From what we hear from our friends over at Art Basel this week, the fair is all abuzz with rumors that pop star Justin Bieber has made an appearance. Currently on his Purpose World Tour, the singer performed at the Stade de Suisse in Bern, Switzerland, on June 15.
Prior to the concert, Bieber was spotted in Zurich, where he played soccer with some locals. This prompted local press, including Handelszeitung and Telebasel, to speculate that a trip to the art fair in nearby Basel might be in order.
Bieber’s interest in body art is well-known—it seems like he’s always adding new tattoos—but perhaps he is considering branching out to fine art as well. The singer was once romantically linked to reality TV star Kylie Kardashian, who recently bought herself a pair of Barbie doll artworks, so anything is possible.
Art Basel is known to attract high-profile visitors, such as Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio, and its popularity among celebrities has served to burnish the annual event’s reputation even outside the art crowd.
That being said, for some locals, awareness was higher for Bieber’s Swiss concert than for the fair. One art insider was standing outside the Trois Rois when a woman walking by with her child asked if the lines were because Bieber was there. Is it too soon to start calling it Art Bieber?
Probably. Tages Woche surveyed visitors outside the fair, and did not verify any Bieber sightings. And a source with knowledge of the fair’s attendance told artnet News on background that they had no knowledge of a Bieber appearance. Alas, it appears it is all just a rumor—surely to the chagrin of art-collecting Beliebers everywhere.