After a successful outing in Hong Kong last month, Art Basel directors confirmed that the Swiss edition of the fair will take place in Basel this September. The art fair will be held from September 20-26 with with some adjustments made for safety precautions. Visitors must provide either proof of full vaccination, a recent negative COVID-19 test, or proof of sufficient antibodies.
In order to limit crowding, capacity will be capped at 20 percent less than in the past and ticket sales will be reduced by a third during the days the event is open to the public, with the VIP opening prolonged by a day. During public days, the number of tickets sold will be reduced by a third.
“While the situation surrounding the ongoing pandemic remains vastly different from region to region, the last month in Europe was marked by accelerating vaccination programs and loosening restrictions,” stated the letter from Art Basel, the world’s largest international art business.
Like most other art exhibition, Art Basel also had to call off its in person event last year, which usually opens in June and had to implement online viewing rooms instead. While other art events set for the fall, such as Expo Chicago and TEFAF in Maastricht, have called off their events, Art Basel hopes to continue the momentum of Art Basel Hong Kong, which welcomed 30,000 visitors and 100 galleries and enjoyed brisk sales despite severe international travel limitations and its smaller scale.
For those who can’t make it to the Messeplatz, Art Basel promises robust virtual programming, including live virtual VIP walkthroughs of the IRL fair as well as the traditional online viewing rooms.