Art Basel returns offline and in person but with restrictions

(21 Sep 2021) LEAD IN: After an entirely online event last year due to the pandemic, Switzerland's behemoth Art Basel fair returned in-person on Tuesday (21 September). Despite continued COVID-19 restrictions and economic uncertainty, the outlook remains positive, with sales in the sector growing by ten percent, according to a recent report. STORY-LINE: Something's cooking in Basel. If you're looking to get a taste of what's happening in the global art market, there's no better place than Switzerland's sprawling Art Basel fair This "bread house" was created by Swiss visual artist Urs Fischer. It's being exhibited as part of the Art Basel's plus-size 'Unlimited' section. "It's a piece which touches everyone, I think, not only because bread is a very common thing or common metaphor for everybody, but also because it's a piece of art that smells and talks about decay and it's a very poetic piece but also on a sculptural point of view, I think it's surprising to see using bread to build basically a one-to-one house," says Giovanni Carmine, curator of Unlimited. Almost bursting from the convention centre walls, 62 large-scale works are appearing, including David Hockney's 'Pictures at an Exhibition' and this "hidden mural" by Lucy McKenzie, called 'Giving Up The Shadows On My Face.' It's one of the highlights of 2021's Art Basel fair, returning in-person this year after an entirely online affair in 2020 due to the pandemic. Over 270 galleries from around the world are exhibiting. "If a gallerist wouldn't be comfortable, it wouldn't be at Art Basel, I think," says Carmine. "So I think collectors were active over the pandemic, artists were active over the pandemic anyway. And I think every actor of the art world is happy now the online time, it's at least not the only possibility at the moment, but that we are able to be in front of amazing pieces and to discuss about those pieces together." British-Guyanese artist Frank Bowling's son, Ben, has accompanied this large-scale work, named 'Samson's Circle', to Switzerland. Now aged 87, Frank's no longer travelling, but Ben says he has taken advantage of recent COVID-19 lockdowns to produce new works. "For him, having an imposed lockdown has meant no visitors, no studio visitors, and in some ways, despite the tragedy of the pandemic, for him it has been liberating," he explains. "He has this very intense work ethic which means that at 87 years-old he still has to go to the studio to make art as long as he is physically fit. So in a sense the pandemic has been a gift to him to free him from all other constraints and to just say: get on with the work, Frank." Of course, this year's fair is very different to previous editions with COVID-19 certificate checks and face masks worn throughout. There'll likely be fewer buyers from the United States and South America attending in person, due to ongoing travel restrictions. Galleries probably won't mind, with the art market bouncing back strongly after 2020. A survey of over 700 dealers conducted before the fair found over half (51 percent) saw an increase in sales in the first half of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020. Sales in the sector as a whole increased by ten percent. "When there's great art in the market, there is demand and if anything we saw a lack of supply at various points during the last year and a half because collectors were unsure about putting things onto the market at auction or selling through a gallery," says James Sevier, head of contemporary art, Europe, Sotheby's. "There's more collectors now who are looking at adding to their collections than we had early 2019." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...