Four Breakout Artists at Art Basel 2026: Leoncillo, Frankenthaler, Bas, Kadyri

At Art Basel in Basel, running through June 21, 290 galleries from 43 countries are showcasing works. Four artists emerged as breakout stars by the end of opening day. Thaddaeus Ropac announced representation of the estate of Italian sculptor Leoncillo (1915–1968), who represented Italy at the Venice Biennale six times. His 1967 terracotta sculpture 'Tre Tagli (A, B, C)' is on hold for €270,000. Helen Frankenthaler, subject of a major exhibition at Kunstmuseum Basel, is featured by at least four galleries. Pace Di Donna Schrader Galleries has her 1963 canvas 'Center Break' on reserve for $2.2 million; Yares Art sold one work for $2 million and has others priced at $3.2 million and $5.8 million; Ben Brown Fine Arts offers a 1980 work for $2.8 million; Berry Campbell has a small work on paper for $95,000. Hernan Bas, fresh from a solo show at Ca' Pesaro in Venice, has a new painting 'Self-storage' as Victoria Miro's Art Basel Exclusive, and his 2007 work 'The Temptation of the Shepherd' is at Lehmann Maupin. Aziza Kadyri, an Art Basel Awards medalist, presents AI-trained Suzani embroidery works at Zero10, priced €15,000–€25,000. She previously represented Uzbekistan at the 2024 Venice Biennale and has upcoming commissions at V&A South Kensington and exhibitions in Almaty, Łódź, and Taiwan.