It was predictable. The next edition of Art Basel in Basel, postponed from June 2020 to September 2020, is finally canceled.
For the more than 250 merchants who were to take part in this edition, it is, of course, a new shock to take, a new perspective which is hidden after the cancellation last March of Art Basel Hong Kong.
After consulting the galleries, the collectors but also the trade partners of the fair and outside experts, organizers in an official press release confirmed the cancellation.
Health and financial risks, everything was weighed in a context of total uncertainty as to the possibility of traveling internationally, but also to organize a public event respectful of the gauges as they will be established at the start of the school year by Swiss federal government.
"The best option for the fair is to focus on next June by maintaining its level of international quality while continuing to support the galleries through the development of our digital platforms and by ensuring that the fairs are held. Miami and Hong Kong," said Marc Spiegler, the general director.
The next editions are scheduled for
December 3-6 in Florida,
March 25-27, 2021 in Hong Kong,
June 17-21, 2021, in Basel.
The fact that Art Basel abdicates in September could, however, be good news for Fiac if it can take place as planned from October 22 to 25. Indeed, the Parisian fair would then be in the first position to welcome foreign galleries deprived of international opportunities.
Especially since Frieze has cast doubt on the holding of its London edition in early October, announcing in a letter to its exhibitors that the decision would be made in late June.
Le Journal des arts
