The 2019 edition of Art Basel closed on 16 June, with organisers claiming buoyant sales to private collections and institutions by galleries across all market sectors.
They said the fair attracted collectors from 80 countries and an attendance of 93,000.
Lead Partner for this year’s show was UBS and the event took place at Messe Basel.
Art Basel provided an opportunity for 290 premier galleries to showcase their works and the show featured returning and new exhibitors from across the globe, including Asia, Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, and Africa.
Among the fair’s most talked-about highlights was ‘Aggregate’ (2017-2019) by Romanian artist Alexandra Pirici. Conceived as a time capsule, in which fragments from nature, vernacular culture, art history, and everyday life are given new embodiments. The work was presented on Messeplatz in a purpose-built pavilion designed by Andrei Dinu, a frequent collaborator of Pirici’s.
Representatives from 400 museums and institutions also attended, including: Centre Pompidou, Paris; Dallas Museum of Art; Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; Museo de Arte de Lima; Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires; Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit; Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium; National Gallery Singapore; New Museum, New York; Norval Foundation, Cape Town; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Serpentine Galleries, London; and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.
This year Art Basel introduced a sliding-scale pricing model for exhibitors, designed to benefit galleries with smaller stands.
Organisers also curated a VIP Weekend programme for 120 collectors from 25 countries.
“This marks the fourth year we've participated in the Basel fair, the most important art fair in the world. It is a precious opportunity to open new fronts, whether for exhibitions, special projects, and, of course, new clients – both institutional and private – from all over the world,” said Thiago Gomide, Co-Founder, Bergamin & Gomide (São Paulo).
More feedback came from the UK. “We sold out our booth on the first day, and it has been very exciting to have met so many curators. The fair has been better than we could’ve hoped for,” was the reaction from Vanessa Carlos, Co-Founder, Carlos/Ishikawa (London).
