Art Basel
Art Basel is an international art fair with three shows staged annually in Basel, Switzerland; Miami Beach, Florida; and Hong Kong. Each show is organized into sectors which showcase contemporary artworks by established and newly emerging artists. In addition to the artworks shown by participating galleries, the shows offer parallel programming produced in collaboration with the host city’s local institutions. While Art Basel provides a platform for galleries to show and sell their work to collectors, museum directors, and curators, it also attracts a large international audience of art spectators and students.
Galleries who apply to Art Basel shows undergo a review by a selection committee of international gallerists serving multi-year terms. During the week-long process, each application is considered for participation in the show following standards established by Art Basel.
Art Basel started in 1970 by Basel gallerists Ernst Beyeler, Trudi Bruckner and Balz Hilt. In its inaugural year, the Basel show attracted more than 16,000 visitors who viewed work presented by 90 galleries representing 10 countries. Thirty art publishers also participated.
By 1975, five years after its founding, the Basel show reached almost 300 exhibitors. The participating galleries came from 21 countries, attracting 37,000 visitors.
In 2013, Art Basel launched its inaugural show in Hong Kong. Half of the participating galleries came from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
In 2014, Art Basel partnered with Kickstarter to create a crowdfunding initiative aimed at funding non-profit visual arts organizations worldwide. Together with JRP Ringier, Art Basel publishes Art Basel | Year 44 the first book that covered all three shows.
In 2015, the BMW Art Journey award was established by BMW and Art Basel to reward promising artists from the Discoveries sector in Hong Kong and the Positions sector in Miami Beach. Also, the executive-education program Collecting Contemporary Art in Hong Kong was launched by Art Basel, HKU SPACE Centre for Degree Programmes (CDP) and Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design (CSM).
Under the stewardship of Art Basel’s Global Director, Marc Spiegler, the 2015 show in Basel, Switzerland, attracted 98,000 visitors over six days. It presented 284 galleries from 33 countries, exhibiting the work of over 4,000 artists. A total of 14 galleries showed in Basel for the very first time. Alongside private collectors from Europe, America, and Asia, representatives and groups from over 80 museums and institutions from across the world were in attendance.
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