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.

Jorge Pardo lamp installation, at Neugerreimschneidger, Art Basel

Leon Golub, painting, at Anthony Reynolds, Art Basel

Despite the proliferation of fairs around the globe, Art Basel in Switzerland remains the best and brightest. The top galleries in the field are all present with their highest quality artworks. The audience is the most sophisticated and discerning. The surrounding venues are world-class with the Kunstmuseum, the Beyeler Foundation and over two dozen other museums in Basel and the Kunsthaus in Zurich one hour away.

Valentin Carron, sculpture, at Eva Presenhuber

As a visitor, one can spend hours in a visual delirium of wonder and awe at what is on view and can be purchased. But purchasing is not just a matter of funds. It is now routine for galleries to email to their special clients or to their entire client base the images of what they will be exhibiting. Consequently, many works are presold or on hold when the fair opens. If there was no preannouncement and the work is significant, a feeding frenzy ensues. In either case, time is of the essence so there is no possibility for measured deliberation. If a hold is granted at the fair, it is often for an hour or two. Commit or move on.

Kai Altoff, installation, at Gladstone Gallery, Art Basel

Increasingly the fair is becoming a locus of research and exposure as much as a buying format for me. Meeting new colleagues, learning about artists, gathering information, seeing friends and clients all provide powerful fuel for future dealings. If I haven’t prearranged a viewing or know the artist and see exactly the right piece, I don’t want to make a snap decision. If I find a new young artist at an attractive price, I might go for it. And of course, one must necessarily remain flexible if the correct opportunity arises. But mainly I prefer to enjoy the experience of buying in a more thoughtful manner away from the crowd. This stance requires major discipline as the seduction of buying amidst the hyper energy of the fair, surrounded by other people making purchases, is a siren call indeed.

Roy LIchtenstein, paintings & sculpture, at Edward Nahem, Art Basel

It would not be an exaggeration to say that every booth has work of merit. In some booths, every wall is a knockout. The fair is on two floors and one cannot get through them both in an entire day. Today I managed to see just over half the fair and I was moving quickly. In addition to the work on view, the galleries each have closets with additional pieces and images of all the work that is available in their resident galleries. The fair is as dense an experience as the time one has to devote to it.

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.

Dorothy and her new friend, Venice

You can imagine how much I hated to leave Venice since I met this fantastic guy…well, okay, so he was my most fabulous water taxi driver. It was too bad he couldn’t fit in the luggage! But duty calls, so it’s off to Zurich.

ZURICH GALLERIES

The Zurich galleries now host an Art Weekend as a run-up to the opening of the Basel Art Fair. Arriving by noon, I was able to catch a number of the exhibitions. The Lowenbrau neighborhood, centered at 270 Limatstrasse, is the concentrated area for a number of galleries, the Kunsthalle Zurich and the Migros Museum.

Wilhelm Sasnal at Hauser & Wirth, Zurich

Hauser & Wirth has two spaces which featured a one-person show for Wilhelm Sasnal on the ground floor and an impressive works on paper exhibition by Lee Bontecou on the second floor. Other galleries of note in the building include Galerie Eva Presenhuber and Galerie Bob van Orsouw.

Cameron Jamie, installation at the Kunsthalle Zurich

The Kunsthalle Zurich also has two floors on which they presented an extensive survey for Cameron Jamie that included sculpture, drawing, photography and video. The work moves from a delicate refinement in the drawing, to totemic elegance in the ceramic sculpture, to raw and violent expression in early sculptures, photography and videos.

Carsten Holler, installation with Mushrooms at POOL, Zurich

The latest addition to the building is POOL, an innovative program that combines an international group of private collections with a mentor-based training program for curators. POOL is conceived by Beatrix Ruf, Director and Curator of the Kunsthalle Zurich, in collaboration with the founding collectors Maja Hoffman and Michael Ringer. Guest curators are invited to create exhibitions drawn from the work in private collections. On Sunday a symposium was being held to discuss issues such as new models for curatorial practice and the responsibility and possibilities for public and private collection collaboration.

Ivan Seal, painting, Galerie RaebervonStenglin, Zurich

Another section of gallery activity is the Maag Neighborhood. A young gallery that I became aware of a few years ago at the Liste Fair is Galerie RaebervonSteinglin. At that time I had been impressed with their artist, David Keating, and had written about him in a blog post. Currently the gallery is hosting new paintings by Ivan Seal. The pieces appear to depict three-dimensional objects but they are purely imagined with no physical counterpart.

Jean Michel Basquiat at Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich

Lastly, no trip to Zurich galleries is complete without a visit to Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, particularly with “Basquiat, Paintings and Drawings” on view. Featuring work from the early eighties, this exhibition offered an especially auspicious end to the day.