Art Basel is hosting its annual fair in Switzerland, at the Messe Basel. Overall, the 2023 fail includes an alignment of 285 galleries from the 36 countries. The event will last from June 13 do 18. This also includes its preview days. The novelty is that Noah Horowitz, a new CEO, will manage the fair for the first time. He came to this position with the resignation of Marc Spiegler.
Get to Know This Year’s Art Basel Fair
Of all the galleries included, 21 are brand new. The number of participants at the fair this year is the same as last year. But, last year’s art fair had more exhibitions – three more. Three galleries included in the exhibition for the first time will also be part of the main Galleries section. This includes many projects. For example, there are: blank projects (of Cape Town), Empty Gallery (Hong Kong), and Offer Waterman (London).
These newly-included galleries will share their space with large-scale galleries. Those are Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace, and David Zwirner. However, it is impossible not to notice Galerie König will not participate in the fair this year. The reasons are not clear, as the gallery did not comment on it. Also, Art Basel offers three more sections in addition to the main gallery part.
They have: Editions, consisting of 10 galleries that specialize in printed and editioned art; Feature, with 16 galleries showcasing the historical importance of artworks; and Statements, where 18 galleries will offer standalone exhibitions by artists. The show will also debut the Kabinett area, which has previously been present in its events in Hong Kong and Miami Beach.
How Hard Is It to Access the Fair?
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The new CEO, Noah Horowitz released a statement on this matter. “I am incredibly excited to welcome the international art community to Basel in June for another premier edition of our show and my first as the organization’s CEO. Ranging from bold contemporary positions to rare presentations by 20th-century icons, our Basel fair will once again reaffirm its pre-eminent position as a platform for discovery and encounters that drive the art world”.
Last year, Art Basel’s flagship art fair’s applicant guidelines were more permissive. It is infamously difficult to enter. There are also no guarantees that you will be allowed to return the next year once you are in. The fair decreased the bare minimum of exhibitions a gallery is required to hold annually.
An installation created specifically for the main concourse by Latifa Echakhch will take over the space. Her work was on display at the 59th International Venice Biennale. It is an installation with a post-apocalyptic feel.
