ART FAIRS:Art Basel 2015

The first Art Basel, was held in Basel, Switzerland in 1970 and the concept of the Founders: Ernst Beyeler, Trudi Bruckner and Balz Hilt, was to bring together gallerists, collectors and art professionals to see the best art works of 20th century from around the world. Art Basel has been described as the ‘Olympics of the Art World’.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Art Basel 2015 Archive

Approximately 300 galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa show the work of more than 4,000 artists, ranging from the great masters of Modern art to the latest generation of emerging stars. The show’s individual sectors represent every artistic medium: paintings, sculpture, installations, videos, multiples, prints, photography, and performance. Each day offers a full program of events, including symposiums, films, and artist talks. Further afield, exhibitions and events are offered by cultural institutions in Basel and the surrounding area, creating an exciting, region-wide art week. The anchor of Art Basel is its Galleries sector, the world’s leading galleries of Modern and contemporary art show 20th- and 21st-century artworks. The main sector of the show features a strong list of 223 galleries. The returning exhibitors will be joined by three galleries who will exhibit within the sector for the first time, having previously shown in Statements or Feature. The Feature sector emphasizes precisely curated projects that may include solo presentations by an individual artist, or juxtapositions and thematic exhibits from artists representing a range of cultures, generations, and artistic approaches. Statements: In this sector, Art Basel presents exciting new solo projects by young, emerging artists. Each year, two outstanding artists in this sector are awarded the Baloise Art Prize. The Baloise Group also acquires works by the award-winning artists which it donates to important European art institutions. Unlimited is Art Basel’s pioneering exhibition platform for projects that transcend the limitations of a classical art-show stand. The innovative work includes out-sized sculpture and paintings, video projections, large-scale installations, and live performances. Art Basel’s unique platform will present 74 projects from galleries participating in the show. Parcours is the sector which engages the city’s historical quarters with site-specific sculptures, interventions, and performances by renowned international artists and emerging talents. Each year, Parcours seeks to engage with a different area of the city of Basel, and this year will take place around the Münsterplatz area near the Basel cathedral. The Film sector presents a premier program of film and video works, the program will feature the long-awaited European premier of “Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict”, Takashi Murakami’s first feature film “Jellyfish Eyes” and Hassan Hajjaj’s new film “Karima: A Day in the Life of a Henna Girl”. Edition: Leading publishers of editioned works, prints, and multiples exhibit the results of their collaboration with renowned artists. 15 galleries from 8 different countries, including Europe, Asia, US, will be showcasing the results of their collaboration with renowned artists. Magazines: Art publications from around the world display their magazines in single-magazine stands or the collective booth. Editors and publishers are often present at the show and many magazines contribute presentations to our Salon series, a schedule of presentations, lectures, and discussions by a range of speakers. Starting in 2004, the daily Conversations series has been a premier platform for dynamic dialogs between prominent members of the international artworld, each offering their unique perspective on producing, collecting, and exhibiting art. In all, more than 300 speakers have taken part in these panels. Adding a more freestyle dimension to talks program, the Salon program (which started in 2002 as Art Lobby) serves as an open space for short presentations such as artist talks, concise panels, and even performances – often quite informal – with an even broader range of speakers.

Info: Art Basel 2014, Halls 1 & 2 of Messe Basel, Messeplatz, Basel, Duration: 18-21/6/15, Hours: 11:00-19:00, www.artbasel.com