1. Faith Ringgold, Goodman Gallery, ACA Galleries, Courtesy of Art Basel
Bright and early, how Basel kick off the start of the week with the biggest fair of the world
Basel, a city at the cornerstone between Switzerland, France and Germany got into the rhythm of parties, art fairs and art enthusiast every year, during the second week of June. While numerous events and art fairs appoints at the same time, from LISTE, Photo Basel, I Never Read, the blockbuster fair is still Art Basel and it's sister, Unlimited.
This year edition promise to be a dynamic event, with the presentation of works of modern and contemporary art coming from 285 galleries, from 40 countries and territories, including 22 first-time participants.
While this edition marks the first under the direction of Maike Cruse, who assumed her role in July 2023, she was helped by a team of curators and specialist such as Stefanie Hessler, who curated the Parcours sector, transforming it into a public art exhibition along Clarastrasse near Messe Basel, but also Giovanni Carmine who curated the Unlimited sector of the fair.
Unlimited, not that "unlimited" anymore
2. Wolfgang Laib, Konrad Fischer Galerie, Lisa Rumba, Courtesy of Art Basel
Unlimited, the second most visited part of Art Basel is quite different from the tradition presentation of works, moving from the concept of white cube to the presentation of monumental installations, colossal sculptures, paintings, photo series, expansive video projections and live performances.
While the works may be created in situ, most of the works are selected by the Art Basel in Basel Selection Committee, and the curator Giovanni Carmine. The infrastructure is then adapted to the needs of each work of art, and the overall layout is planned by the curator in consultation with the galleries.
Displayed in a 16,000-square-meter hall, contemporary works and historical projects are in dialogue. This year Unlimited presented 70 large-scale installations by distinguished and emerging artists, including three live performances.
Some of the highlights included Robert Franck, "The Americans" (1954-1957), which is a series 84-photograph sequence printed in 1983 by photographer Ed Grazda under Frank's supervision and exhibited for the first time. The group of work offers a glimpse into the set of prints Frank selected for his personal archive. For David Campany, "The Americans are absolutely of its time in North American history, in art history, and in Robert Frank's own history. Even so, it continues to resonate profoundly with new audiences and old. And, since there is no time travel, there must be something beyond all the period detail that still feels contemporary, that speaks to us now, in our moment. That 'something' is partly to do with The Americans being art of the very highest standard. Such work is never confined to its original moment.".
Another highlights included Laib's installation "Brahmanda", who features an oval-shaped black Indian granite stone, meticulously polished with sunflower oil and black smoke, set amidst a field of rice mounds. The title of the work is drawn from Sanskrit cosmogony, evokes Brahman and the "Cosmic egg," symbolizing the spiritual reality of the world and the wholeness of the universe.
The natural markings on this geometric form represent the unity of male and female principles in a unique pursuit of togetherness. Creation is conveyed through the simple yet profound use of rice grains.
Continuing our journey into Unlimited, we are struck by Faith Ringgold, "The Wake and Resurrection of the Bicentennial Negro", a work conceived in response to the American Bicentennial celebrations of 1976.
Blending craft techniques with diverse ceremonial traditions, this installation reflects Ringgold's exploration of gender and racial identity. As she explains, "I certainly agreed with many black people at the time that we had no reason to celebrate 200 years of American independence; for almost half of that time we had been in slavery, and for most of the following years we had still been struggling to become fully free. So, this was a wake, not a celebration. I wanted to create a visual narrative of the dynamics of racism."
Finally, "Quetta" is an installation of 31 photographs documenting Sigmar Polke's 1974 travels to Quetta, Pakistan, where he captured scenes in opium dens. Embracing the imperfections of the photographic medium (visible fingerprints, scratches, and abrasions) Polke created images that visually echo their subject matter through qualities of diffusion and chance. This series stands out among Polke's 1970s photographic work for its size and its exploration of hallucinatory imagery and unorthodox expression.
While all of those works are quite impressive in terms of message or subject, Unlimited lacked its uniqueness this year. Less works are larger or quite experimental, because the show was quite traditional, more or less white cube's put onto each other to create an exhibition covering what they call "the wide spectrum of art", which is not presented. While I wish the team of curators can asked questions of nudity, gender, reflection around borders, representation of female artists and people of color more often, I also wished this platform can be one who truly experiment with artists who actually work on new work, and who are not that famous as we saw this year, and coming from all corners of the globe.
Back to the classics
3. Lee Krasser at Mnuchin Gallery, Courtesy of Art Basel
On the other side of the building, Art Basel opened its 54th edition, where visitors can expect some breaks from tradition, thus marking a step into the next generation of visitors and collectors, who take more time to think and buy works, thus imposing a slower paste to the art market.
The 288 galleries showcased and sold their works in much the same way as ever, painting, sculpture and photograph, coming from artists of all around the world (especially on the top floor). They also step outside their comfort zone, but spilling into the city of Basel beyond the main trade’s business hours with an expanded Parcours section.
Within this year’s fair, the team emphasises the geographical “diversity” of its exhibitors, though these are still dominated by North American and European galleries. This year there are 41 galleries with roots from outside these regions, up from 33 last year.
At Art Basel, David Zwirner gallery made headlines by selling Joan Mitchell’s diptych "Sunflowers" (1990–91) for a reported $20 million, though some sources suggest the actual price was closer to $18 million. The gallerist also sells Gerhard Richter’s "Abstraktes Bild" (2016) for $6 million and Yayoi Kusama’s "Aspiring to Pumpkin’s Love, the Love in My Heart" (2023) for $5 million.
In contrast to usual trends, secondary market markups were more reasonable. Gagosian's booth featured Ed Ruscha’s "Radio 1" offered at $2.8 million, having last sold for $2.1 million, and Andy Warhol’s "Hammer & Sickle" (1976), priced at $8.5 million, which sold for $5.5 million in 2017.
Hauser & Wirth also had a successful fair, selling Arshile Gorky’s "Untitled (Gray Drawing (Pastoral))" (1946–47) for $16 million and several other high-profile works, including Jenny Holzer’s granite benches and Louise Bourgeois’s "Woman with Packages" (1987–93) for $3.5 million.
Thaddaeus Ropac experienced brisk sales reminiscent of "the old days," selling a major Robert Rauschenberg work for $3.85 million and several Georg Baselitz bronze sculptures for €2 million each.
White Cube sold a Julie Mehretu painting for $6.75 million, a Mark Bradford for $4.5 million, and Jeff Wall’s "The Storyteller" for $2.85 million, among others. Overall, Art Basel demonstrated robust sales and a diverse array of high-value transactions, indicating a healthy and enthusiastic market for contemporary and modern art.
Informations about the fair
Place: Messeplatz 10
CH-4058 Basel
Switzerland
Ticket: Available on the website of Art Basel and on-site.