This year, the flagship Art Basel fair has several new developments: a new director of the Swiss fair, Maike Cruse (a specially created role), the launch of its brand Art Basel store, and the Parcours section now moved closer to the fair. Here's my overview: On Day 1, I visited Messeplatz, the large square in front of the fair, which has been turned into a wheatfield as part of an art installation by Agnes Denes. I then explored the Galleries sector, where I spoke with Louis Kasmin from Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert (London) and Jordi Mayoral from Galeria Mayoral (Barcelona). On Day 2, I returned to the Galleries to talk with Valentina Volchkova from Pace gallery about Jean Dubuffet's Banc-Salon sculpture, which resembles a bench. Later, I walked through the Unlimited section, which its curator, Giovanni Carmine, described as “a little town of art.” On the last day, I explored Parcours, Art Basel’s public program. Basel, Switzerland, June 13-16, 2024
Tag: modernart
Venezia Biennale 2024
The 60th Venice Biennale, curated by Brazilian Adriano Pedrosa, explores the theme “Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere.” The main exhibition is divided into two sections: Nucleo Storico and Nucleo Contemporaneo, showcasing a diverse group of artists. Pedrosa describes the Biennale as “a celebration of the foreign, the distant, the outsider, the queer, and the indigenous.” He is also the event’s first openly queer curator.
Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary Show 2022
At the opening night of the Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary Show, British photographer Harry Benson was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. At 92, Benson is full of wit and humor. His career spans over 60 years, from refugee camps in Africa to royals and presidents, but perhaps his most recognizable photographs are of the Beatles. Nowadays, he lives in Florida with his wife Gigi and two dogs. "The first thing I'll do is when I get home I'll show it to my dogs," he said accepting his award. The show collaborated with Holden Luntz Gallery to exhibit some of Benson's most prominent works. Jodi Luntz shared with me the backstory of the iconic photograph "The Pillow Fight" at George V hotel in Paris.