David Smith, installation view, Galerie Gmurzynska, Art Basel

Art Basel now has two VIP days before the public opening tomorrow.  Many people completed their visit in one day so today was less crowded but no less intense. I scoured the booths I missed yesterday and made return visits to others I had already seen. Despite the most thorough viewing, it is not possible to see everything. Reports for business are strong and much activity is still anticipated.

Ethnographic installation (detail), Museum for Culture, Basel

After departing the fair, I was looking forward to two museums visits, the Kunstmuseum and the Museum of Cultures (Museum der Kulturen).  Specializing in ethnographic collections of artifacts from Europe, the South Pacific, Mesoamerica, Tibet and Bali, the Museum of Culture is one of my favorite places in Basel. The current exhibition focuses on material from the Amazon, addressing the relationship between permanent collection holdings and historical events in the Amazon region. The Museum has one of the most comprehensive Amazon collections in Europe, with an emphasis on the period between 1950-2010.

Picasso painting at Kunstmuseum, Basel

The Kunstmuseum is presenting a significant Picasso retrospective drawn exclusively from institutional and private collections in Basel, including paintings, drawings, prints and a few sculptures. While the selection of work is very fine, even more impressive is the fact that such extensive holdings are drawn from within the community. Having just come from the Culture Museum, Picasso’s ethnographic influence was in high relief for me.

Thomas Schutte, bronze sculpture, Zurich

I headed to the train station and popped on the IC to Zurich, a 53 minute trip from Basel. The day had turned warm and whenever the weather is lovely, it seems all of Zurich heads to the outdoor cafes and the lakefront. As I strolled the tree-lined promenade, I discovered a powerful Thomas Schutte sculpture installation. Courtesy of the Beyeler Foundation, who supports outdoor sculpture around the city, Schutte will be featured in an exhibition at the Foundation opening shortly.

Beyeler Foundation, Basel, Switzerland

The first stop in my three day conquest of Basel began this morning at the esteemed Beyeler Foundation. Designed by Renzo Piano, it is one of the most sublime museums in the world. The combination of the perfectly attuned architecture and landscaping combined with the extraordinary collection and impeccably curated exhibitions makes every visit a memorable one. The featured exhibition is a rich selection of paintings drawn from the lifetime work of Max Ernst along with an installation by contemporary artist, Maurizio Cattalan. Equally as breathtaking is work from the permanent collection and a truly stunning selection of sculpture by Alexander Calder.

Bashir Mahmood, photographic triptych, at Grey Noise, Liste Fair

Next up was the preview opening of Liste, a satellite fair that features a vetted group of international, dynamic younger galleries. This is a great fair to find new galleries and artists of quality and interest. I was pleased to encounter Grey Noise from Dubai. They had a two person show that included photographs and video by Bashir Mahmood.

Richard Woods & Sebastian Wrong, Galerie Vivid, at Design Miami/Basel

Ingrid Donat at Carpenter’s Workshop, Design Miami/Basel Fair

Design Miami/Basel, the global forum for design, specializes in collectable furniture from historically significant designers as well as presenting work from a vanguard of  new designers. Increasingly, jewelry, lighting, ceramic sculpture and other design manifestations are presented. For instance, Audi is showcasing the gorgeous, new Quattro. W Hotels is sponsoring, “Designers of the Future Awards”. American Express has a lounge for its’ Platinum and Centurion members designed by Vitra. I was pleased to rest and enjoy a complimentary glass of Perrier-Jouet and some five-spiced almonds in the lounge. Everybody wants a piece of the action but hey, it’s all in the service of great design.

Art Unlimited preview opening, Art Basel Fair

Jessica Stockholder, installation, at Art Unlimited, Basel Art Fair

The main Art Basel Fair has several different sections. Today was the opening preview for Art Unlimited, the part of the fair reserved for large-scale artworks, installations and videos. The enthusiasm for the Fair is so intense that even this huge area was jammed with viewers a few minutes after the doors opened.

Mairead O’hEocha, painting, mother’s tankstation, at Art Statements

In addition to the opening of Art Unlimited, it is the first look at Art Statements, a tightly selected group of galleries presenting young, emerging artists. This section allows for discovery of new artists from galleries that may already be established. Gitlen Gallery of New York is showing Jessica Jackson Hutchins, a very unique, ceramic sculptor whose work I also admired at the Venice Biennale. Stevenson Gallery from Cape Town had a complex installation by Kemang Wa Lehulere. mother’s tankstation from Ireland introduced wonderful, small paintings by Mairead O’hEocha. They were all sold within an hour, the anticipated result for many galleries as the gates swing wide and the race begins.

Robert Morris at the Prada Foundation, Venice

In addition to the Giardini, Arsenale and the National pavilions, collateral exhibitions are featured in palazzos, museums and alternative spaces all over Venice. I spent the day seeing as many as possible.

Walter De Maria at the Prada Foundation, Venice

The Prada Foundation is presenting one of the most important exhibitions of the Biennale. Titled “When Attitude Becomes Form, Bern 1969/Venice 2013”, the Foundation has recreated the exhibition curated in 1969 by Harald Szeeman at the Kunsthalle Bern. The original exhibition was ground breaking in its’ day and has become mythic over time. Its’ reconstruction offers significant opportunity to rethink the dialogue and concepts that surrounded the original show. The extraordinary rigor is well retained in this reincarnation.

Jacob Hashimoto at the Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice

My next stop was the Fondazione Querini Stampalia which featured the work of the highly regarded Chinese artist, Qiu Zhijie and the American artist, Jacob Hashmimoto. Both artists had fantastic installations that always make the trek to this location worthwhile. Qiu Zhijie addressed objects from the permanent collection of the Fondazione contrasting East and West. Hashimoto’s site-specific piece was characteristically exuberant as he creates his own eco-system.

Tapies installation at the Museo Fortuny, Venice

The Museo Fortuny is always a must-see for me. The current exhibition presents Spanish master, Antoni Tapies (1923-2012). Key paintings, not previously shown, as well as a select group of objects and artifacts from the artist’s own collection are stellar. In concert are other artists such as Picasso, Pollock, Motherwell, Kounellis and Kazuo Shiraga who have paid tribute to Tapies. Each floor of the Fortuny is installed with the highest aesthetic sensibility; I am forever enthralled in the space.

Richard Mosse, “The Enclave” (detail), Pavilion of Ireland, Venice

With so much to see and my departure tomorrow, I was on overdrive. Various other visits included the National pavilions of Ireland, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Palestine, Angola and the Pinchuk Foundation’s Future Generation Art Prize.

Zhong Biao, “The Universe of Unreality”, Chiesa di S. Maria della Visitazione

A lovely surprise was finding Zhong Biao’s installation, “The Universe of Unreality” in the Chiesa di S. Maria della Visitazione. His piece is another example of the universal knowledge theme. Individual paintings deal with issues such as the Hong Kong handover, the Gwangju Democratic Movement, the financial crisis, ecological breakdowns, water contamination, etc. Yet the paintings are flying in the church, reminiscent of the Renaissance Masters and all that is spiritual and uplifting.

Carl Jung, from the “Red Book”, Venice Biennale

“The Encyclopedic Palace”, curated by Massimiliano Gioni, is the key exhibition of the Biennale. The first section is located in the Central Pavilion within the Giardini, where I began the day. The exhibition is essentially about the impossible dream of universal knowledge. From the opening installation of Carl Jung’s illustrated manuscript, “Red Book”, to the riveting performance piece created by Tino Sehgal, artists grapple with ways to reconcile the self with the universe. Whether the source is the personal internal or the social external, images are the vehicle of communication.

Gioni asks: What room is left for inner images in an era besieged and obsessed by external ones? What do we see with our eyes closed? How can images help us understand ourselves and the world around us?

Kimsooja at the Korean Pavilion, Venice Biennale

These questions and ideas reverberate throughout Gioni’s show as well as in the international pavilions. Imagined or actual systems of organization and ways of being generated through history, politics, and nature are dominant themes. They may be light-hearted as In Jeremy Deller’s serving tea in the Great Britain pavilion or heavy-handed as the depiction of fired but unexploded bombs in the Hungarian pavilion.

Ai Weiwei in the German Pavilion, Venice Biennale

Sarah Sze at American Pavilion, Venice Biennale

Sarah Sze won my admiration with her complex and magical pieces in the American Pavilion. Other favorite pavilions included Kimsooja for Korea; Koki Tanaka for Japan; Anri Sala in the French Pavilion; the German Pavilion featuring four artists including Ai Weiwei and Vadim Zakharov for Russia.

Installation of Arte Povera and Mono-ha works at Punta Della Dogana, Venice

After four hours in the Giardini, it was off to the world of Francois Pinault, whose uber-collection now fills the Punta Della Dogana and the Palazzo Grassi. The highlight at the Dogana for me is the room that juxtaposes emblematic work from the Italian Art Povera artists with those of the Japaneses movement, Mono-ha. Pinault often buys his favorite artists in depth such as an entire room of Mark Grotjahn or key pieces by Adel Abdessemed, among many others of note.

Rudolph Stingel at the Palazzo Grassi, Venice

The Palazzo Grassi features a one-person show for Rudolph Stingel. Based on the pattern of an oriental rug, Stingel completely carpeted the walls and floors of the atrium and upper levels of the museum. A single painting from a selection of both abstract and representational work hangs within each room. My favorite was his haunting portrait of the late Franz West.