Art Basel 2019

Abstract

The fiftieth iteration of Art Basel 2019 attracted art collectors and enthusiasts to the city for Art Basel, Liste Art Fair, and Photo Basel alongside other art happenings for one week in June. Located in Switzerland close to the borders of France and Germany, Basel is a walkable city with an efficient light-rail system ensuring that moving between the art fairs, the historical city, and other cultural institutions is easy. During the art fair, every major art institution in the city hosts noteworthy exhibitions, and events spill over into all areas of the city. The integration of the historic city into the fair is aided by the Art Basel Parcours walking tour of off-site installations. These installations were curated by Samuel Leuenberger, an independent curator who runs the SALTS exhibition space in Birsfelden, Switzerland, and the program provided a reason to explore the city and visit the twenty site-specific installations and performances that take place inside stores, in empty venues, and on the streets of Basel. IMAGE 1. Installation view of Open Secret (2018) by Andrea Bowers at Art Basel in Basel 2019, presented by kaufmann repetto, Andrew Kreps Gallery, Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects; photograph © Art Basel; courtesy Art Basel. The city's cultural institutions also had major exhibitions on view. Seeing Rebecca Horn's performative videos and mechanical spatial installations at Museum Tinguely seemed very fitting. The Kunstmuseum Basel hosted an exhibition of William Kentridge's work, showcasing early graphic art and films from the 1980s to more recent video productions; these artworks filled more than three floors of the museum. It was therefore not surprising that Kentridge was the highlighted speaker for Art Basel's Conversations series of discussions. Here he spoke alongside Josef Helfenstein, …