Basel, Hong Kong and Miami connect collectors, galleries, and artists, and are a driving force in supporting the role galleries play in nurturing the careers of artists. The recently launched Art Basel Cities initiative highlights local art scenes and facilitates international collaborations.
Basel show brings the international artworld together, with the world’s leading galleries showing the works of over 4,000 artists. Exhibitions and events are also offered by cultural institutions in Basel and the surrounding area, creating an exciting, region-wide art week.
The main sector of the show presented 227 of the world’s leading galleries showing painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, photography, video and editioned works of the highest quality. Overall, the gallery sector was rejuvenated by ten galleries participating in Galleries for the first time. These additions reflected Art Basel’s efforts to steadily bring younger galleries and the next generation of Modern galleries into the main sector of the fair, where they can show the full range of their programs.
Showcased by 18 exciting young international galleries, solo presentations in Statements offered visitors and collectors the opportunity to discover quality work by emerging artists. The sector welcomed ten galleries exhibiting at the Basel show for the first time: Sandy Brown, Carlos/Ishikawa, Croy Nielsen, Essex Street, Freedman Fitzpatrick, Jan Kaps, Antoine Levi, Madragoa, mor charpentier and White Space Beijing.
Unlimited
This year Unlimited took place on the upper floor of Hall 1. Art Basel’s unique platform for large-scale projects, the sector once again offered galleries the opportunity to showcase monumental installations, sculptures, video projections, wall paintings, photographic series and performance art that transcend the traditional art fair stand. Curated for the seventh year by Gianni Jetzer, Curator-at-Large at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C.both historical and contemporary works were represented, celebrating renowned masters as well as emerging artists, including: Matthew Barney, Yto Barrada, Daniel Buren, Horia Damian, Camille Henrot, Jenny Holzer, Mark Leckey, Lee Ufan, Inge Mahn, Lygia Pape, Jon Rafman, Michael Rakowitz, Nedko Solakov, Martine Syms, Barthélémy Toguo and Yu Hong. Once again, galleries reported strong sales from the sector.
31 galleries presented ambitiously curated projects by both historical and contemporary artists in the Feature sector, with six galleries completely new to the show. Highlights from the sector included: Jef Geys at Galerie Max Mayer, Lubaina Himid at Hollybush Gardens and Nil Yalter at Galerist.
The sector presented 14 global leaders in the field of prints and editioned works: Brooke Alexander, Inc., Niels Borch Jensen Gallery and Editions, Alan Cristea Gallery, mfc – michèle didier, Atelier-Editions Fanal, Gemini G.E.L., Sabine Knust, Lelong Editions, Carolina Nitsch, Paragon, Polígrafa Obra Gràfica, Susan Sheehan Gallery, STPI and Two Palms. In addition to its stand presentation, Alan Cristea Gallery was selected to present ‘Land 0 ̊ – 135 ̊ and Sea 0 ̊ – 135 ̊’ (2009) by Jan Dibbets on the Spotlight wall facing the Rundhof, which forms part of the Edition sector.
Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world’s premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition.