Why Art Basel remains the benchmark for art fairs

Art enthusiasts will once again flock to Art Basel between 19 and 22 June 2025. What began 55 years ago as a modest fair is now one of the largest art shows in the world, serving not only as a marketplace, but also as a trendsetting international showcase. How Art Basel is maintaining its position as a global pioneer despite the slump in the art world.

Basel is a historic city and home to the country’s oldest university, a banking centre and exhibition venue, the headquarters of various chemical and pharmaceutical companies and with significant museums, collections and galleries, it is probably the most important Swiss venue for art and culture alongside Zurich. However, it was not a foregone conclusion that Basel would conquer the entire international art market. In response to the constant complaints that ​“there was so little going on in Basel”, three gallery owners, including the legendary Ernst Beyeler, decided to found an art fair in 1970.

They started respectably with 90 galleries and attracted 16,000 people. Since then, the number of exhibitors has tripled and the audience has increased sixfold. Hundreds of thousands of visitors pour into the halls every year – not only to buy things, but also to catch up on the latest trends. The art exhibited in Basel is significant and leaves an impression. For artists, presenting their art here is like a mark of distinction. But that’s not all, because Art Basel is not only a seal of quality, it is a global brand that can seemingly be easily exported to other countries and continents.

Although it seems absurd to impose the name of one city on other major cities, every offshoot of the fair has been a resounding success. First came Art Basel Miami, then the move to Hong Kong and most recently the expansion to Paris. The latest edition in the French capital exceeded all expectations, with renowned international galleries reporting sales in the tens of millions even before the official opening. With its move to the lavishly renovated Grand Palais, Art Basel Paris immediately became the biggest art fair in France, quickly replacing the traditional FIAC. One might speak of the ​‘Art Basel effect’, a kind of quality and price certainty that puts collectors in the mood for uninhibited buying. In March of this year, Art Basel in Hong Kong brought tears of joy to the eyes of many artists and gallery owners, even though there has been talk of a slump in the global art market. Art Basel often becomes a beacon of hope, a positive counterpoint to lamentations about crisis, despair and recession. If you’re going to buy, you buy in Basel, even if Basel is in Miami, Hong Kong or Paris.

The management team is clearly doing something right as the rigorous annual selection process by a curatorial committee guarantees top quality and a clear direction, while the division into different sectors provides structure, and the many supporting events provide deeper insights. Visitors feel like they are strolling through the centre of the art world, marvelling at the most exquisite works.

Art Basel also captivates with its atmosphere, albeit with specific differences from venue to venue – from the serious moneyed elite here to the flamboyant self-promoters in Miami, Art Basel is sexy, dazzling and at the cutting edge. Even large luxury goods companies and car manufacturers like to present their latest products on the fringes of the Art Basel fairs and bask in its aura. They have managed to almost reverse the concept of the trade fair: an event conceived as a marketplace becomes a celebration of the senses, a place of pleasure and irrationality, an expression of taste and lifestyle. Art becomes a celebrated diva and a symbol of resistant optimism in times of pessimism. Or as Sam Keller, the long-time director of Art Basel, once put it with an apt aphorism: ​“We don’t feel like waiting for the storm to pass. We’d rather dance in the rain.”

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