Art Basel 2019: Top and Flops from Basel Art Week

Art Basel 2019 in Basel saw high-quality presentations from Italian galleries like Massimo De Carlo, Alfonso Artiaco, Tornabuoni, and Franco Noero, with strong sales. However, concerns emerged: rising prices push the fair toward modern rather than contemporary art, and the expansion to Miami and Hong Kong may cannibalize the original event. Collateral fairs improved in quality, with Design Miami, Volta, Photo Basel, Paper Positions, I never read, and June offering distinct identities. Notable exhibitions included William Kentridge at Kunstmuseum Gegenwart, Geumhyung Jeong at Kunsthalle Basel, and a dual Picasso-Rudolf Stingel show at Fondation Beyeler. The Vitra Campus Summer Party in Weil am Rhein was a highlight, featuring architecture by Frank Gehry and a Balkrishna Doshi exhibition. Flops included Art Basel's Parcours section, deemed too small and with mediocre works; Liste fair, facing an identity crisis due to mid-tier gallery struggles; and the Rebecca Horn exhibition at Museum Tinguely, criticized for misrepresenting her feminist kinetic art. Food options in Basel were poor and expensive, with exceptions like the ONA pop-up restaurant.