For years, art history students hoping to land a gig at Art Basel had to apply with three photographs of themselves: a full-body photo, a passport photo, and a candid snapshot that expresses their ” personality “.
Zurich artist Ursina Roesch, head of the Swiss feminist art association Woman artist table (FATart), recently criticized the fair’s longstanding practice, urging it to eliminate the application process requirement for prospective workers.
It’s unclear what use a full-body photograph might be for hiring managers, but practice suggests that students’ physical appearance was considered in hiring practice.
“Applicants for temporary positions at our salon are selected based solely on their skills and ability to perform the task,” a spokesperson for the salon told Artnet News in an email. “However, the application process for some positions included a section to submit a full body photo, which was put in place many years ago based on typical industry practices of the time and does not has not been reviewed for several years. Art Basel has confirmed that this option will no longer be part of the application process in the future.
Art Basel 2023 at Messe Basel on June 14, 2023 in Basel, Switzerland. Photo by David M. Benett/Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images.
But the fact that the fair was still asking job seekers for the photo was a red flag for Roesch, who spoke to the Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick about the years of sexual harassment she had suffered in the European art world, including proposals and inappropriate touching such as kissing and fondling.
“If Art Basel was open or brave enough to give people a job based on their skills – because they claim that only those matter, not their appearance – why do they need photos?” Roesch asked Artnet News in an email. “It’s the lack of awareness of the issues of discrimination, sexism, racism, etc. and where these run their course…it must be stopped early. Smothered in the egg.
“Art Basel does not tolerate any form of harassment at its fairs,” the fair’s spokesperson said.
Notably absent from this year’s fair, on view until June 18, is Berlin’s König gallery, which has participated in the last three editions. Last November, owner Johann König was accused of abusive behavior and sexual harassment by at least 10 women, start a legal dispute between the merchant and the German newspaper which first published the allegations.
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