The Most Well Connected Poorman in America: Art Basel From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Art Basel is an international contemporary art exhibition held each year in Basel, Switzerland. Like the Venice Biennale, it has been called "the Olympics of the art world".^[1] The first Art Basel was held in 1970.

The show is usually held in June. Since 2002, a sister show, Art Basel Miami Beach, has been held in Miami Beach, Florida each December, and along with adjoining fairs and associated events has eclipsed the original Art Basel in size, if not importance.

In 2007, Annette Schönholzer, Marc Spiegler, Cay Sophie Rabinowitz took over for the director of the show, Sam Keller. Rabinowitz became artistic director, Schonholzer was in charge of organization and finances, and Spiegler was responsible for strategy and development. ^[2] At the end of April 2008 the resignation of Cay Sophie Rabinowitz was announced. She was the artistic director for both fairs. The fair has gave each of Rabinowitz's former co-directors, Annette Schönholzer (formerly director of operations and finance) and Marc Spiegler (formerly director of strategy and development), the title of co-director, Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach. ^[3]

Chapter 3 of Sarah Thornton's non-fiction book Seven Days in the Art World is entirely set on the VIP opening day of Art Basel in Switzerland. Thornton describes the fair as "an event that has contributed to the internationalization and seasonality of the art world." She also racounts the strategies deployed by dealers at the fair and the competition between collectors for works during the art market boom.^[4]

Literature

Ilona Genoni, Success has many fathers. Failure is an orphan, in: Fucking Good Art. The Swiss Issue. A Field Study on Art & Market, ISBN 978-3-03746-129-7

Sarah Thornton. Seven Days in the Art World. WW Norton, New York, 2008.