Art Basel 2025
Jun 20, 2025
Art
Fair
Switzerland
English
Impressions.
In June 2025, Basel once again became the global hub of contemporary art as Art Basel marked its 55th edition, welcoming 289 galleries from 42 countries and an attendance of some 88,000 visitors. Founded in 1970, the fair has evolved from a Swiss-gallery gathering into the premier meeting place for artists, curators and collectors from around the world.
For me personally, it was the first visit of the international art fair. I arrived at Basel by train, and already on the short walk to the Messeplatz, the international flair was very much noticeable. Basel is located next to both the French and German borders, which already makes it multicultural and sometimes multilingual, this time, the main language I hear is English. In a little café on a corner of Basels Street I stop for a coffee and croissant. At the tables surrounding me there’s only one topic: Art. It brings the people together, definitely. One conversation about the role of art in society, another solely about art as investment. The people talk to each other about the latest trends in the art market - no matter how old or young they are, or where they are from.
The newest BMW line-up navigates through Basel’s narrow streets - as partner of Art Basel, they shuttle around VIP Guests. It is obvious: Financial background and status does play a huge role. I ask myself: Is art still the topic of this fair, or is it a fair about investment and speculative assets?
The view when entering the Messeplatz, this time decorated by artist Katharina Grosse, more about her later, is actually breathtaking. It now actually gets to me, that this is a global event.
I am used to seeing art in museums and galleries, and thats the atmosphere I expected, when entering Art Basel. After the thorough security check, that definitely is justified given the value of some of the works inside, instead, I enter a festival-like exhibition hall. I am greeted by Samsungs installation art, which definitely is more about showcasing their newest devices, than about the art, they display. Still, it is a fascinating immersive audiovisual exhibition room, that gives an outlook on the role of tech (other than AI) in art in the coming years.
At 11 o’clock, the general public is allowed to enter the “Unlimited” exhibition hall. The masses enter, while the VIP ticket holders already leave for the “Collector’s Lounge” or gallery showrooms. The “Unlimited” exhibition shows artworks, carefully curated and installed in Basels biggest fair-hall, that are mostly installations of a size that would not fit in a normal gallery - or living room. Every artwork has a sign next to it, with the direct phone number of the agent who sells it. It’s noisy in the hall.
For me as media and communications student and photography enthusiast, the artworks revolving around these topics of photos, media and film art were the most interesting for me. But which impact do these actually have on the viewer, and are they included in today’s art world already?
The individual screens produce their own sounds, creating a video, but also audio collage. They all show different video footage, that is sometimes more, sometimes less connected. The noise that is created, merges with the hall acoustics, submerging the viewer in an unstoppable reverb.
Diane Arbus’ work stood out as one of the most intimate and emotionally complex presentations in the Unlimited hall. The featured installation "A Box of Ten Photographs" included ten of her most iconic black-and-white images. Housed in a clear Plexiglas box, each print came with handwritten notes from the artist, revealing glimpses into her thoughts and intentions.
The selection spanned subjects across postwar American life: children, families, people with physical disabilities, drafted teenagers heading to Vietnam, and the deeply mundane alongside the surreal. Her photos confront the viewer with humanity in all its vulnerability and strength. What struck me most was the stark honesty - Arbus didn’t beautify or dramatize. She simply showed people as they were, and that, in itself, is incredibly powerful.
The portfolio was shown in the US Pavilion at the 1972 Venice Biennale, the first time photographs had been included there, and with that marks the beginning of photography’s acceptance as a profound visual art.
Artist Talk. Katharina Grosse & Natalia Grabowska
The talk between Katharina Grosse and curator Natalia Grabowska offered rare insights into the thinking behind the monumental site-specific work that greeted visitors outside the fair’s halls, on the Messeplatz. Grosse spoke of the importance of giving art "room to breathe", both physically and conceptually, by removing distractions like signage or advertisements that compete for attention in the public space.
One of the most compelling thoughts was her reflection on ”temporality in painting”: The idea that because a work is temporary, it resists direct comparison with permanent works (such as the paintings in the gallery halls) and therefore evokes a different kind of intensity and priceless value because of its impermanence.
She described how her approach evolved through experimenting with various painting tools until she finally chose to use the spray gun. For Grosse, it was not about the brush touching canvas, she wanted to include her entire bodily movement and immersion in space. Her typical large-scale works extend into existing architecture, nature or terrain, and the Messeplatz can be seen as part of this series.
The artist’s process started with a model of the site, but it was only possible to complete it through its physical creation: Contending with trams, pedestrians, and the life of Basel as a city is what shaped the final work. The result: a vibrant magenta installation full of visual dynamism that invited movement, resistance, and pause.
Physically and conceptually, the work seems to pulse with energy. A balance of simplicity and punch, where color, time, and space collapses into one another.
Listen to the full conversation:
Talk. Collecting for a Purpose.
The panel "Collecting for a Purpose" featured Mary Rozell (Global Head of UBS Art Collection, New York), Cathérine Hug (Curator at Kunsthaus Zurich, Zurich), and Dr. Anne Vieth (Head of Mercedes-Benz Art Collection, Stuttgart), moderated by Matthew Newton (Executive Director and Art Advisory Specialist, Family Office Solutions, UBS, New York). The discussion showed how collecting motivations vary yet often overlap.
From the UBS perspective, Rozell emphasized the need for agility in the collecting process. Being able to respond quickly, while remaining true to long-term values, plays a key role—especially in a corporate collection meant to be shared across offices and global regions. Her strategy centers on research, long-term artist engagement, and transparency within the collecting team. The goal isn’t speculative gain but continuity, relevance, and building relationships with the artists they follow.
Vieth, having taken the helm at Mercedes-Benz just a year prior, offered insight into a corporate collection that sees itself less as a branding exercise and more as a dialogue with contemporary society. She shared how the collection aims to evolve thematically and conceptually—supporting art that may challenge the viewer or even reflect critically on the corporate world itself. This tension, she noted, is essential. The works should push boundaries, as long as they don’t cross certain lines (racist, pornographic, etc.).
Hug brought in the museum perspective: the long-term, public-facing, and historically conscious approach. Her emphasis was on collecting for future audiences and fostering cultural memory. For her, the purpose is often educational, rather than strategic. She also pointed out how institutional collections don’t operate under the same market logic as corporations—though their roles are becoming more intertwined through collaborations and funding structures.
What struck me most about this talk was how candid the discussion was—there was little sense of "playing it safe." The panelists didn’t shy away from the fact that collecting art is, even today, a negotiation between taste, politics, and financial or institutional boundaries. But all three seemed to agree that collecting without reflection—without some deeper reason—is no longer viable. And that collecting art for purpose might just mean collecting art that risks discomfort, long-term engagement, or even change.Listen to the full conversation:
English
Impressions.
In June 2025, Basel once again became the global hub of contemporary art as Art Basel marked its 55th edition, welcoming 289 galleries from 42 countries and an attendance of some 88,000 visitors. Founded in 1970, the fair has evolved from a Swiss-gallery gathering into the premier meeting place for artists, curators and collectors from around the world.
For me personally, it was the first visit of the international art fair. I arrived at Basel by train, and already on the short walk to the Messeplatz, the international flair was very much noticeable. Basel is located next to both the French and German borders, which already makes it multicultural and sometimes multilingual, this time, the main language I hear is English. In a little café on a corner of Basels Street I stop for a coffee and croissant. At the tables surrounding me there’s only one topic: Art. It brings the people together, definitely. One conversation about the role of art in society, another solely about art as investment. The people talk to each other about the latest trends in the art market - no matter how old or young they are, or where they are from.
The newest BMW line-up navigates through Basel’s narrow streets - as partner of Art Basel, they shuttle around VIP Guests. It is obvious: Financial background and status does play a huge role. I ask myself: Is art still the topic of this fair, or is it a fair about investment and speculative assets?
The view when entering the Messeplatz, this time decorated by artist Katharina Grosse, more about her later, is actually breathtaking. It now actually gets to me, that this is a global event.
I am used to seeing art in museums and galleries, and thats the atmosphere I expected, when entering Art Basel. After the thorough security check, that definitely is justified given the value of some of the works inside, instead, I enter a festival-like exhibition hall. I am greeted by Samsungs installation art, which definitely is more about showcasing their newest devices, than about the art, they display. Still, it is a fascinating immersive audiovisual exhibition room, that gives an outlook on the role of tech (other than AI) in art in the coming years.
At 11 o’clock, the general public is allowed to enter the “Unlimited” exhibition hall. The masses enter, while the VIP ticket holders already leave for the “Collector’s Lounge” or gallery showrooms. The “Unlimited” exhibition shows artworks, carefully curated and installed in Basels biggest fair-hall, that are mostly installations of a size that would not fit in a normal gallery - or living room. Every artwork has a sign next to it, with the direct phone number of the agent who sells it. It’s noisy in the hall.
For me as media and communications student and photography enthusiast, the artworks revolving around these topics of photos, media and film art were the most interesting for me. But which impact do these actually have on the viewer, and are they included in today’s art world already?
The individual screens produce their own sounds, creating a video, but also audio collage. They all show different video footage, that is sometimes more, sometimes less connected. The noise that is created, merges with the hall acoustics, submerging the viewer in an unstoppable reverb.
Diane Arbus’ work stood out as one of the most intimate and emotionally complex presentations in the Unlimited hall. The featured installation "A Box of Ten Photographs" included ten of her most iconic black-and-white images. Housed in a clear Plexiglas box, each print came with handwritten notes from the artist, revealing glimpses into her thoughts and intentions.
The selection spanned subjects across postwar American life: children, families, people with physical disabilities, drafted teenagers heading to Vietnam, and the deeply mundane alongside the surreal. Her photos confront the viewer with humanity in all its vulnerability and strength. What struck me most was the stark honesty - Arbus didn’t beautify or dramatize. She simply showed people as they were, and that, in itself, is incredibly powerful.
The portfolio was shown in the US Pavilion at the 1972 Venice Biennale, the first time photographs had been included there, and with that marks the beginning of photography’s acceptance as a profound visual art.
Artist Talk. Katharina Grosse & Natalia Grabowska
The talk between Katharina Grosse and curator Natalia Grabowska offered rare insights into the thinking behind the monumental site-specific work that greeted visitors outside the fair’s halls, on the Messeplatz. Grosse spoke of the importance of giving art "room to breathe", both physically and conceptually, by removing distractions like signage or advertisements that compete for attention in the public space.
One of the most compelling thoughts was her reflection on ”temporality in painting”: The idea that because a work is temporary, it resists direct comparison with permanent works (such as the paintings in the gallery halls) and therefore evokes a different kind of intensity and priceless value because of its impermanence.
She described how her approach evolved through experimenting with various painting tools until she finally chose to use the spray gun. For Grosse, it was not about the brush touching canvas, she wanted to include her entire bodily movement and immersion in space. Her typical large-scale works extend into existing architecture, nature or terrain, and the Messeplatz can be seen as part of this series.
The artist’s process started with a model of the site, but it was only possible to complete it through its physical creation: Contending with trams, pedestrians, and the life of Basel as a city is what shaped the final work. The result: a vibrant magenta installation full of visual dynamism that invited movement, resistance, and pause.
Physically and conceptually, the work seems to pulse with energy. A balance of simplicity and punch, where color, time, and space collapses into one another.
Listen to the full conversation:
Talk. Collecting for a Purpose.
The panel "Collecting for a Purpose" featured Mary Rozell (Global Head of UBS Art Collection, New York), Cathérine Hug (Curator at Kunsthaus Zurich, Zurich), and Dr. Anne Vieth (Head of Mercedes-Benz Art Collection, Stuttgart), moderated by Matthew Newton (Executive Director and Art Advisory Specialist, Family Office Solutions, UBS, New York). The discussion showed how collecting motivations vary yet often overlap.
From the UBS perspective, Rozell emphasized the need for agility in the collecting process. Being able to respond quickly, while remaining true to long-term values, plays a key role—especially in a corporate collection meant to be shared across offices and global regions. Her strategy centers on research, long-term artist engagement, and transparency within the collecting team. The goal isn’t speculative gain but continuity, relevance, and building relationships with the artists they follow.
Vieth, having taken the helm at Mercedes-Benz just a year prior, offered insight into a corporate collection that sees itself less as a branding exercise and more as a dialogue with contemporary society. She shared how the collection aims to evolve thematically and conceptually—supporting art that may challenge the viewer or even reflect critically on the corporate world itself. This tension, she noted, is essential. The works should push boundaries, as long as they don’t cross certain lines (racist, pornographic, etc.).
Hug brought in the museum perspective: the long-term, public-facing, and historically conscious approach. Her emphasis was on collecting for future audiences and fostering cultural memory. For her, the purpose is often educational, rather than strategic. She also pointed out how institutional collections don’t operate under the same market logic as corporations—though their roles are becoming more intertwined through collaborations and funding structures.
What struck me most about this talk was how candid the discussion was—there was little sense of "playing it safe." The panelists didn’t shy away from the fact that collecting art is, even today, a negotiation between taste, politics, and financial or institutional boundaries. But all three seemed to agree that collecting without reflection—without some deeper reason—is no longer viable. And that collecting art for purpose might just mean collecting art that risks discomfort, long-term engagement, or even change.Listen to the full conversation:
