Art Basel 2025 diary
debriefing Art Basel and accompanying art exhibitions & events
I finally have a moment to sit and cool down after the past week. It was charged with work travel, art, and events! Last week, I went to Paris for the opening of Rita Ackermann at Hauser & Wirth (and I highly recommend this show to anyone who is in Paris this summer). First thing on Monday, I flew to Basel for Art Basel. I wasn’t quite sure how to structure this post …So here is my debrief in the for of a diary!
Day 1:
We arrived around noon, and after our friends (Basel locals) took us to their favourite brunch spot, we headed to Fondation Beyler. It’s one of my (if not the) favourite art foundations. Hidden in a beautiful garden about 20mins from the city center, designed by architect Renzo Piano, the building houses the Beyelers’ exceptional private collection of modern art, featuring works by artists such as Monet, Cézanne, Picasso, and Rothko. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions - this time Latvian-American artist Vija Celmins.
After the foundation, we quickly changed because you want to look put together for the opening of Unlimited (in Switzerland, you find mostly luxury fashion rather than cool, quirky, or artsy fashion of other fairs), but arriving at the queue at Messeplatz quickly removes any luxury put togetherness. Why are VIP days called VIP when they are busier than public days?
Art Basel Unlimited is a special sector of the Art Basel fair dedicated to large-scale artworks that go beyond the limits of traditional art fair booths. It features monumental installations, immersive video projections, vast sculptures, and performance-based works that require more space and time to experience
At first, I had mixed feelings seeing crowds of people and barely accessible artworks, but after walking through for a while, people started to leave, and the art became clearer. Unlimited is usually my favourite section - no other fair has it, and you truly feel immersed in art. Here are my highlights:
After Unlimited we stopped for aperitif across the road and then continued to the famous evening spot during Art Basel - Les Trois Rois. We had dinner at the brasserie filled with art and low light. Around midnight the bar of Trois Rois became crowded like Unlimited.
Day 2
We started the day later than I wanted, but Art Basel exhaustion was real. So we made it to Katharina Grosse painted Messeplatz around 11 and used the side entrance to avoid the never-ending ‘VIP’ queue.
Inside, hardly any art was visible, so we started at the foyer with a glass of champagne and chitchatting with art world friends and familiar faces. Afterward, the booths became more roomy, and we could start to view art properly. There were some fantastic pieces from contemporary but also modern names. However, I feel like the majority of artists repeat from fair to fair, and the curation of booths is more or less the same; after a while, when exhaustion kicks in, everything blends in. For some reason, I tend to expect something groundbreaking from an art fair; perhaps that explains why I like Unlimited the most, as it is the closest to ‘groundbreaking.’ In Frieze London, I feel like booth curation gets more creative, but I still love Art Basel for the overall experience - the quality, the volume, the socializing, and the accompanying events and exhibitions. The galleries are already reporting strong sales despite broader economic uncertainty, trade tensions, and shifting market dynamics.
The fair is also seeing an uptick in younger collectors, prompting discussions about how Art Basel—and galleries—should evolve to engage this next generation.
Sales report: David Hockney’s Mid November Tunnel (2006) became the standout sale at Art Basel 2025, reportedly fetching between $13 million and $17 million during the event’s VIP preview—marking the fair’s only confirmed eight‑figure transaction Despite a softer market backdrop, several galleries reported prolific seven‑figure sales—including works by Ruth Asawa, Gerhard Richter, Mark Bradford, and Agnes Martin—signaling a resilient high-end segment driven by presales and intense in-person interest. source: artsy
My highlights:
Who did something cool and different this year was Clearing Gallery from LA and NY - they rented an old villa for their presentation. It was an off-site project that was definitely worth visiting; their program for emerging artists is very good.
I also heard great things about Basel Social Club, where I unfortunately didn’t make it. After visiting Maison Clearing, there was only time left for amazing smashed burgers for dinner, and our flight out was early the next morning.