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Art Basel holds the 54th edition of its flagship fair this week (13-16 June), bringing the art world to Switzerland. Explore all our on-the-ground coverage of the fairs, exhibitions and events taking place.
A bucolic Basel Social Club adds a new layer to the art fair model
Freewheeling art project has moved to a farm, while Art Basel repositions for a new generation of collectors
Art created in response to Aids crisis resonates at Art Basel
Peter Hujar, whose work is still being uncovered posthumously, is among artists receiving acclaim
Mika Rottenberg: ‘Giant things are often triggered by tiny reactions’
The “silly but serious” artist’s experiences at the world’s largest particle accelerator at Cern have helped to shape her expansive retrospective at Museum Tinguely
The art fair social media power list: who is on top and on which platforms?
Unlike museums, art fairs’ energy is focused on events lasting a few days a year—but Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms give them a vital year-round presence
'Half of my collection is about cats': Sylvie Fleury reveals her love of feline art
The Geneva-based artist known for her pop culture references cannot get enough of glitzy 1970s American cars and 1980s fashion
Diary
Diary: Parcours curator is top of the pops, donkey unimpressed by art, and Russell Tovey's making plans for Hockney
Plus: the lamp that thinks it's a tank, and art adviser diversifies into performance poetry
Art Basel diary: Bex Massey's fertile imagination, David Shrigley's Room 101 and farewell to the superyacht
Plus our undercover gallerist spills the beans
Art Basel diary: airborne art, catnip for collectors and an unexpected visit from ‘Rothko’
Plus a peek behind the scenes with our undercover gallerist
Art Basel diary: arty eating, the joy of sobriety and desperately seeking eternal life
Plus our very own undercover gallerist gives us the lowdown from behind the scenes
Features
The art fair social media power list: who is on top and on which platforms?
Unlike museums, art fairs’ energy is focused on events lasting a few days a year—but Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms give them a vital year-round presence
Digital deluge: how will Art Basel respond to a surge of digital-art initiatives in Switzerland?
The country is flexing its crypto-friendly credentials, while an art fair dedicated to all things digital is making its debut this week
Art Basel shrugs off ‘doom-porn’ talk with blockbuster first day of sales
VIPs prove that they came to town to buy, not just to “eat the sausage in the courtyard”
After the Christie’s cyberattack, who could be next?
A hack that caused huge disruption to the auction house is a wake-up call to galleries and art advisories of all sizes
Will Indigenous artists see a Venice Biennale boost at Art Basel?
Hopes are high that the fair will capitalise on the biennial's focus on under-represented groups, in particular from the Global South
Artist Interviews
Mika Rottenberg: ‘Giant things are often triggered by tiny reactions’
The “silly but serious” artist’s experiences at the world’s largest particle accelerator at Cern have helped to shape her expansive retrospective at Museum Tinguely
Urs Fischer: ‘I don’t fear anything when I make my large sculptures’
The imposing works by an artist who is not afraid to think big are brought together in a new book launched this week at Art Basel
‘I’m just reflecting the times. I’m not an activist’: artist Monira Al Qadiri on her complicated relationship with fossil fuel, a recurring theme of her work
The Kuwaiti-born artist, now living in Germany, has an exhibition at Kunsthaus Baselland during Art Basel that includes large-scale works referencing oil production and consumption
Carsten Höller: ‘We have been very successful in eliminating the unpredictable'
The artist is working with an MIT scientist to help Fondation Beyeler visitors learn the art of flying—in their dreams, at least
Fairs & Galleries
Tepid sales at Liste underscore a soft market for smaller galleries
Dealers at Basel's emerging art fair voice concerns about slow start
San Francisco gallery capitalises on Leonora Carrington’s auction success
Fairgoers flock to stand dedicated to the Surrealist artist after Sotheby’s sale of painting last month for $28.5m
UBS and Art Basel mark 30th anniversary of their collaboration
As the milestone is celebrated with a joint commission, protestors attack UBS’s record on fossil-fuel investment
EU tax breaks could benefit dealers at Basel
New directive aimed at aligning VAT rates, due to come into force at the beginning of 2025, could have a big impact on galleries in countries including France and Germany
In pictures: Design Miami comes to Basel
The design fair's Grela Orihuela picks out her favourites, from circular sofas to lost sheep
Exhibitions
Four must-see exhibitions during Art Basel
From Precious Okoyomon's nightmarish animatronic bear to a global survey of Black figurative painting, sci-fi chairs and Dan Flavin
Collector's Eye
'Half of my collection is about cats': Sylvie Fleury reveals her love of feline art
The Geneva-based artist known for her pop culture references cannot get enough of glitzy 1970s American cars and 1980s fashion
'Our tip for first-time visitors? Don’t get caught in the currents': Elmgreen & Dragset on surviving Art Basel—literally
The Scandinavian artist duo on a Berlin puddle, a phallic dedication and why missed purchase opportunities should be a reason for joy rather than regret
'The missed opportunities show you how important it is to be brave': Carolin Scharpff-Striebich on trusting your instinct
The German collector on how a sleepless night is a sure sign that an acquisition is imminent, and why she has a soft spot for Pieter Bruegel the Elder
'Almost everyone I talk to has an interesting story and something to teach me': Ryan Zurrer on getting the most out of Art Basel
The venture capitalist, an early champion of digital art through his collective 10F1, admits that his heart belongs to his home city of Zug, Switzerland