Well, that’s what the official closing report from Art Basel says. When the fair closed on Sunday, some 61,000 people — plus 2,800 journalists — had attended, officials say. That’s up slightly from last year’s total and the highest ever. Other constants of Basel: the quality remained high; many of the 300 dealers “curated” their booths with themes or solo shows, and sales were good. Some dealers said they were pleasantly surprised with unexpected sales, others had “solid results,” another were joyful
about the results — though none gave, or have to disclose, specifics.
As I’ve said before regarding art fair results, there’s no way to tell who’s telling the truth. Private dealers are not obliged to disclose anything they don’t want to disclose. Bloomberg’s report, from the first days last week, is far more somber. It cites reports of prices down 30 percent or more, and has dealer Per Skarstedt saying that sales volume was half last year’s. The Art Newspaper’s final report, written at least a day later, was much more positive.
No question, though, that attendance is good. Even if the money isn’t being passed from hand to hand, the interest in art seems to remain high.
Photo Credit: Gladstone Gallery (top); Hauser + Wirth (bottom), both, courtesy Art Basel