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Visitors to the 2018 edition of Art Basel gather around “The tip of the iceberg” by artist Barbara Bloom.
Photographer: Pacific Press / LightRocket
Photographer: Pacific Press / LightRocket
On Thursday, Art Basel announced that its renowned Swiss fair will be postponed from June to September.
While the announcement comes as no real surprise, countries are struggling to contain a more contagious strain of the virus – the postponement is the latest recognition that a the return to group events is still a long way off.
“It will take time even now that we have vaccines, ”said Marc Spiegler, global director of Art Basel, in a telephone interview.
“The nature of Art Basel exhibitions is that they are large-scale events. Their success depends on many international trips, and it is, for us, the uncertainty about the time it will take [to resume]. The postponement from June to September is therefore the most logical. “
Art Basel is traditionally the last stop on the spring / early summer global art buying tour.
The unlimited section of the Art Basel fair in Switzerland.
Photographer: Pacific Press / LightRocket
Unlike other art fairs, where galleries bring in relatively affordable work that can be purchased by impulse buyers, the Swiss Fair is a showcase for the best dealers have to offer. Galleries often hold their most expensive pieces to present them to the nearly 90,000 visitors to Art Basel.
In 2019, the last time the fair was held, works of art worth an estimated $ 4 billion were crammed into a sea of stalls and private viewing rooms, as crowds cheered for performances. like an explosive 30-foot-long recreation of a Nike sneaker. by artist Olaf Nicolai and a 28-foot-long sculpture by artist Tom Wesselmann. Last year’s edition was canceled entirely after a similar postponement in the fall.
Selling alternatives
Now that sales opportunity is gone – or at the very least, delayed until Art Basel’s rescheduled VIP presentation day on September 21 – leaves dealerships driving sales in other ways.
Read more: Contemporary art needs big gatherings and gossip to survive
Art Basel, for its part, is planning three online viewing rooms (OVRs).
The first will take place from March 24 to 27 and will be “dedicated to artists who have innovated on the aesthetic, conceptual or socio-political level”, according to a press release. The second and third will be held in June and November respectively, with major themes to be determined.
“No one in their right mind considers an OVR with 100 galleries as a substitute for an art fair,” says Spiegler. “We believe that under a specific set of conditions, and managed in the right way, these digital events grab the attention of galleries and artists.”
A work by Polly Apfelbaum at the 2018 edition of Art Basel.
Photographer: Pacific Press / LightRocket
Look ahead
The news of the postponement is a blow to other art fairs, which, for now, are moving forward with in-person fair plans this spring and summer.
Frieze plans to hold his New York Fair at The Shed between May 5 and 9, and has already postponed its Los Angeles Fair from February to July. TEFAF, a showcase of old masters and decorative arts, scheduled the European branch of its salon on May 29 in Maastricht.
Art Basel Hong Kong plans to open at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on May 19.
In light of the same factors that postponed the Swiss edition entirely, Spiegler’s ambitions for the Asian edition of his show are limited.
“We have already informed visitors that we expect strong travel restrictions, but it is not clear what the state of play will be,” he said. “We hope for a regional fair, but keep in mind that there are many international galleries that have spaces and staff in Hong Kong.”
“Tumba Abierta III” by artist José Yaque at Art Basel.
Photographer: Pacific Press / LightRocket
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