Hong Kong Convention Center, site of the Art Basel Hong Kong Art Fair, via Forbes
With the closing of the doors at the Hong Kong Convention Center this past Sunday, the first edition of Art Basel Hong Kong was brought to a conclusion after a flourish of strong sales, critical praise, and notable attention for the art fair giant’s first foray into the Asian continent.
Hong Kong Convention Center, via Art in America
Tomorrow, Art Basel Hong Kong will open its doors to the public, inaugurating the expansion of the company’s impressive range of art fairs into the Far East. Situated at the Hong Kong Convention Center, the fair has brought collectors and galleries from the world over to the heart of this bustling metropolis, for a week of art sales, talks and special projects, all with a particular focus on the contemporary art world of the Asia-Pacific region.
Hong Kong’s Inflatable Rubber Duck, via CNN
This December, collectors Mera and Don Rubell will present Year of the Artist, a showcase of contemporary Chinese art at the 2013 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach. Featuring 20 artists, including Ai Weiwei and Zhang Huang, the show will look to bring a major focus to the Chinese nation’s vibrant arts scene. “There’s a new generation of Chinese artists that is interesting to us,” said Mera Rubell in a telephone interview. “They have the world view and they are also dealing with the transformation of China itself.” (more…)
The Art Basel festival has announced the gallery list for its 44th edition in Basel, Switzerland, welcoming 304 galleries from across the globe. The festival will also feature several special exhibitions, including presentations by Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City, Parra & Romero in Madrid, and Take Ninagawa in Tokyo, alongside its usual lineup of talks, exhibitions, installations and special commissions. (more…)
Filmed in 1968, Andy Warhol’s “San Diego Surf” spent years locked away before finally seeing a screening at 2011’s Art Basel Miami Beach. The film, shot by Warhol and his manager/assistant Paul Morrissey, had sat unfinished until 1995, when the Warhol Foundation commissioned Paul Morrissey to complete a final cut. The film will finally see a public release this month at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, on view from January 23 to the 28th. (more…)
The international art fair calendar will see a new addition to the lineup of Art Basel events this year, with the announcement today of Art Basel Hong Kong, running from May 23th-26th. The festival mirrors the expanding prominence of the Asian art market, and will include a variety of exhibitions, public works, panel discussions and large-scale installations. “There’s no question today’s serious international collector is looking at Asia,” Art Basel Director Marc Spiegler says. “The notion of collecting by continent is outmoded, and Asian collectors are looking beyond borders, too.” (more…)
Marc Spiegler will now head the four-person Art Basel team under a restructuring of management. The fair has grown immensely since 2007, when one person, Sam Keller, (now head of The Beyeler Foundation), was responsible for the management of the fair. Annette Schönholzer, Magnus Renfrew and a new director of resources and finance (to be appointed next year), will serve under Spiegler as chairman. (more…)
Another modern and contemporary fair is being formed: ArtInternational Istanbul, which is due to open in September 2013. The organizer is Sandy Angus, co-founder of ArtHK. (The parent company of Art Basel and Miami Basel owns a 60% stake in Art HK). It will be in Istanbul’s Hasköy Yarn Factory in the central Beyoglu district, coinciding with the Istanbul Biennial and running concurrently with the Istanbul Contemporary fair. (more…)
The Art Basel lineup for this year’s event has been released. A press release sent Monday revealed that 2012’s 11th Edition, to be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center, will showcase 257 prominent art galleries from 31 countries. The art fair, which will run December 6 through 9, will be divided into three “sections”: Art Galleries, the main section, for more well-known organizations to display contemporary art, Ars Nova, for up-and-coming institutions to highlight recently-established artists and Art Positions, for galleries to spotlight a the opus of one particular artist.
Artists Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe will transform Chelsea’s Marlborough Gallery into a “junkyard fantasy” as part of their latest project, which hosts a grimy subterranean world with elements of sci-fi and squalor, described by Freeman as the debris after “some horrible event had happened and everyone had to evacuate.” Since their breakout work, Hello Meth Lab In The Sun, in 2008, (beginning in Marfa, reiterated in Art Basel Miami and Deitch projects in New York) shows of varying edginess have followed. “Shadow Pool: A Natural History of the San San International,” held at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, was the pair’s most recent solo venture.
All photos by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed.
Another parallel event joining Basel this year is the-solo-project, presented by Paul Kusseneers Gallery in Antwerp. This independent satellite fair features an international collection of galleries, carefully selected to showcase an in depth selection of work from the chosen artists. This year, the-solo-project celebrates its fifth consecutive year and features a week-long, time coincident with Art Basel, exhibition titled ‘Solo Shows by Selected Galleries’.
Belgium based Alice showcases Antoine Bouillot’s “Little did they know”
Pedro Reyes’ puppet performance “Baby Marx” (2008-present); All photos by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed
Art Parcours Night was the official debut to the four-day expansive Art Basel festival. Held at neighboring sites around the city, this year the annual event featured a performance and installations by Kathryn Andrews, ‘Voix de Ville’ (2012). Andrews staged several Vaudeville-era acts along the Rhine River, using the talents of acrobats, magicians, and musicians. The performances took place against her installations, which served as backdrops on an unconstrained stage space. The show ran adjacent to other performances and on-site exhibitions of work that will remain on display till this Sunday, June 17.
Claude Lévêque‘s “Ring of Fire” (2011) installation
Kristof Kintera’s “Memorial of the One Thousand and One Nights” from Jirisvestka Gallery; All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse
Similarly minded to LISTE in its emphasis on emerging artists and galleries, VOLTA is another of Art Basel’s several accompanying satellite fairs. VOLTA can be seen as perhaps even more cutting-edge in ways and annually attracts an eclectic and international array of art.
Now entering its eighth parallel collaboration with Basel, the fair has shown remarkable growth in coverage and influence since its start in 2005. This year, 81 galleries gather in the halls of the colossal Dreispitzhalle to create an atmosphere marked by youth and spontaneity.
| Jeff Koons by Schneider, Sischy and Siegel | Jeff Koons: The Painter and the Sculptor | Jeff Koons by Jeff Koons |
Jeff Koons, the artist; All photos by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed
Adjoint to the week-long Art Basel fete, Swiss museum Fondation Beyeler partnered with American artist Jeff Koons to assemble and showcase key series from his repertoire under one roof, namely, The New, Banality, and Celebration.
Yesterday night in particular, the Foundation Beyler hosted a private dinner at which the pop-age artist himself was present, along with guests Zaha Hadid, Tracey Emin, Stephanie Seymour, and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn. Koons took the opportunity to unveil his over-sized floral installation, “Split Rocker”. Serpentine Gallery director Hans Ulrich Obrist and architect Rem Koolhaas afterward gave the pre-dinner keynote.
A Gerhard Richter piece sold for $20-25 million, so far leading the sales at Art Basel. 1986 “A.B. Courbet” was purchased by an unidentified collector.
Stephen G. Rhodes’ “Overduin and Kite” from Los Angeles; All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse
As a colossal fair, Art Basel encompasses many satellites and offshoots, namely Design Miami/Basel, Scope, Volta, and LISTE. LISTE, now in its 17th installment, is a significant art fair in itself, showcasing a variety of up and coming galleries and artists. This year, there are 22 countries and 64 galleries represented, 11 of which are immediately new to the art world. Congruently, all participating artists are under the age of 40. Identified as “The Young Art Fair in Basel”, LISTE offers an excellent introductory opportunity to young, contemporary artists and galleries alike.
LISTE 17 began on Tuesday, June 12 and continues through Art Basel’s end on June 17.
Chris Burden‘s Curved Bridge (2003) from Galerie Krinzinger at Art Unlimited; All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse
Art 43 Basel continues today with the 2nd VIP Preview day, although the fair’s Art Unlimited and Art Statements sections were unveiled two days prior on the evening of Monday, June 11. Art Unlimited is exhibiting 62 projects this year, all traditionally large in scale, surpassing the conventional gallery confines. The value of the works shown is equally as sizeable and many have already been sold by the nearly 100 internationally represented galleries participating. Art Statements, another of Basel’s parallel events, features solo shows by promising new artists and rising galleries in the art world.
This year, Art Unlimited is curated by Gianni Jetzer, the director of the Swiss Institute in New York. An interview with him featuring commentary on the exhibit’s selection process and the projects that made it in can be found here.
Franz West’s contorted, neon pink installation resembling human innards drew crowds to Gagosian’s stand at Art Unlimited. The sculpture, titled Gekröse (2011), which translates as “bowel,” is the largest of West’s repertoire and sold on the first day of its showing, according to Reuters.
Tuesday morning of the VIP Preview; All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse
Art Basel’s 43rd edition commenced today with the first of two VIP Preview days. The VIP Vernissage, however, drew a private audience yesterday evening, where the Art Unlimited and Art Standard programs were unveiled, revealing a collection of artwork impressive in both size and scope. Today was also the preview and opening receptions for Basel’s companion fairs, like LISTE 17 and Design Miami/Basel. Fair and section specific photosets for collective Basel happenings will be posted throughout the upcoming days.
Art Basel directors Annette Schönholzer and Marc Spiegler at the press conference
In it’s 43rd conception, Art Basel is continuing its legacy as the leader among the contemporary art world’s fairs. Last year, 65,000 people flocked to the cultural capital, situated at the border of Switzerland, France, and Germany. For this year, Basel will no doubt draw a similar, if not greater audience throughout its four-day duration. Art Observed will be on site to cover and photograph throughout this fair.
Founded in 1970, Art Basel quickly surpassed Germany’s Art Cologne and similar fairs in scale and remains today as the world’s largest. Almost 300 galleries from around the globe participate, spanning five continents. This international representation results in a large and diverse assortment of exhibitions, video works, performances, and public installations. This year specifically there will be more than 2,500 artists exhibiting $2 billion worth of art, nearly 300 gallery booths, and many more single stands present.
Perhaps the star feature of this year’s Basel will be Marlborough Fine Art’s Mark Rothko canvas, dated 1954. The painting, for which there is already buyer interest, is priced from $78 to $84 million.
Louise Bourgeois, Untitled (2004). All photos on site by Art Observed.
The last of the throng at the first Frieze Art Fair on Randall’s Island in New York City petered out Monday afternoon yet, the most avid collectors simply shifted course to the remainder auction sales at Christie’s and Philips de Pury. Overall, gallerists at the fair appeared to be immensely pleased with the inaugural event, some booths claiming blowout sales, while others were content with merely executing reserve transactions.
John Ahearn casts a fairgoer in plaster as part of Frieze Projects
‪‬Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach owner MCH Group readies for Hong Kong International Art Fair this May 17-20 which next year will be rebranded as the Hong Kong edition of Art Basel. The group seeks to highlight regional differences and host complementing, not repeat, exhibitions; co-director Marc Spiegler says, “There is cross-pollination”
Michael Stipe and Jeffrey Deitch – all photos by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed
Jefferson Hack and hotelier Andre Balazs exclusively presented the first large scale screening of the 3-D video art installation Evolution (Megaplex), created by the artist and filmmaker Marco Brambilla at the Standard Hotel and Spa during the week of Art Basel Miami Beach. Overlooking Biscayne Bay from hotel grounds, hundreds of notable guests had some drinks and watched with 3D glasses an impressively intricate montage of kinetic imagery. Brambilla is known in part recently for his permanent video installation, Civilization at the Standard Hotel in New York and also for his collaboration with Kanye West on his video for the single Power.
Guests view the Evolution projection at the Standard Hotel and Spa
More images after the jump…
Art Observed kicked its shoes off to experience The “Island” trip; a one night, site-specific exhibition on a deserted island in front of the Mondrian hotel. The mysterious event, which did not disclose its departure point until the day of, was organized by Shamim M.Morin (LAND) and Aaron Bondaroff/ Al Moran of Miami’s OHWOW gallery. The demand was needless to say very high for this event, and as such, the queue for the boats was a bit reminiscent of some of the final scenes in the movie Titanic. The project however, was by most accounts, extremely special. The installation featured works of fifteen artist including Terence Koh, Hanna Liden and Luis Gispert. A boat brought the guests from the Mondrian hotel to the Flagler Memorial Island where artists “were doing site-specific projects in the foliage, sandbars and water”.
more images after the jump…
Art Observed was at the Swiss Institute on Thursday night for the launch of BallyLove , designed by the Swiss artist Philippe Decrauzat. The minimalist, constructivist artist collaborated with the Swiss Institute and the Swiss fashion house Bally for BallyLove, manipulating the imagery of fashion brand, showing black and white repetitive patterns on a wide range products.
More images after the jump…
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