Art Basel has shrugged off the doom-mongers and reported buoyant sales for the 2024 edition, which took place from 13 June to 16. The fair closed on Sunday, following a week of solid sales across all market sectors. The show attracted an overall attendance of 91,000 throughout its VIP and public days. 285 galleries from 40 countries and territories reported robust sales across all market sectors and throughout the week.
This year, the fair produced a more expansive and immersive city-wide program featuring segments like Parcours, the Merian, Film, Conversations, and the Messeplatz project. Art enthusiasts can look forward to an engaging mix of site-specific installations, large-scale artworks, stimulating discussions, and various media.
Stefanie Hessler, Director of the Swiss Institute in New York, curated Parcours for the first time. This segment presented over 20 site-specific public art installations along Clarastrasse, creating a dynamic artistic pathway that linked the fairgrounds to the Rhine. Attendees found innovative works that uniquely interacted with the urban environment.
On the Messeplatz, the renowned conceptual artist Agnes Denes unveiled a significant work curated by Samuel Leuenberger, Founder of SALTS. This installation was transformative, challenging traditional perceptions and delving deep into the relationship between art and the environment, a testament to the profound impact of the artworks.
Giovanni Carmine, Director of Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, directed the Unlimited segment, which featured 70 large-scale installations. This part of the fair highlighted established and emerging artists and gave visitors an immersive experience with monumental art.
There were 22 first-time participants, including Almeida & Dale Galeria de Arte (São Paulo), Bank (Shanghai), Galerie Anne-Sarah Bénichou (Paris), Thomas Brambilla (Bergamo), Felix Gaudlitz (Vienna), Karma (Los Angeles, New York), Tina Keng Gallery (Taipei), Galerie Le Minotaure (Paris), Galerie Mueller (Basel), Larkin Erdmann Gallery (Zurich), Madeln Gallery (Shanghai), Maruani Mercier (Brussels, Knokke, Zaventem), Mayoral (Paris, Barcelona), Meredith Rosen Gallery (New York), Nome (Berlin), Gallery Wendi Norris (San Francisco), OSL contemporary (Oslo), Parker Gallery (Los Angeles), ROH Projects (Jakarta), The Third Gallery Aya (Osaka), Wooson (Daegu, Seoul), Yares Art (New York, Santa Fe).
Leading private collectors from across Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa attended this year, as well as curators and representatives from over 250 museums and institutions, including: Bangkok Kunsthalle; Belvedere Museum, Vienna; Buffalo AKG Art Museum; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Diriyah Biennale Foundation; Fondation Beyeler, Riehen; Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC; Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; Istanbul Modern; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk; M+, Hong Kong; Museum of Fine Arts Boston; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Museu de Arte de São Paulo; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Norval Foundation, Cape Town; Qatar Museums, Doha; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main; Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; TANK Shanghai; Tate, London; The Broad, Los Angeles; The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The New Museum, New York; The Swiss Institute, New York; UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Yuz Museum Shanghai; and Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town.
What The Dealers Said:
Xavier Hufkens, Owner and Founder, Xavier Hufkens (Brussels
‘We have sold works to collectors and museums from Europe, the US, China, and Japan, and we made many sales in the first two hours of Preview Day. What’s more exciting is that our curated presentation has generated interest.’
Takayuki Ishii, Founder, Taka Ishii Gallery (Tokyo, Kyoto, Maebashi)
‘This has been our strongest Art Basel in the gallery’s twenty-plus year history of doing the fair! We sold our Unlimited installations to museums in Asia and Australia and dozens of works on our booth. The fair has been outstanding for us. Our participation in Art Basel is always a focal point of the calendar; this year’s fair has been truly remarkable for us; we have sold work to several museums and innumerable private and public collections. It is wonderful to be part of Art Basel, which delivers a high standard for global clientele.’
Sean Kelly, Founder, Sean Kelly (New York, Los Angeles)
‘It’s an exciting moment for Tina Keng Gallery to participate in Art Basel in Basel and as the first-ever gallery from Taiwan to join the main sector of the fair. I am thrilled to say it was a rewarding experience for the gallery as we contacted new European clients. We had 70% of the booth sold within the first two hours of the VIP preview and placed works for all the artists we presented at our booth. We are already looking forward to coming back next year!’
Shelly Wu, Director, Tina Keng Gallery (Taipei)
‘This is the first time we’ve presented our booth at Art Basel, and we were delighted to successfully place several works that demonstrate the groundbreaking and experimental approaches that women artists have long pioneered. Our presentation focused on women artists who incorporate unconventional materials into their practices to address contemporary concerns about labour, migration, globalization, and more. It’s always been important to me to champion women artists, and we were thrilled to introduce our European collectors to their diverse oeuvres. We also placed works with museum patrons in North America and collectors in Asia. It was a great way to debut, and I am very pleased with the result.’
Tina Kim, Founder, Tina Kim Gallery (New York)
‘Art Basel felt particularly rewarding this year. We’ve seen collectors worldwide show up to engage and acquire work they truly care about. Despite challenging socio-political times, the art market remains alive and important. Throughout the week, we’ve made multiple six-figure sales, including the placements of many important works. Art Basel always feels like a homecoming and remains the go-to art fair. The energy and calibre of the fair this year continues to be unmatched!’
Rachel Lehmann, Co-Founder, Lehmann Maupin (New York, Seoul, London)
‘Despite the recent challenging market environment, this edition of Art Basel managed to excite and energise collectors and brought solid sales for our artists from the first preview day. There was a lot of great energy from collectors and curators at the fair and around the city. We were thrilled to see our network of international collectors in town and to meet new ones who were informed and keen to learn about our artists’ works.’
Philomene Magers and Monika Sprüth, Co-owners, Sprüth Magers (Berlin, London, Los Angeles, New York)
‘The first preview day at Art Basel 2024 was hugely successful for Pilar Corrias. We were delighted to return to the fair and see old and new friends worldwide. Many rich conversations took place.’
Pilar Corrias, Owner and Founder, Pilar Corrias (London)
‘This year’s Art Basel attracted exceptional worldwide collectors, and the fair’s careful curation of the Unlimited section echoed their interest in important historical artworks, which accentuates the health of the global art market.’
Serena Cattaneo Adorno, Senior Director, Gagosian (New York, Hong Kong, Paris, Athens, Rome, Basel, Geneva, Saanen, London, Beverly Hills
‘Art Basel keeps being the most important fair. The preview days were good, and we were delighted to place works by several gallery artists in great European and American collections.’ Ayelet Yanai, Director, dépendance (Brussels) ‘Art Basel proved to be a top art fair once again. We experienced very well-informed, dedicated and sophisticated visitors and with the sales results to match.
Mehdi Chouakri, Founder, Mehdi Chouakri (Berlin)
‘Despite rumours of a slowdown, this 2024 edition has proved successful with many visitors from Europe, including many museum curators, and solid, diverse sales.’
Anne-Claudie Coric, Executive Director, Templon (Paris, Brussels, New York)
‘Despite a more challenging market, we had a fantastic response to our presentation and sold a couple of noticeable works, including an iconic Magritte from the ’50s entitled ‘La Chambre d’écoute’. We have been particularly proud to bring this masterpiece back to Art Basel almost 50 years after it waswas exhibited and sold here. Art Basel remains the strongest fair for engaging top collectors.’
Martin Desfosses, Director, Vedovi Gallery (Brussels)
‘In these difficult times, Art Basel is a great opportunity to “breathe a little” and reconnect with our audiences. We were thrilled to encounter our collectors and make new contacts, especially from America and the Middle East. Some contacts we had made in Art Basel Hong Kong last year came to buy at the booth in Basel. We were delighted with Unlimited, which was impeccably curated and allowed us to sell our presentation on the first day.’
Daniele Balice, Founder and Owner, Balice Hertling (Paris
‘The efforts by Art Basel helped make our 34th participation at this fair a very successful edition. Basel upheld its reputation with strong gallery booths and an excellent Unlimited presentation.’
Victor Gisler, Founder of Mai 36 Galerie,
‘For our first participation in Galleries at Art Basel, we found a serious and attentive audience. We chose our presentation in line with our artists’ current institutional activities, and collectors were on hand to accompany them.’
Alix Dionot-Morani, Founder and Owner, Crèvecoeur (Paris)
‘We’ve witnessed a dynamic market reception, with collectors eagerly acquiring masterpieces. We are particularly thrilled with Petrit Halilaj’s installation taking centre stage at the façade of the former Merian Hotel during the fair, thanks to Art Basel and UBS. This edition of Art Basel is notable for the volume of transactions and the palpable joy and enthusiasm among the world’s foremost collectors.’
Kamel Mennour, Owner, Mennour (Paris)
‘We were delighted to be part of yet another successful edition of Art Basel. The tangible energy and buzzing environment created wonderful business opportunities and an exciting time.’ Verusca Piazzesi, Director, Galleria Continua (São Paulo, Beijing, Habana, Boissy-le-Châtel, Paris, Rome, San Gimignano, Dubai) ‘We noticed both in the halls and the city, especially during opening days, that the whole of Basel was buzzing this year, and so we were able to make many new and exciting acquaintances both at the fair and in the gallery. This gives us a very positive outlook for the future under the new directorship of Art Basel.’
Stefan von Bartha, Owner, von Bartha (Copenhagen, Basel)
‘We received positive feedback and sold numerous pieces by artists we introduced to the fair for the first time. The overall atmosphere was a pleasant mix of interest in acclaimed artists and curiosity about discovering new talents.’ Mihaela Lutea, Founder, Galeria Plan B (Berlin, Cluj): ‘As always, the fair was well attended. We are thrilled to have met several institutional curators and private collectors from around the world and to have placed works in museums and new private collections that we have met for the first time at the fair. From a curatorial point of view, the fair this year has great energy, and the presentations overall are of a very high standard.’
Prateek Raja, Director, Experimenter (Kolkata, Mumbai)
‘Despite the ‘doom porn’ currently circulating in the art press and along gossip grapevines, we were very confident in the art market’s resilience, and the first day of Art Basel confirmed this perspective. We sold more works on the fair’s opening day than we did on the first day of Art Basel last year. We were also very active on day two, as busy as the first day would be at any other fair. The moral of the story: true quality and great relationships always prevail.’
Iwan Wirth, President, Hauser & Wirth (Paris, Hong Kong, Monaco, Ciutadella de Menorca, Gstaad, St Moritz, Zurich, London, Somerset, Los Angeles, New York, West Hollywood)
At every Basel, I care very much about creating a unique experience for collectors. Our salon-style booth offered a journey of discovery, bridging modern and contemporary, European and American, to spark new and illuminating perspectives around individual artworks. It was inspiring to see how well collectors responded to this, making discoveries outside their usual areas of interest – reflected by the significant sales we made across the artists we represent and the secondary market. A distinctly European crowd marked this year’s fair, but it’s been a lively week and a chance to connect with clients old and new.’
Dominique Lévy, Co-Founder, Lévy Gorvy Dayan (New York, Hong Kong, London)
‘The fair went well and was very much an in-person affair this year with a lot of European collectors who we sold to for the first time, alongside collectors from Asia. While fewer Americans were in attendance compared to previous years, I think that gave the Europeans breathing room to take their time and make considered decisions while spending time with the work. We also made sales to several museum collections and had interest both at the fair and Unlimited.’
Alex Logsdail, CEO, Lisson Gallery (Beijing, Shanghai, London, Los Angeles, New York)
‘Art Basel is a spectacular fair which drew attention from collectors across the globe, from Europe to China. This resulted in multiple sales and new relationships with collectors, curators, and institutions you don’t find at other fairs. We’re already looking forward to next year!
Luigi and Davide Mazzoleni, Gallery Owner and CEO, Mazzoleni (Turin, London)
: ‘We exceeded our expectations during the early days of the fair and placed work with both new collectors and ones we have long relationships with. It seems the preview model is stalled for the moment, and collectors want to see works in person and have time to think. This is a familiar model to us, and while it may be less immediately lucrative, it is healthier in the long term. We have had solid sales-people out there, and it is a perfect time to collect.’
Wendy Osloff, Co-Founder, P.P.O.W (New York)
‘BANK is extremely pleased with our debut presentation at Art Basel. We’ve placed several small works with great collectors from Europe. We’ve also had directors and curators from every major institution visiting our booth, who were very giddy about the presentation; we are currently weighing interest in our larger pieces.’
Mathieu Borysevicz, Founder and Director, Bank (Shanghai
‘Art Basel in Basel went well with a vibrant atmosphere and a strong turnout. We have several promising deals in the works, reflecting the positive reception and dynamic activity at the fair.’
Thomas Brambilla, Founder, Thomas Brambilla (Bergamo)
‘For our first participation at Art Basel in Basel, we experienced remarkable success with outstanding sales and established new connections with collectors and institutions worldwide.’
Larkin Erdmann, Founder, Larkin Erdmann (Zurich
‘We were delighted with the enthusiastic reception at our solo booth in the featured sector and from a large number of institutions and curators who congratulated us on our presentation.’
Kacha Kastner & Camille Hunt, Co-Owners, Hunt Kastner (Prague)
‘We could not have scripted a more meaningful and successful Art Basel debut! The gallery placed nearly all of the works on view–many to new collectors–both in the US and Europe. We cemented and sowed many quality relationships with curators, collectors and colleagues alike.’ Wendi Norris, Managing Director and Founder, Gallery Wendi Norris (San Francisco)
STATEMENTS
Felix Gaudlitz, Founder, Felix Gaudlitz (Vienna)
‘Participating in Statements at Art Basel was a great experience. We enjoyed lots of interest in our artists from many institutions, enjoyed showing alongside excellent presentations by all the other galleries, and experienced great sales. This was our first time at the show, and I’m confident this fair is another league.
Luca Barbeni, Founder and Director, Nome (Berlin)
‘It’s been brilliant to be back at Art Basel for our second time in the Statements sector, and we were very pleased to place our installation as a whole with a private collection in Europe that was new to us, as well as other works to Swiss, Italian and American collectors.’ Nigel Dunkley and Grace Schofield, Directors, Union Pacific (London)
