Celebrating 50 years in business is the Art Basel regular Claes Nordenhake. His gallery has been exhibiting at the fair since 1978; it now has locations in Berlin, Stockholm and Mexico City. To mark the occasion, the gallery is showing the 1954 work Davi by Olle Baertling, the first artist it ever showed.
Asked about how the fair has changed, Nordenhake says he would rather consider how Art Basel “has maintained its spot as the most important meeting place to reach collectors, both old and new”. Asked for his advice for any new gallerists starting today, he says: “Define a realm where your particular interest lies and stick to that. You might lose a few collectors, but you will also honour your beliefs and gain in credibility.”
Nordenhake will be in conversation tomorrow with Márcia Fortes of Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel and Karen Jenkins-Johnson of Jenkins Johnson Gallery, talking about how businesses can survive and thrive in the art world. Moderated by The Art Newspaper’s podcast host, Ben Luke, the event is at 11.30am in the Event Halle Basel, Messeplatz.