The premier contemporary art show opens its door from today until 16th June, presenting more than 300 galleries from all over the world and bringing together 4000 artists who range from the up-and-coming to the acclaimed. This latest edition in the Swiss city of Basel, which commences just a short time after the end of its new show in Hong Kong, unites works from different sectors of the art world including paintings, sculptures, photographs, videos and installations.
Complementing Art Basel is an important collection of parallel events. Among those which stand out are symposiums, talks, shows and different exhibitions organised by cultural institutions from the length and breadth of Basel and the surrounding area. Highlights include the exhibition dedicated to Max Ernst within the Fondation Beyeler (Riehen) or the one concerning film maker Steve McQueen, winner of the Turner Prize and renowned for his films ‘Hunger’ and ‘Shame’. The meeting with Steve McQueen takes place in the Schaulager, situated in the sub-district of Münchenstein. Other interesting exhibitions are those based around film maker Michel Auder in the Kunsthalle and Lithuanian artist Žilvinas Kempinas within the Tinguely Museum. Finally, the main attractions in the Kunstmuseum are Picasso and Ed Ruscha.
The event, founded in 1970 thanks to the collaboration of three Basel-based gallerists, not only has a show in Hong Kong but also stages another in Miami. Today it is a member of TEOS (Top Events of Switzerland), an association that forms a group of cultural, sporting and art related activities including the Festival del Film Locarno, the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Omega European Masters. A novelty this year, the Art Unlimited sector of Art Basel is being hosted in an exhibition hall newly expanded by the reputable firm Herzog & de Meuron. In its current edition, this sector brings together eighty large-scale projects.
For more information, visit www.artbasel.com
