Art Basel is an international contemporary art fair held each June in Basel, Switzerland. Similar to the Venice Biennale, it has been called “the Olympics of the art world”. Art Basel features nearly 300 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Special sectors are devoted to recent artworks, curated exhibitions, video- and sound-based works, performances, and art in public spaces.

Co-founded by local gallerists Trudi Bruckner, Balz Hilt, and Ernst Beyeler, and initiated by Lorenzo Rudolf, the first Art Basel was held in 1970 as an alternative to Art Cologne. In 1973, only three years after its founding, Basel superseded Cologne as the largest art show in the world. In 2010, more than 62,500 people attended the exhibition. Since 2002, a sister exhibition, Art Basel Miami Beach has been held in the USA at Miami, Florida.

For both fairs, the selection of galleries is made by a committee – composed of twelve renowned international gallerists – which convenes up to 30 days out of the year. The jurors, who are selected by the directors, typically serve for five to ten years. Dealers must submit proposals to the committee. In the past, Art Basel aimed to include about 25 new galleries each year.
UBS has been sponsoring Art Basel since 1994, as well as its sister fair, Art Basel Miami Beach, from its inception in 2002.

From December 6 through 9, Miami Beach, Florida, will host the 11th edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, the most important art show in the United States, a cultural and social highlight for the Americas. More than 260 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa will take part, showcasing works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The exhibiting galleries are among the world’s most respected art dealers, offering exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers. Special exhibition sections feature young galleries, performance art, public art projects and video art. The show will be a vital source for art lovers, allowing them to both discover new developments in contemporary art and experience rare museum-caliber artworks.

Top-quality exhibitions in the museums of South Florida and special programs for art collectors and curators also help make the event a special time for encountering art. And every year, a greater number of art collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and art enthusiasts from around the world participate in Art Basel Miami Beach – the favorite winter meeting place for the international art world.

Art Basel Conversations | Premiere | Artist Talk | Gabriel Orozco from Art Basel Miami Beach on Vimeo.

Gabriel Orozco, Artist, Mexico City/New York/Paris; in conversation with Michelle Kuo, Editor in Chief, Artforum, New York. Thursday, December 1, 2011

Share on Facebook