Although Art Basel is renowned for its mega-wealthy collectors traveling in private jets, the fair caters to buyers from all walks of life. The price of high-quality works ranges from a staggering seven figures to just a few thousand dollars. Although this year’s edition lacks a bit of the pizzazz that has earned Art Basel its reputation as the world’s premier art fair (and few eight-figure sales have been confirmed; one is the iconic exhibition of Louise Bourgeois Spider (IV) sculpture, priced at $22.5 million, at Hauser & Wirth), there is much to discover at low altitude. Here are some of the eye-catching works on display, from entry-level to blue chip.
Over $10 million
What: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rogue (1982)
Or: Van de Weghe Fine Arts, New York
How much: Over $20 million
This first multimedia work by Jean-Michel Basquiat was produced when the artist was only 22 years old. Dominated by three bespectacled male figures with staff-shaped bodies wearing crowns, vaguely evoking the three biblical kings, it is remarkable for its level of detail. Characterized by drops, symbols and letters, its vocabulary is reminiscent of the graffiti Basquiat tagged under the pseudonym SAMO from 1977 to 1980. Crouching in the upper right corner is a figure, Joe, holding a pan of fried eggs that refers to another of Basquiat’s paintings. Acquired for the first time at the Annina Nosei gallery in New York, Rogue was included in Basquiat’s solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art from October 1992 to February 1993, and it sold at Christie’s in 2006 for $1.4 million. Van De Weghe bought it for an undisclosed price and sold it to the anonymous collector who is now putting it back on the market via the secondary market gallery.
$1 million to $10 million
Firelei Baez, the vast ocean of all possibilities (19°36’16.9″N 72°13’07.0″W / 41°30’32.3″N 81°36’41.7″W) (2022). Courtesy of James Cohan.
What: Firelei Baez, the vast ocean of all possibilities (19°36’16.9″N 72°13’07.0″W / 41°30’32.3″N 81°36’41.7″W) (2022)
Or: Unlimited, presented by James Cohan, New York
How much: $1.2 million
Firelei Báez’s captivating installation in the large-scale Unlimited section reimagines the Palace of Sans Souci in northern Haiti as a submerged archaeological ruin. The arches and decaying walls are adorned with hand painted designs of birds, flowers, animals and combs based on traditional West African indigo prints. Seaweed and coral emerge from rocks encrusted with household goods, women’s shoes and a handbag – references to the lives lost at sea during the Middle Passage, when Africans were forced onto ships bound for of the Americas, and migration. The monumental and crossing room reflects the heritage of the palace. It once served as the residence of King Henry I, who was instrumental in the Haitian revolution that resulted in independence from France, and was irrevocably damaged by an earthquake in 1842. Born in the Dominican Republic in 1981 and based in New York, Báez is known for exploring the diasporic stories of the Caribbean. The artist will have his first solo exhibition in Europe at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark from October 2023 to February 2024.
$100,000 to $1 million
Igshaan Adams, byron (2023). Photo: Paris Brummer, courtesy of the artist and Blank Projects, Cape Town. © Igshaan Adams.
Detail of Igshaan Adams, byron (2023). Photo: Paris Brummer, courtesy of the artist and Blank Projects, Cape Town. © Igshaan Adams.
What: Igshaan Adams, byron (2023)
Or: Virgin Projects, Cape Town
How much: $100,000
Glittering with beads, chains, ribbons and braided rope, this tapestry was sold to a private collector on Tuesday. The striking work is based on a performance by a group of dancers based in South Africa’s Namaqualand, where some of the artist’s family are from; the piece bears the name of one of these dancers. The Garage Dance Ensemble performed three times at Zeitz MOCAA during Adams’ recent residency at the museum. Adams took inspiration from the marks left on fabric by their movements and translated them into this intricate tapestry, illustrating the interdisciplinary nature of his practice.
$10,000 to $100,000
Petrit Halilaj, Here to Remind You (Coracias benghalensis) (2023). Courtesy of Kurimanzutto.
What: Petrit Halilaj, Here to Remind You (Coracias benghalensis) (2023)
Or: Kurimanzutto, Mexico City and New York
How much: €15,000–€45,000
Kurimanzutto’s stand exhibits a set of delicate and poetic bird sculptures by Kosovar artist Petrit Halilaj. This particular sculpture is characterized by only two feathers and long slender golden legs on a blue base. It is part of a large body of work by Halilaj devoted to birds, which has fascinated him since childhood. There is also a deep nostalgia for his work relating to the lost taxidermy collection of the old Natural History Museum in Pristina. Kurimanzutto sold out several of Halilaj’s sculptures on preview days.
$1,000 to $10,000
Dimitris Yeros, Louise Bourgeois (2008). Courtesy of Galerie Karsten Greve.
What: Dimitris Yeros, Louise Bourgeois (2008); edition 1/15
Or: Karsten Greve; St. Moritz, Cologne, Paris
How much: €6,500
Greek photographer Dimitris Yeros won the trust of the late Louise Bourgeois and was allowed to photograph her in her rudimentary New York studio. The sessions result in an astonishing series of intimate portraits. This photo of the artist in the late 90s, two years before his death in 2010, is on display at Karsten Greve. She captures the artist, smiling at the camera, seated at her desk. A painting of a red-hued female figure covered in eyes lies before her, spilling onto the ground. The peeling yellow walls behind her are lined with exhibition posters. Karsten Greve sold three editions of this photograph during the two-day preview.
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