Art Basel in Europe

Outstanding art from the world’s premier galleries leads to buoyant sales to private collections and institutions worldwide

The 47th edition of Art Basel in Basel closed on Sunday, June 19, 2016 amid reports of significant sales across all levels of the market, including many major sales by galleries exhibiting within the Unlimited sector. Attendance from international collectors and institutions was once again very strong, with new collectors from countries across Africa and the former Soviet Union, as well as Iran, Lebanon, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Thailand, coming to the fair for the first time. In a more volatile market and political environment, this edition proved that there continues to be a strong demand for high-quality works when premier international galleries and leading collectors from across the world come together. This year’s edition received widespread praise for its strong booth presentations and for the powerful artistic positions, many poignantly responding to the current socio-political situation within Europe and further afield.

Basel, June 16 – 19, 2016

Art Basel’s European edition brings the international artworld together, with more than 280 of the world’s leading galleries showing works from 4,000 artists, ranging from Modern great masters to current emerging stars.

We present a full program of talks each day during the show, while cultural institutions from Basel and the region offer exhibitions and events, creating an exciting week of art.

 

 

Our European edition takes place in Basel, a historically important city situated at the borders of Switzerland, France and Germany. During our show week, the city welcomes art lovers from all over the world, coming to view 20^th and 21^st century artworks from Modern masters and newly emerging stars worldwide. Over six days, the show attracted an attendance of roughly 98,000.

Art Basel’s reputation for showing work of the highest quality has attracted the leading international gallerists and collectors, offering visitors the annual opportunity to see exceptional artworks of every type. The show is organized around eight sectors, which together encompass a vast range of artistic mediums, including paintings, sculpture, installations, film and videos, multiples, prints, photography, and live performance.

 

 

Art Basel’s exhibition sectors are carefully defined to provide visitors the opportunity to see many different types of important works, from historical masterpieces to the work of the newest generation of artists.

 

EVENTS

The week of the Art Basel show teems with parallel exhibitions and cultural events, creating an exciting environment that deepens and strengthens the relationship between gallerists, artists, curators and collectors.

 

Statements presents exciting new solo projects by emerging artists, who are eligible to receive the prestigious Baloise Art Prize. The Baloise Group acquires artworks by the award-winning artists, which it then donates to important European art institutions.

 

Curated by New York-based curator Gianni Jetzer, Unlimited is Art Basel’s pioneering exhibition platform for projects that transcend the classical art-show stand, including massive sculpture and paintings, video projections, large-scale installations, and live performances.

 

 

 Film

Art Basel’s week-long program of films by and about artists is curated by Maxa Zoller. Known for her roaming series of experimental film screenings, Zoller plans a diverse and challenging program of works that together create a dialogue about the medium of film today.

 

Curators

UNLIMITED

Gianni Jetzer

Gianni Jetzer is Curator-at-Large at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, and critic based in New York. He has realized numerous exhibitions in his positions as curator at Migros Museum in Zurich, Director of Kunsthalle St. Gallen, and Director of Swiss Institute in New York. As a critic, Jetzer has written articles for many notable catalogs, art magazines, and newspapers.

 

PARCOURS

Samuel Leuenberger

Independent curator Samuel Leuenberger has run the exhibition space SALTS since 2009. The not-for-profit program, located in Birsfelden, Switzerland, promotes young Swiss and international artists. Basel-born Leuenberger was the associate curator of ’14 Rooms’ in 2014, a major live art exhibition by Fondation Beyeler, Art Basel and Theater Basel.

 

FILM

Maxa Zoller

Maxa Zoller is a film curator and art lecturer based in Cairo. Zoller has presented experimental film screenings at Tate Modern, South London Gallery, Filmmuseum Munich and the Centre of Contemporary Art Geneva. Currently, she is co-curating a solo exhibition of Anthony McCall at EYE Filmmuseum, Amsterdam.

 

FILM

Marian Masone

Marian Masone is a film curator, lecturer and writer based in New York. For over 20 years Masone has worked at The Film Society of Lincoln Center, one of America’s pre-eminent film organizations, where she sat on the selection committees for ‘New Directors/New Films’, produced with the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and ‘The New York Film Festival’. Masone has been a guest lecturer and curator for leading institutions such as Parsons School of Design in New York and Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. Her writings on film and media have appeared in many leading newspapers and magazines.