Art Basel has named Maike Cruse the first director of its flagship fair in Switzerland.
Cruse, who currently heads Gallery Weekend Berlin, will step into the newly created role on July 1, just after the 2023 edition of the Swiss fair closes in June. She will oversee the annual summer event in Basel and its network of galleries, collectors and business partners.
Cruse was previously head of communications for Art Basel from 2008 to 2011.
“I really look forward to returning to Art Basel and moving the Swiss show forward into the future together with this outstanding team,” she said in a statement. “I have attended all editions of Art Basel over the past almost 20 years and have always been in active contact with the fair as director of Gallery Weekend Berlin.”
Cruse joins a growing list of newly hired executives brought in to lead Art Basel’s satellite events. Last year, Clément Delépine was appointed director of Salon Paris+ of Art Basel, while Angelle Siyang-Le has been named head of Art Basel Hong Kong. A search for a director of Art Basel Miami Beach is currently underway, according to a spokesperson. (The company didn’t say whether or not it plans to hire a candidate before the 2023 edition of Miami in December.)
Before hiring the directors, Marc Spiegler, global director of Art Basel from 2012 to 2022, oversaw the company’s four fairs. Spiegler announced its intention to withdraw from his post last year and has since been effectively replaced by Noah Horowitz, whose title is CEO of Art Basel.
Art Basel in Basel, 2022. Courtesy of Art Basel.
After leaving his previous post at Art Basel, Cruse ran the Art Berlin Contemporary fair from 2012 to 2016, and its next iteration, Art Berlin, from 2016 to 2019. (The fair farm end of 2019.) She has also held positions at the KW Institute of Contemporary Art and the Berlin Biennale.
In Basel, Cruse will work alongside Andreas Bicker, Head of Business and Management of Art Basel Europe, and will report to Vincenzo de Bellis, Director of Fairs and Exhibition Platforms at the company.
De Bellisi called Cruse “a recognized leader in the field and an enthusiastic partner of galleries, artists and collectors”, noting the work she has done to transform Gallery Weekend Berlin into an “annual showcase deeply rooted in the city. and uniting its various cultural actors”.
Noah Horowitz praised Cruse for his “great understanding and appreciation of our brand and his longstanding ties to the city of Basel and its cultural scene.”
“I am confident that her entrepreneurial spirit, unwavering professionalism and unwavering commitment to contemporary art make her uniquely equipped to lead our flagship exhibition in our hometown and guide its future direction,” he said. declared.
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