Art Basel 2023: a euphoric year in review

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The Art Basel fair came to a close last Sunday, with 82,000 admissions and some astronomical transactions. Museums and collectors also turned out in large numbers, testifying to the healthy state of the art market.

 

Basel’s contemporary art fair, Art Basel, ended on a successful note on Sunday, with no fewer than 82,000 visitors. The fair defied predictions of a slowdown in the market, continuing to post seven- and even eight-figure sales figures.

 

The world’s leading art fair “was once again able to significantly increase the number of visitors, with 12,000 more admissions than in 2022”, it stated in a press release.

 

In all, Basel welcomed 284 galleries from Africa, North and Latin America, Asia and Europe. The public was also international: the fair is a must-attend event not only for collectors, but also for professionals who, in the space of a few days, had the opportunity to meet the big names as well as the new talents in the industry. The exhibition offered a wide range of artistic practices, from paintings by modern masters to the most recent creations. Among the works presented, seventy-six monumental pieces grouped together in the Art Unlimited section attracted particular attention.

 

 

“No other place in the world brings together so many galleries and works of such quality in such a small space”, emphasized Art Basel Director Noah Horowitz. Basel thus continues to be an unrivalled indicator of the mood of the art market.

 

Strong sales

 

Gallerists were unanimous in asserting that the mood, particularly on the first two days, had not been so euphoric for a long time, and that collectors’ appetites were particularly whetted.

 

The figures released at the end of this year’s show bear witness to this positive momentum. In just two days, the Cardi gallery (Milan, New York) achieved sales of almost 2.3 million euros. Numerous stands also officially recorded sales of several million euros: Massimo de Carlo (Milan, London…) with 3.9 million euros, Gladstone (New York, Brussels… ) with $5.9 million (€5.4 million), Blumm & Poe (Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo) with over $7 million (€6.4 million), Thaddaeus Ropac (Paris, London…) with $9.8 million (€8.9 million), and Hauser & Wirth (New York, Zurich…) with $65 million (€59 million).

 

“This edition of Art Basel was our most successful ever, with nearly forty sales on the opening day alone. Works went to important private and institutional collections. We met incredible art lovers from all over the world, especially Asia”, says gallerist Kamel Mennour.

 

However, many galleries also reported sales of under €1 million (€750,000 for Galerie Perrotin) or even under €100,000 (€82,000 for Galerie Kow in Berlin).

 

Painting dominant, sculpture in vogue

 

Once again, painting was predominant, with the spotlight on emerging artists such as Lucas Arruda (at David Zwirner, New York, London…) and renowned contemporary artists such as Mark Bradford, whose canvas The Less Common Royalness (2014) sold for $4.5 million (4.1 million euros).

 

Basel also continues to showcase established and departed artists, notably through modern galleries such as Applicat Prazan (Paris), which claims to have sold a painting by Jean Fautrier (La Mort du sanglier, 1927) for around 4 million euros, while Donna Gallery (New York) sold a work by Paul Klee for between $3 and $4 million (2.7 and 3.6 million euros).

 

 

However, it seems that this year, alongside painting, sculpture has gained in importance on the stands. From small Calder mobiles exhibited by the international gallery Pace to bronze sculptures by Elmgreen & Dragset at Perrotin… And overall, the number of sculptures sold at the fair seems to have increased compared to previous editions. The record was set by Louise Bourgeois’ Spider IV (1996), exhibited at Hauser & Wirth, which sold for $22.5 million (€20.5 million). In June 2022, Hauser & Wirth had already announced the sale of another Spider sculpture by Louise Bourgeois for an impressive $40 million. Accustomed to records…

 

Read also >The French government announces a national strategy to promote arts and crafts

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The Art Basel fair came to a close last Sunday, with 82,000 admissions and some astronomical transactions. Museums and collectors also turned out in large numbers, testifying to the healthy state of the art market.

 

Basel’s contemporary art fair, Art Basel, ended on a successful note on Sunday, with no fewer than 82,000 visitors. The fair defied predictions of a slowdown in the market, continuing to post seven- and even eight-figure sales figures.

 

The world’s leading art fair “was once again able to significantly increase the number of visitors, with 12,000 more admissions than in 2022”, it stated in a press release.

 

In all, Basel welcomed 284 galleries from Africa, North and Latin America, Asia and Europe. The public was also international: the fair is a must-attend event not only for collectors, but also for professionals who, in the space of a few days, had the opportunity to meet the big names as well as the new talents in the industry. The exhibition offered a wide range of artistic practices, from paintings by modern masters to the most recent creations. Among the works presented, seventy-six monumental pieces grouped together in the Art Unlimited section attracted particular attention.

 

 

“No other place in the world brings together so many galleries and works of such quality in such a small space”, emphasized Art Basel Director Noah Horowitz. Basel thus continues to be an unrivalled indicator of the mood of the art market.

 

Strong sales

 

Gallerists were unanimous in asserting that the mood, particularly on the first two days, had not been so euphoric for a long time, and that collectors’ appetites were particularly whetted.

 

The figures released at the end of this year’s show bear witness to this positive momentum. In just two days, the Cardi gallery (Milan, New York) achieved sales of almost 2.3 million euros. Numerous stands also officially recorded sales of several million euros: Massimo de Carlo (Milan, London…) with 3.9 million euros, Gladstone (New York, Brussels… ) with $5.9 million (€5.4 million), Blumm & Poe (Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo) with over $7 million (€6.4 million), Thaddaeus Ropac (Paris, London…) with $9.8 million (€8.9 million), and Hauser & Wirth (New York, Zurich…) with $65 million (€59 million).

 

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The Art Basel fair came to a close last Sunday, with 82,000 admissions and some astronomical transactions. Museums and collectors also turned out in large numbers, testifying to the healthy state of the art market.

 

Basel’s contemporary art fair, Art Basel, ended on a successful note on Sunday, with no fewer than 82,000 visitors. The fair defied predictions of a slowdown in the market, continuing to post seven- and even eight-figure sales figures.

 

The world’s leading art fair “was once again able to significantly increase the number of visitors, with 12,000 more admissions than in 2022”, it stated in a press release.

 

In all, Basel welcomed 284 galleries from Africa, North and Latin America, Asia and Europe. The public was also international: the fair is a must-attend event not only for collectors, but also for professionals who, in the space of a few days, had the opportunity to meet the big names as well as the new talents in the industry. The exhibition offered a wide range of artistic practices, from paintings by modern masters to the most recent creations. Among the works presented, seventy-six monumental pieces grouped together in the Art Unlimited section attracted particular attention.

 

 

“No other place in the world brings together so many galleries and works of such quality in such a small space”, emphasized Art Basel Director Noah Horowitz. Basel thus continues to be an unrivalled indicator of the mood of the art market.

 

Strong sales

 

Gallerists were unanimous in asserting that the mood, particularly on the first two days, had not been so euphoric for a long time, and that collectors’ appetites were particularly whetted.

 

The figures released at the end of this year’s show bear witness to this positive momentum. In just two days, the Cardi gallery (Milan, New York) achieved sales of almost 2.3 million euros. Numerous stands also officially recorded sales of several million euros: Massimo de Carlo (Milan, London…) with 3.9 million euros, Gladstone (New York, Brussels… ) with $5.9 million (€5.4 million), Blumm & Poe (Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo) with over $7 million (€6.4 million), Thaddaeus Ropac (Paris, London…) with $9.8 million (€8.9 million), and Hauser & Wirth (New York, Zurich…) with $65 million (€59 million).

 

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