1. Art Genève 2025, © Julien Gremaud
Art Genève 2025 : a celebrated convergence of art, innovation and sustainability
The 13th edition of Art Genève took place from January 30 to February 2, 2025, at Palexpo in Geneva, bringing together collectors, curators, and art enthusiasts for an event that blended commercial and institutional art spheres.
This year’s featured approximately 80 modern and contemporary art galleries, along with 21 invited public and private institutions. These included major museums, independent art centers, and prestigious collections, enriching the fair beyond the traditional marketplace. By integrating these institutional participants, Art Genève ensured a dynamic and layered artistic exchange, reflecting the diversity of contemporary artistic practices.
2. Art Genève 2025, Vernissage © Julien Gremaud
The program
One of the most anticipated elements of Art Genève 2025 was the “Solo Shows” section, which featured 29 individual artist presentations. This format allowed visitors to engage with an artist’s work, offering a focused and immersive experience rather than a broader, more fragmented overview. The initiative was met with widespread acclaim from critics and attendees, further solidifying its role as a distinctive component of the fair.
Each year, Art Genève awards the Solo Art Genève – F.P. Journe Prize to the most outstanding solo presentation. In 2025, the prize was awarded to Lovay Fine Arts, a Geneva-based gallery, for its exceptional presentation of Swiss artist Pascal Vonlanthen. While the award recognized the depth of Vonlanthen's work, some critics noted that the selection leaned towards a safe and established aesthetic, rather than truly groundbreaking or risk-taking works. The question remains whether Art Genève is willing to push boundaries or if it prefers to cater to a more conventional collector base.
The fair’s “artgenève/sur-mesure” featured five large-scale, site-specific installations, demonstrating a commitment to experimental works. Among them, a striking 17-meter-wide suspended sculpture by Joana Vasconcelos. Presented by the gallery Gowen, this monumental piece played with notions of space, gravity, and movement, offering a breathtaking visual spectacle. Despite its visual impact, some critics felt that Vasconcelos’ work remained too aligned with the commercial appeal of large-scale spectacle rather than presenting a more intellectually challenging engagement with contemporary artistic discourse and lesser-know works or group of works.
Additionally, while the fair attempted to integrate emerging voices, there was a noticeable imbalance in the representation of young artists. Many of the participating galleries, particularly the Swiss ones, favored artists who fit within an established, market-friendly framework. This curatorial approach made the fair accessible to collectors but perhaps missed an opportunity to present more radical, thought-provoking work that could redefine art trends.
Sustainability
In recent years, the art world has been increasingly challenged to address its environmental impact, and Art Genève has taken significant steps to align itself with sustainable practices. The fair’s organizers have implemented a series of measures to reduce its carbon footprint and promote environmentally responsible approaches within the art sector.
One of the most notable initiatives involves the use of eco-friendly exhibition materials. Temporary structures, often criticized for their wastefulness, were replaced with reusable and recyclable components. Booth constructions prioritized sustainable woods and modular elements that could be repurposed for future editions, minimizing landfill contributions..
Transport and logistics, another critical factor in an art fair’s environmental footprint, were also addressed. Art shipping, which traditionally relies on air transport, was encouraged to shift towards lower-emission alternatives, such as rail and consolidated trucking. Galleries and institutions were incentivized to coordinate shipments, reducing the number of vehicles required for deliveries.
Furthermore, the fair took steps to offset its carbon emissions by collaborating with local environmental organizations. Through partnerships with tree-planting initiatives and renewable energy projects, Art Genève actively contributed to ecological restoration efforts, ensuring that its environmental impact was mitigated beyond the immediate event.
While these efforts should be applauded, questions remain about the deeper contradictions of sustainability within the art fair model itself. Large-scale international events, by nature, generate significant emissions due to travel, transport, and infrastructure requirements. Despite Art Genève’s commendable efforts, one must ask whether the art world is willing to fundamentally rethink the concept of an art fair to achieve true sustainability, rather than merely applying surface-level green initiatives.
Section's
This year’s edition of Art Genève was widely praised for its intimate scale and carefully curated selection of galleries and institutions. Unlike larger art fairs that can sometimes overwhelm visitors with their sheer size, Art Genève has consistently positioned itself as a refined and human-scale event, allowing for meaningful interactions between artists, collectors, and curators.
However, the fair still struggles with defining its true identity within the global art ecosystem. While it presents itself as an alternative to the overwhelming machine of Art Basel, it often feels like a stepping stone rather than a standalone powerhouse. There is a sense that Art Genève still hesitates between positioning itself as a bold, experimental fair and a commercially safe, collector-oriented marketplace.
The fair’s director, Charlotte Diwan, emphasized its growing role as a unifying event, not only for the Swiss art scene but for the broader European and international art communities. Under her leadership, Art Genève continues to evolve, striking a balance between commercial success and a commitment of artistic experimentation and institutional collaboration. However, this balance remains delicate, and as the art market continues to shift, Art Genève will need to assert a stronger identity to avoid being overshadowed by its larger counterparts.
With its 2025 edition, Art Genève reaffirmed its status as a major cultural event that not only celebrates contemporary and modern art but also fosters dialogue, experimentation, and environmental consciousness. However, its cautious curatorial approach and reliance on established market trends raise questions about its long-term role in pushing artistic boundaries. As the art market continues to evolve, Art Genève remains a testament to the power of a carefully curated, intellectually stimulating, yet commercially viable art fair, but it may need to take greater risks to define itself in the future.
Informations about the exhibition
Place: Palexpo
Route François-Peyrot 30
1218 Le grand-Saconnex
Switzerland
Date: 30.01 - 02.02.2025
Ticket: Available on the website of artgenève or on site
