Before the clock struck 11 a.m., Messeplatz was packed with art elites from around the world eager to take part in this year’s edition of Art Basel in Basel. Among the VIPs who meandered through the line under sunny Swiss skies were a veritable “Who’s Who” of world-class art collectors: Jennifer and David Stockman, Benedikt Taschen, Udo Brandhorst, Li Lin, Christen Sveaas , Daniel Birnbaum, Nicole Chen, Sophia Cohen, Maja Hoffmann, and Karen and Christian Boros, to name a few.
There were so many collectors in fact, that almost instantly upon arriving on the first floor of the fair, a Pace manager was heard panicking: “I can’t find my customers!” I can’t find my customers! above a crowd of people admiring the display on the stand of the first-rate works of Alexander Calder, Lee Ufan, Helen Frankenthaler, Agnes Martin and Arlene Schechet. Nearby, Larry Gagosian was on hand personally to peddle pieces by Cy Twombly, Francesca Woodman and Willem de Kooning.
Needless to say, the high caliber of the works on display matched that of the vernissage clientele, and the resulting energy in the room at the start was clearly upbeat.
This contrasted with the chatter ahead among dealers, many of whom were worried as the market has slowed significantly in recent months. That concern was perhaps felt most keenly in New York in May during an auction season that sent confusing, at best, signals on the direction of the market.
“I didn’t expect it,” said Friedrich Petzel, after selling several works on site that morning. “It’s better than I expected. The atmosphere is exuberant and very, very fun.
Art Basel’s Noah Horowitz speaking onstage during the Art Basel Miami Beach press conference at the Miami Convention Center, 2020. Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images.
Louis-Philippe van Eeckhouette, director of the Brussels dependency gallery, also felt relaxed. “It’s always nice to be here, because for us it’s the end of the season,” he said. “American galleries are coming back and presenting their summer exhibitions. We’re leaving for vacation !”
Admittedly, the only complaints recorded at the start of the VIP day were baggage lost by Air France due to a staff strike, a typically European lack of air conditioning on Messeplatz, and that the heat made lunch options – raclette or sausages – feeling a bit heavy.
Noah Horowitz, who was named CEO of Art Basel last fall, looked remarkably relaxed in his first year at the helm of the art world’s biggest stage, perhaps due to who was crossing the door.
“We need the market to do what it does, but in terms of viewership it couldn’t get any better,” Horowitz said earlier in the day. “Asia has fully emerged, and there are a lot of Americans here. I feel proud. This is the real deal. You just see the incredible confidence we have in this community, these galleries and their artists and collectors.
Among Horowitz’s choices in the series? Laura Owens’ solo stand at Sadie Coles, and Adel Abdessemed’s piece at the entrance to Unlimited. “This guy has never been to an art fair, and he has this extraordinarily ambitious video of a ship on fire,” he said of the Franco-Algerian artist. “It’s an interesting metaphor for the times, standing right there at the entrance to the fair, holding court. It is amazing.”
Ahead of opening day, there were rumors about how this year might diverge from the fair under Marc Spiegler’s decade-long rule. After asking around, apparently there wasn’t much different, although a senior councilor liked the added fig trees in the central garden. “Having some shade here makes it drastically better,” he said.
If there were any indicators of a limited market, it might be that the beers served in the garden came in slightly shorter tankards than in previous years, or that there were no celebrities leading (outside the art world) at your fingertips.
Instead, we saw a few European athletes in attendance. Michael Ballack, the German football player and art collector, stopped by, presumably to collect works for the art foundation he plans to open, and it was rumored that Roger Federer would drop by to see his likeness transformed into a sculpture by Ugo Rondinone on the stand of Eva Presenhuber.
There were, however, a few unwelcome visitors this year: several Swiss customs officers descended on the satellite fair listing opening yesterday for a spot check, forcing exhibitors to declare values on the floor. The collector Alain Servais has seen it all with his own eyes. “Gallerists were pretty shocked because it wasn’t a joke, and at the worst time,” he told Artnet News. None of these officers were spotted during the Basel opening.
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