Spiegler the gin launcher
Former Art Basel chief Marc Spiegler is making his presence felt in Basel this week with appearances around Messeplatz and other hotspots, including the Basel Social Club zeitgeisty, where he was seen serve mouth-watering tequila negronis and juicy gin fronds. (Our correspondent can vouch for Spiegler’s cutting-edge bartending skills.) Asked what it felt like to be free from the fair, he joked that “it was very nice; it is 90% of the prestige but 10% of the responsibility”.
Watch where you step: Duane Hanson’s hyper-real work reminded some visitors they really need to sort through the junk Photo: The Art Journal
The Fondation Beyeler brings in decorators
The Fondation Beyeler stand at Art Basel is a talking point with its realistic depiction of a worker with a paint roller standing in front of a half-painted wall. This hyper-real piece by the late American artist Duane Hanson, displayed alongside an unfinished painting by Picasso, surprises visitors who are amazed by the mottled skin and ultra-authentic brushed hair. A quick poll among visitors considering the piece came back with a result endorsing Hanson’s creation, with most respondents saying the piece resembled an authentic human being. But a French collector was far from convinced. “He’s not blinking or breathing,” she exclaimed. Damn then!
As protests swept through Swiss cities, some visitors to Basel struggled to separate artists from activists Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
The art of protesting
Parties around the city were disrupted earlier this week when a protest march forced art world luminaries to put down their glasses of champagne and investigate protesters who were talking about equality and justice. At the chic Volkshaus, guests at a gathering organized by the Tate International Council, including Swiss collector Uli Sigg and Turin patron Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, were momentarily distracted. Another guest seemed unaware of what was really going on and was overheard saying, “Is that smash a performance piece, maybe?”
Dressed to impress: Gerd Harry Lybke has not revealed if Neo Rauch painted him in those trews Photo: The Art Journal
Lybke pants money
The colorful outfits of German dealer Gerd Harry Lybke have become a staple of the fair, catching the attention of visitors browsing the aisles of Art Basel. Her pants emblazoned with flora and fauna are certainly eye-catching, with Lybke explaining that her fashion choices are often inspired by her artists. “I’m a groupie to all of them, including Neo Rauch,” he says. “I posed nude for him in the 1980s in Leipzig; I charged 8 DM for the clothed portraits and 12 DM for the nude life drawing lessons. Talk about naked ambition.
From Basel to the Biennale
Adriano Pedrosa, the curator of the upcoming Venice Biennale (pictured with Shireen Gandhy of Chemould Prescott Road Gallery), entered Art Basel this week as he traveled the world ahead of the exhibition’s launch next April. “I’ve been to Jakarta, Manila, Singapore and Hong Kong,” he tells us. (We assume that Pedrosa was also looking for potential candidates for his 2024 selection.) “The calendar is really difficult,” he adds.
