The 46th edition of Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland is in full swing from June 18-21, and we’ve decided to employ that infamous, infinitely scrolling social network known as Instagram to find out which fairs, parties, and booths are on the tip of everyone’s tongue.
Earlier this week, shock artist Milo Moiré made her second appearance at the fair, performing her piece, Naked Selfie, to an eager audience of mostly men in a public square near the VIP preview, while Tino Sehgal delivered a bizarre and pretentious talk with Tina Brown at the Museum fur Gegenwartskunst, where he uttered the words, “One of the biggest civilizational achievements of the West, apart from soap, is the convention of opening hours.”
During the preview, we saw the 11 best booths at Basel, featuring Pawel Althamer’s scatological ode to Rodin at Foksal Gallery Foundation, as well as Andrea Bowers’s chilling text installation at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects.
We also saw a variety of fanciful mobile homes at Design Miami/Basel, which featured Edouard François’s Flower House, which was billed as a “24-carat gold meteorite fallen from the sky in the center of the city of Basel.”
From Unlimited to Scope to Helly Nahmad‘s surprising appearance, you don’t have to leave home to get the full fair experience—as long as you have your smartphone, that is.
Pascale Marthine Tayou’s stunning plastic bag tree at Unlimited. American Beauty, anyone?
Photo: Instagram/@noreenkahmad
Stacy Engman poses with Katharina Fritsch’s giant rat sculpture at Matthew Marks Gallery’s booth.
Photo: Instagram/@artbinder
Beyoncé makes an appearance at Sadie Coles HQ thanks to Jonathan Horowitz. We were hoping for the real thing, but we’ll take it.
Photo: Instagram/@danielhanifan
Jerry Saltz captures Rirkrit Tiravanija enacting his relational aesthetics fare at the fair.
Photo: Instagram/@jerrysaltz
Spotted at the Basel vernissage: a walking work of art.
Photo: Instagram/@bfa_nyc
Can you spot the Larry G. lookalike amid the swarm of fairgoers?
Photo: Instagram/@tigerkatzz
Takashi Murakami’s flowers go to the dark side, and are still a major success.
Photo: Instagram/@clementerosado
Brazilian art collective Opavivara provided Unlimited visitors with the perfect place to take a load off.
Photo: Instagram/@mollsgottschalk
…or to take selfies.
Photo: Instagram/@marlieswirth
Ubiquitous art world icons Eva and Adele recall Basels past.
Photo: Instagram/@happeningarts
Ryan McGinley’s photos at Team Gallery reveal the impossibly cool downtown crew sans clothes.
Photo: Instagram/@alicefranc
When Flavin met Calder — at Acquavella’s booth.
Photo: Instagram/@contemporarykey
Ai Weiwei’s Stacked made quite an impression at Unlimited, and it’s easy to see why.
Photo: Instagram/@alexandracoorssen
A dressed-to-impress guest or a cleverly clothed sculpture?
Photo: Instagram/@wolfgangrenner
An awe-inspiring John Armleder installation at Unlimited.
Photo: Instagram/@noorani
Jake and Dinos Chapman’s macabre McDonald’s takedown at Volta.
Photo: Instagram/@kathy__grayson
Pae White’s abstract neons shine bright at Kaufmann Repetto Milan.
Photo: Instagram/@floorkuitert
Takashi Murakami gets wild with some colorful friends at a Galerie Perrotin party.
Photo: Instagram/@elenasoboleva/
What fun is fairgoing if you can’t not-so-humble brag about your VIP pass?
Photo: Instagram/@theprinceoforange
For more Basel coverage, see:
Naked Selfie Artist Milo Moiré Strikes Again at Art Basel With Unauthorized Performance
Day Two Art Basel Sales Report: Buyers Keep Flocking to Gallery Booths
Collectors Swoon Over Young Galleries at Art Basel’s Statment Sector
Art Basel Dealers Report Tsunami of Sales In Fair’s First Hours