Art Basel has revealed the name of the 289 exhibitors that would be participating in the upcoming edition of its Swiss Fair, scheduled to be held between June 16-19 this year.
The list includes many of the usual renowned galleries of the world, like Pace, Hauser & Wirth, Gagosian and David Zwirner. Apart from that, the fair will also feature 19 exhibitors who would be featured for the first time in an Art Basel fair. The debutants include Proyectos Ultravioleta (Guatemala City), Mariane Ibrahim (Chicago and Paris), and Athr Gallery (spread across Saudi Arabia.). Two African galleries, Jahmek Contemporary Art (Luanda) and OH Gallery (Dakar) would also make their debut.
The reason why the exhibitors’ list is unusually high is the relaxation in rules of participation by Art Basel, first introduced at the Miami Beach fair last December. Art Basel has lowered the minimum number of exhibitions that a gallery must hold annually, as well as the minimum number of years it must have been operational. The move was aimed to diversify the fair and allow smaller galleries a chance to participate in the fairs. This year, the fair will also feature an Unlimited section, that would feature large-scale artworks and landscapes.
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While this will not be the first Art Basel fair to be held in the open since the pandemic, it will be the first mid-summer fair. The 2020 and 2021 editions of the Swiss fair were cancelled due to the first and second waves of the pandemic. The fair will open on June 14 for a preview, before its formal opening two days later.