The 47th edition of Art Basel, which runs at Messeplatz through 19 June, gave VIPs a private preview on 13 and 14 June, first opening its 'Unlimited' sector, which breaks the boundaries of the traditional fair stand through massive installations, sculptures, videos and more, on Monday. Yesterday, the 'Gallery' sector opened its doors to collectors, featuring an overwhelming 4,000 artists across stands by 287 galleries from 33 countries.
With such a vast amount of art on display, it’s nearly impossible to select a handful of highlights of the fair. The 'Unlimited' sector had a number of impressive works, including Gli (Wall), a dazzling gold sculpture formed with aluminium and copper wire from 2010 by Ghanaian artist El Anatsui, who is represented by New York-based Jack Shainman gallery. The Collector’s House, a massive immersive installation by Belgian artist Hans Op de Beeck, who is represented by Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York, Galleria Continua in Italy and Galerie Krinzinger in Vienna, continues to draw crowds, thanks to his stunning recreation of a neoclassical private room in black and white. The life-sized space features a fountain running down the middle, along with a complete library, grand piano and of course — art throughout.
Over in the 'Gallery' sector, at Amsterdam-based Annet Gelink Gallery, Israeli-born, Berlin-based artist Yael Bartana’s yellow neon text-based sculpture What If Women Ruled Our World, which is part of a body of work by Bartana of the same name, brought to mind the current U.S. election. A hanging bulbous sculpture by Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa, who is currently having a resurgence, thanks to pieces at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel in Los Angeles, and the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, is priced at $2 million at Mnuchin Gallery. Meanwhile, at Mexico City gallery Kurimanzutto a pair of sculptures by Portuguese artist Leonor Antunes are on display that are derived after measuring weavings by Anni Albers. Antunes linked together brass chain, attaching the weaving to two wooden table legs and two brass legs.
Chilean-born, New York-based artist Alfredo Jaar, took a moment of repose from the consumerism of Art Basel, by distributing 12,000 blue boxes across the fair and the city that call attention to the current migrant crisis by asking recipients to donate money to the Malta-based NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) as part of his 'Parcours' sector project.
The 'Unlimited' sector had a number of impressive works, including Gli (Wall), a dazzling gold sculpture formed with aluminium and copper wire from 2010 by Ghanaian artist El Anatsui, who is represented by New York-based Jack Shainman gallery
The Collector’s House (pictured), a massive immersive installation by Belgian artist Hans Op de Beeck, who is represented by Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York, Galleria Continua in Italy and Galerie Krinzinger in Vienna, continues to draw crowds, thanks to his stunning recreation of a neoclassical private room in black and white
Over in the ’Gallery’ sector, at Amsterdam-based Annet Gelink Gallery, Israeli-born, Berlin-based artist Yael Bartana’s yellow neon text-based sculpture What If Women Ruled Our World (2016) is part of a body of work by Bartana of the same name. © Yael Bartana. Courtesy of Annet Gelink Gallery, Amsterdam
A hanging bulbous sculpture by Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa, who is currently having a resurgence, thanks to pieces at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel in Los Angeles, and the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, is priced at $2 million at Mnuchin Gallery
Meanwhile, at Mexico City gallery Kurimanzutto a pair of sculptures by Portuguese artist Leonor Antunes are on display that are derived after measuring weavings by Anni Albers. Pictured: Self Americanization, by Leonor Antunes, 2016
Chilean-born, New York-based artist Alfredo Jaar distributed 12,000 blue boxes across the fair and the city that call attention to the current migrant crisis by asking recipients to donate money to the Malta-based NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) as part of his ’Parcours’ sector project. Pictured: The Gift, by Alfredo Jaar, 2016. Courtesy Goodman Gallery
INFORMATION
Art Basel runs from 16-19 June 2016. For more information, visit the Art Basel website
ADDRESS
Messepl. 1, 4005 Basel, Switzerland
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressingPart of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationshipAnnouncing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craftThe heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
-
Don’t miss these five artists at Art Basel Hong KongArt Basel Hong Kong – the glittering intersection of European curatorial expertise and Asia's money-fuelled art swagger – returns for its 2025 edition
-
Switzerland’s best art exhibitions to see in 2025Art fans, here’s your bucket list of the standout exhibitions to see in Switzerland in 2025, exploring compelling themes and diverse media
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this weekA snowy Swiss Alpine sleepover, a design book fest in Milan, and a night with Steve Coogan in London – our editors' out-of-hours adventures this week
-
What to look out for at Art Basel Miami Beach 2024Art Basel Miami Beach returns for its inaugural edition under new director Bridget Finn, running 6-8 December, with 286 international exhibitors and a packed week of parties, pop-up, and special projects
-
Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary artAs Jack Whitten exhibition ‘Speedchaser’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, and before a major retrospective at MoMA opens next year, we explore the American artist's impact
-
Miu Miu’s Women’s Tales film series comes to life for Art Basel ParisIn ‘Tales & Tellers’, interdisciplinary artist Goshka Macuga brings Miu Miu’s Women’s Tales film series for Art Basel Paris to life for the public programme
-
Art Basel returns to Paris: here is everything to see and doArt Basel Paris 2024 (18 - 20 October 2024) returns, opening at the newly renovated Grand Palais
-
Frieze Sculpture takes over Regent’s ParkTwenty-two international artists turn the English gardens into a dream-like landscape and remind us of our inextricable connection to the natural world
