For its 2024 edition in Basel, Art Basel will bring together 286 leading international galleries to present artworks of the highest quality across all media – from painting and sculpture to photography and digital works – by artists ranging from early-twentieth-century Modern pioneers to emerging contemporary practitioners. Art Basel in Basel will once again reaffirm its unparallelled position as a platform for discovery and encounters that drive the art world.
The outstanding diversity of artistic perspectives on view at the fair will be complemented by lively events and activities spanning the entire city and its prominent cultural institutions, highlighting Basel’s unique appeal, and underscoring the significant impact of Art Basel on its hometown.
Maike Cruse, Director of Art Basel in Basel, said: ‘I am looking forward to welcoming the global art community to Basel come June for the upcoming edition of our show. With the addition of 22 new participants, it promises to be exceptionally dynamic and filled with exciting discoveries. I am thrilled about the expansion of the city-wide program, which now includes the public art sector Parcours on Clarastrasse newly curated by Stefanie Hessler. Additionally, I eagerly anticipate our project at Hotel Merian, which will contribute to the continued growth of Art Basel’s presence in the city through a fresh approach.’
22 galleries will join Art Basel in Basel for the first time, including five galleries entering directly into the main sector of the show. They are:
- Karma (Los Angeles, New York)
- Tina Keng Gallery (Taipei)
- Madeln Gallery (Shanghai)
- Mayoral (Paris, Barcelona)
- Yares Art (New York,Santa Fe) The Feature sector, dedicated to art-historical projects, will welcome 11 first-time participants:
- Almeida & Dale Galeria de Arte (São Paulo)
- Bank (Shanghai)
- Thomas Brambilla (Bergamo)
- Larkin Erdmann Gallery (Zurich)
- Galerie Le Minotaure (Paris)
- Maruani Mercier (Brussels, Knokke, Zaventem)
- Galerie Mueller (Basel)
- Gallery Wendi Norris (San Francisco)
- Parker Gallery (Los Angeles)
- Meredith Rosen Gallery (New York)
- The Third Gallery Aya (Osaka)
The Statements sector, dedicated to solo presentations by emerging artists, will welcome six galleries not having participated in Art Basel in Basel before:
- Galerie Anne-Sarah Bénichou (Paris)
- Felix Gaudlitz (Vienna)
- Nome (Berlin)
- OSL contemporary (Oslo)
- ROH Projects (Jakarta)
- Wooson (Daegu, Seoul) Seven galleries that previously exhibited in Feature or Statements will graduate into the main sector of the fair. They are Commonwealth and Council (Mexico City, Los Angeles), Crèvecœur (Paris), Gaga (Guadalajara, Mexico City, Los Angeles), Garth Greenan Gallery (New York), Tina Kim Gallery (Seoul, New York), Mazzoleni (Turin, London), and Galerie Bene Taschen (Cologne).
Expanded City-Wide Programming
Art Basel’s public sector Parcours will be curated for the first time by Stefanie Hessler, Director of Swiss Institute (SI) in New York, succeeding Samuel Leuenberger, who successfully managed and expanded the sector over the past eight years. Hessler aims to recontextualize Parcours as a curated exhibition that will meander through empty storefronts, a hotel, operational shops, and other urban spaces on Basel’s Clarastrasse, which connects the fairgrounds to the Rhine. Through ambitious projects, many of which will be site-specific and newly created, the sector will explore ideas of transformation and circulation within the realms of trade and globalization, the flow of information, and the varied climates and weathers spanning geographies and generations.
In addition, Art Basel will expand its presence within the city by activating the Hotel Merian as a continuous, around-the-clock venue for artistic events and showcases. The Film sector, curated by writer and curator Filipa Ramos, will return with a compelling selection of moving image works, presented throughout the show week at Basel’s Stadtkino. Free to the public and hosted on Art Basel’s fair ground, the renowned Conversations program will be for the first time curated by Berlin-based writer, editor, and educator Kimberly Bradley.
More details on the activation of Hotel Merian and the presentations of Art Basel’s special sectors such as Messeplatz, Unlimited, Parcours, Kabinett, Conversations, and Film will be released in the coming months.
Galleries
The fair’s main sector will feature 244 of the world’s leading galleries, presenting painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, photography, video, digital art, and editioned works of the highest quality. Seven galleries that previously exhibited in Feature or Statements will graduate into the main sector of the fair, showcasing the full range of their program, while the sector welcomes five first-time exhibitors. For the full list of exhibitors in Galleries, click here.
Feature
Now focusing uniquely on art-historical projects, the sector will include 16 curated presentations and welcome 11 first-time exhibitors. Highlights from the sector include a condensed retrospective of artist Jean Tinguely by newcomer Galerie Mueller (Basel); a presentation of exemplary oil paintings by Basel-born artist Irène Zurkinden by first-time participant Meredith Rosen Gallery (New York); a presentation of Senegalese artist Viyé Diba – an emblematic figure of Modern Senegalese art – by OH Gallery (Dakar); works by prolific American artist Peter Halley, presented by newcomer Maruani Mercier (Brussels, Knokke, Zaventem); and a showcase of the remarkable artistic partnership between Maryn Varbanov and Song Huai-Kuei (aka Madame Song), presented by Bank (Shanghai). For the full list of exhibitors in Feature, click here.
Statements
Dedicated to emerging artists from across the globe, Statements will feature 18 solo presentations and welcome six new entries. Highlights include an installation titled Safe to Visit (2024) by Angolan artist Sandra Poulson, presented by Jahmek Contemporary Art (Luanda); 15 sculptural works representing personal prayers by Norwegian-Sudanese artist Ahmed Umar, presented by newcomer OSL contemporary (Oslo); and a sonic installation titled An OK Space to Rest (2024) by Indonesian artist Julian Abraham “Togar”, presented by newcomer ROH Projects (Jakarta). Additional highlights include a video installation by Hong Kong artist and filmmaker Tiffany Sia, presented by first-time participant Felix Gaudlitz (Vienna); and a multi-part installation by Argentinian artist La Chola Poblete, presented by Barro (Buenos Aires). For the complete list of exhibitors in Statements, click here.
The 25th Annual Baloise Art Prize, comprising a cash prize of CHF 30,000 per winner, will be awarded to up to two artists exhibiting in Statements. In addition, the Baloise Group will acquire works by the selected artists to donate to two leading European museums, which will hold solo exhibitions of the artists’ works.
Edition
Spread across both floors of Hall 2, the sector will feature eight leading galleries in the field of prints and editioned works: Borch Editions (Copenhagen), Cristea Roberts Gallery (London), Gemini G.E.L. (Los Angeles), knust kunz gallery editions (Munich), Carolina Nitsch (New York), René Schmitt (Westoverledingen), Susan Sheehan Gallery (New York), and STPI (Singapore). For the full list of exhibitors in Edition, click here.
Cultural events in Basel
The city of Basel will offer visitors an exceptional program of events and special projects throughout the fair week. Beyond the fair, the city’s premier museums and foundations will host a wide range of outstanding exhibitions. Major shows coinciding with Art Basel include:
- Fondation Beyeler
‘The Summer Show’
With contributions by Michael Armitage, Federico Campagna, Ian Cheng, Marlene Dumas, Frida Escobedo, Peter Fischli, Cyprien Gaillard with Victor Man, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Wade Guyton, Carsten Höller with Adam Haar, Pierre Huyghe, Arthur Jafa, Koo Jeong A, Dozie Kanu, Cildo Meireles, Fujiko Nakaya, Precious Okoyomon, Philippe Parreno, Rachel Rose, Tino Sehgal, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Ramdane Touhami und Adrián Villar Rojas, amongst many others. - Kunstmuseum Basel
‘Dan Flavin: Dedications in Lights’
‘When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting’ ‘Ingenious Women: Women Artists and their Companions’ ‘Made in Japan: Colored Woodcuts by Hiroshige, Kunisada and Hokusai’ - Kunsthalle Basel
‘Ghislaine Leung’
‘Toyin Ojih Odutola: Ilé Oriaku’
‘Nolan Oswald Dennis: a recurse 4 [3] worlds’ - Kunsthaus Baselland
‘Rewilding: Opening exhibition of the new Kunsthaus Baselland at Dreispitz’ - Museum Tinguely
‘Mika Rottenberg: Antimatter Factory’ - Vitra Design Museum
‘Transform! Designing the Future of Energy’ - Vitra Schaudepot
‘Science Fiction Design: From Space Age to Metaverse’
Press release from Art Basel
Image: Art Basel 2023. Image courtesy of Art Basel