See the 25 Best Booths at Art Basel 2014

Take our 60-second tour of the fair.

Photo: © artnet News.

Visiting Art Basel can be a dizzying experience: so much to see, so little time . . .  And with 285 exhibitors from 34 countries, the 2014 edition is a killer. To give you a taste of what’s on offer, the artnet News team on the ground shares its highlights.

1. Lisson Gallery, London
Lisson is showcasing its usual “greatest hits”—Anish Kapoor, Rodney Graham, Tony Cragg—in a thoughtfully curated booth, featuring a particularly successful pairing of Ai Weiwei’s bicycle piece next to abstract art veteran’s Carmen Herrera’s Cobalt and White (1998).

Lisson Gallery, London, Milan, , at Art Basel in Basel 2014. Courtesy Art Basel.

Lisson Gallery, London, Milan, at Art Basel in Basel 2014.
Courtesy Art Basel.

 

2. Pace, New York, London
A booth functioning like two mini exhibitions: a stunning selection of soft instruments by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen as well as a focused display of Lee Ufan’s work, currently on show in Versailles.

Pace, New York, Beijing, London, at Art Basel in Basel 2014. Courtesy Art Basel.

Pace, New York, Beijing, London, at Art Basel in Basel 2014.
Courtesy Art Basel.

 

3. Helly Nahmad Gallery, New York
An eye-catching selection of Calder mobiles—very popular at this year’s TEFAF—in a booth also boasting Pablo Picasso’s Couple from 1969 and his La Fille de l’artiste à deux ans et demi avec un bateau (1938).

3-art-basel-helly-nahmad

Photo: © artnet News.

 

4. Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, Salzburg
Ropac has brought one of the real treats of this year’s edition: Joseph Beuys’s last sculpture, here rubbing shoulders with works by Alex Katz and Georg Baselitz.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

5. Xavier Hufkens, Brussels
An eye-popping Sterling Ruby painting in a booth shown alongside more demure pieces by Roni Horn and Louise Bourgeois, as well as some naughty Robert Mapplethorpe photographs.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

6. Marian Goodman, New York, Paris, London
This Gerhard Richter (921-3 Strip, 2011), which nicely echoes the artist’s current show at the Beyeler Foundation, is a star of a booth also featuring works by Giuseppe Penone and Jeff Wall.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

7. Gagosian Gallery, New York, London, Geneva, Hong Kong
With the artist’s most recent auction record, it would be a folly not to dig out the Jeff Koons.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

8. Thomas Ammann Fine Art, Zurich
A great display courtesy of the Bruce High Quality Foundation, daringly presented with some classic modern pieces by Picasso and Fernand Léger.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

9. Hauser & Wirth, Zürich, London, New York
There’s so much to love at the Hauser & Wirth booth: a big, drippy nude by Paul McCarthy, and works by Max Bill, Roni Horn, and Pipilotti Rist—but we’ve fallen in love with this rare contraption by Yves Klein and Jean Tinguely.

Hauser and Wirth, Zurich, London, New York, at Art Basel in Basel 2014. Courtesy Art Basel.

Hauser and Wirth, Zurich, London, New York, at Art Basel in Basel 2014.
Courtesy Art Basel.

 

10. Fergus McCaffrey, New York
A tight presentation, focused on the Japanese avant-garde and “introduced” here by a spectacular painting by Kazuo Shiraga (Ryusen, 1991), which got much interest in the fair’s first few hours.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

11. White Cube, London, Hong Kong, São Paulo

The Chapman Brothers‘ popularity at auction might be falling, but the gallery is giving the YBA’s enfants terribles a big push, making this Disaster of the War–inspired bronze the centerpiece of a booth featuring Damien Hirst, Andreas Gursky, and Julie Mehretu.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

12. Sabine Knust, Munich
A gloriously sunny wall with pieces by Marc Brandenburg and Günther Förg.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

13. Gemini G.E.L. LCC, Los Angeles
A fantastic series of John Baldessari prints (The News, 2014, an edition of 50) shares the booth with limited editions by other American greats such as Richard SerraEllsworth Kelly, and Allen Ruppersberg.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

14. Galleria Tucci Russo, Studio per l’Arte Contemporanea, Turin
A minimal booth featuring alluring pieces by Arte Povera heavyweights, including a few Penones, and the barely visible, yet seminal Perspex piece by Giovanni Anselmo Untitled (1967).

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

15. Kewenig, Berlin, Palma de Mallorca
A truly inspired black and white display featuring Jannis Kounellis, Wim Delvoye, Bertrand Lavier, and Christian Boltanski.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

16. Bernard Jacobson, London, New York
A flamboyantly abstract Sam Francis and a starkly minimal Larry Bell go head-to-head.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

17. Andrea Rosen, New York
Tasteful and understated is the vibe at Andrea Rosen: Félix González-Torres, Carl Andre, and a wonderful Robert MotherwellOpen No. 22, from 1968.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

18. Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York
A beautiful little Carl Andre wood sculpture from 1959 is the star of a formal and elegant booth.

Mitchell Innes and Nash,  New York, at Art Basel in Basel 2014. Courtesy Art Basel.

Mitchell Innes and Nash, New York, at Art Basel in Basel 2014.
Courtesy Art Basel.

 

19. Victoria Miro, London
The ever-popular Yayoi Kusama in great form: One of her signature pumpkins enters into a surreal dialogue with the more demure Infinity Net painting.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

20. Luisa Strina, São Paulo
Strina flies the Brazilian colors with works by Fernanda Gomes, Alexandre da Cunha, Lygia Pape, and Renata Lucas. Mexican Pedro Reyes is also prominently featured, with his eye-catching Swiss knives.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

21. Neugerriemschneider, Berlin
A fabulous Michel Majerus took us straight to Neugerriemschneider’s otherwise sparse booth.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

22. The Approach, London
The Approach champions the young with Jack Lavender, Magali Reus, and Alice Channer.

The Approach, London, , at Art Basel in Basel 2014. Courtesy Art Basel.

The Approach, London, at Art Basel in Basel 2014.
Courtesy Art Basel.

 

23. Long March Space, Beijing
An intriguing display of sculptures and paintings by the Chinese artist Liu Wei.

Long March Space,  Beijing, at Art Basel in Basel 2014. Courtesy Art Basel.

Long March Space, Beijing, at Art Basel in Basel 2014.
Courtesy Art Basel.

 

24. Galerie Perrotin, Paris, Hong Kong, New York
Another one not to miss: Elmgreen & Dragset meets Jean-Michel Othoniel and Germaine Richier.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.

 

25. Kamel Mennour, Paris
A surprisingly fresh Anish Kapoor piece, admirably offset by these two works by Petrit Halilaj.

Photo: © artnet News.

Photo: © artnet News.


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