If you’re in town for Art Basel you’ll find plenty of other things happening, as well. Here is Whitewaller‘s “Top 12” list of things to see during your time in Basel.
1. Art Basel
This year, participants include 289 galleries from 35 countries across Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa, with works by around 4,000 artists. Newcomers to the fair include White Space Beijing (Asia), Freedman Fitzpatrick (USA), and Franklin Parrasch Gallery (USA).
Courtesy of The Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois.
2. Art Basel Unlimited
We’ve come to look forward to Unlimited at Art Basel, now in its seventh year. Transcending what’s typically presented at the fair, Unlimited this year will include 71 monumental works by artists like Camille Henrot, Jenny Holzer, Lee Ufan, Lygia Pape, Yu Hong, Francis Alÿs, Polly Apfelbaum, Sam Gilliam, Yoko Ono, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and more.
3. LISTE
LISTE presents 79 leading galleries of young and “middle generation” galleries from 32 countries. Fifteen will show at LISTE for the first time. Between them, work by approximately 170 artists, from over 45 countries, will be featured.
Courtesy of The Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois.
4. Design Miami/ Basel
For its 13th edition, Design Miami/ Basel features almost 50 presentations curated by leading galleries as well as 10 Curios, which are small-scale, thematically organized, immersive shows. Highlights include an inverted gas chandelier system by Gustave Serrurier-Bovy and the ceramic works of the Design in the Mountains members, which are inspired by ancient artifacts.
5. Berlin Biennale
Alluding to Tina Turner’s 1985 hit, “We don’t need another hero” engages with history-making regime changes of the late 20th century. The 10th Berlin Biennale does not intend to create a narrative of that history, to make sense of it or its influence on the present. Instead, like the song, it renounces savior-narratives in favor of exploring the complexities of power and knowledge.
LISTE, Art Fair Basel,
June 2017, Preview
6. Sam Gilliam at Kunstmuseum Basel
“The Music of Color” is Sam Gilliam’s (b. 1933) first solo show in Europe. Despite having been the first African-American artist to be represented at the Venice Biennale (in 1972), the artist remains largely unknown among European audiences. For this exhibition, the Kunstmuseum Basel asked Gilliam to redesign several works in response to the museum’s architecture.
7. “Fashion Drive: at Kunsthaus Zürich
“Fashion Drive: Extreme Clothing in Visual Arts” includes over 300 works by 60 artists that highlight the extremes of fashion, from 1500 to the present. Comprising paintings, sculptures, installations, costumes and armor, and more, the curated collection reveals how artists have altered, perceived, and discussed fashion over the centuries.
Carmen Herrera, Angulo Rojo
Courtesy of the artist and Lisson Gallery.
8. “Hello World” at Hamburger Bahnhof
What would the Nationalgalerie collection look like if, from its inception, it had been open to the world? Inspired by contemporary dialogue and critical inquiry into the emphasis on Western art in museum collections, “Hello World: Revising a Collection” reimagines the art- historical narratives perpetuated by the museum.
9. “Bacon–Giacometti” at Fondation Beyeler
Fondation Beyeler presents a visual conversation between two extraordinary artists, rivals, and friends: Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966) and Francis Bacon (1909–1992). For the first time, the commonalities and parallels between these two artists will be drawn together.
Courtesy of Design Miami/ Basel.
10. “Night Fever” at Vitra Design Museum
“Night Fever” combines furniture, graphic design, architectural models, art, film, photography, and fashion to examine the cultural potency of the nightclub. Ranging from 1960s Italian hangouts to Andy Warhol’s preferred Studio 54, nightclubs have offered a nocturnal space teeming with their own distinct graphic and multisensory culture.
11. Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois
Inside the Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois is Bar Les Trois Rois—an intimate setting that offers refined
cocktails and delicate snacks. Guests can also enjoy live piano music on most days, daily
afternoon tea and British bites in the lobby from 2 to 4 p.m., and “The Cocktail Experience” from
Tuesday to Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Courtesy of Bar Rouge.
12. Bar Rouge
105 meters in the air, Bar Rouge offers breathtaking views of Basel and a multifunctioning
space that includes a bar, a lounge, and a nightclub. Guests can enjoy a cocktail experience
where art and culture meet, providing an unforgettable atmosphere.
