[NEWS] Art Basel in Switzerland for the First Time in 2021


July 29, 2021 

Art Basel's marquee fair in Basel, Switzerland. ©ART BASEL 



With the art world beginning to stage large in-person events again, Art Basel has announced the galleries that will participate in its marquee Swiss fair. The first in-person fair to be staged by Art Basel since December 2019, the fair will bring together 273 galleries from 33 different countries at the Messe Basel and will be open to the public from September 24–26, with three VIP preview days beginning September 21. Visitors must provide either proof of full vaccination, a recent negative COVID-19 test, or proof of sufficient antibodies.

In order to limit crowding, capacity will be capped at 20 percent less than in the past and the VIP opening will be extended by one day. (The Unlimited section, which presents large installations, will open on Monday, September 20; VIP previews run through Thursday.) During public days, the number of tickets sold will be reduced by a third.

Twenty-four galleries are participating for the first time, including Ben Brown Fine Arts and Edouard Malingue from Hong Kong, Isla Flotante and waldengallery from Buenos Aires, Cardi Gallery from Milan, and LambdaLambdaLambda from Pristina.

Edouard Malingue said it would show works by artists Yu Ji, Ho Tzu Nyen, Ellen Pau, Wong Ping, Liu Xiaohui, Chou Yu-Cheng, Yuan Yuan, Brook Hsu, and Samson Young.
 



Yuan Yuan, The voice behind the curtain (2020). Oil on canvas. 195 × 330cm. Courtesy the artist and Edouard Malingue Gallery. 


In a statement, Art Basel Global Director Marc Spiegler said, “While the pandemic has been a time of resilience and innovation, it has not always been one of discovery—patrons have often not been able to discover the work of new artists; likewise, galleries have not had ample opportunities to meet new collectors who can start to engage with and then later sustain their programs. That’s why it’s so important to be able to stage our show again in person, while at the same time building upon the digital innovations of the past year to continue engaging the broadest possible audiences worldwide.” 


 
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