Here Are 10 Booths You Won’t Want to Miss at Art Basel 2019

Antony Donaldson, Saskia (1974-1976). Courtesy of The Mayor Gallery.

From daring works at Unlimited and experimental satellite fairs, to Blue and Rose period Picassos at Fondation Beyeler, there’s a lot to see during Art Basel this year. So whether you’re bleary-eyed from the journey to Switzerland or you’re at home suffering from a bout of fair FOMO, we’re here to help. Here are the 10 booths you absolutely shouldn’t miss.

 

1. Marianne Boesky Gallery

Jennifer Bartlett, Beaver Man Carrying Thing (1989). Courtesy of Marianne Boesky Gallery.

Jennifer Bartlett, Beaver Man Carrying Thing (1989). Courtesy of Marianne Boesky Gallery.

Jennfier Bartlett’s expressionist-meets-conceptual paintings at Marianne Boesky Gallery are a tightrope walk between grid-like control and a torrent of energetic chaos. Her works will be presented alongside a vibrant mix of works by Pier Paolo Calzolari, Maria Lai, and Frank Stella, as well as a few of Donald Moffat’s infinitely delightful sculptures. 

Booth D13, Hall 2.0

 

2. Gagosian Gallery 

Jeff Koons, Sacred Heart Magenta Gold (1994–2007). © Jeff Koons. Courtesy of Gagosian Gallery.

Jeff Koons, Sacred Heart Magenta Gold (1994–2007). © Jeff Koons. Courtesy of Gagosian Gallery.

Lots of collectors trek to Basel for a chance at important works by all-star names, and Gagosian does not plan on disappointing. All the market heavy-hitters are presented here—Picasso, Warhol, Ruscha, Prince, and Serra are a few to get you started. And for the art-selfie crowd Jeff Koons’s candy-colored Sacred Heart is sure-fire pleaser.

Booth C9

 

3. Mitchell-Innes and Nash

Jacolby Satterwhite, Birds in Paradise (2019). Courtesy of Mitchell Innes Nash.

Jacolby Satterwhite, Birds in Paradise (2019). Courtesy of Mitchell-Innes and Nash.

Mitchell-Innes and Nash devotes its booth to Birds in Paradise, a four-part video installation by Jacolby Satterwhite, which promises to be a trippy, mesmerizing experience. The work generates its narrative from secondhand stories, dance, and performance, and its accompanying soundtrack consists of conceptual folk recordings made by the artist’s late mother.

Booth U72, Section Unlimited

 

4. The Mayor Gallery

Erró, Canon Underwear (1958). Courtesy of The Mayor Gallery

Erró, Canon Underwear (1958). Courtesy of The Mayor Gallery

The Mayor Gallery in London made its name showing an unexpectedly diverse group of artists at its Cork Street space. True to this heterodox tradition, its booth at Basel will present a spectrum of 20th-century works. An emphasis is definitely placed on Op and Kinetic Art with works by Julian Stanczak, Alberto Biasi, and Julio Le Parc, but interspersing these are figurative and even painterly works by Max Ernst, Joseph Cornell, and Antony Donaldson, among others. 

Booth A6, Hall 2.0

 

5. Konrad Fischer Galerie

Bruce Nauman, Drill Team (1966). Courtesy of Konrad Fischer Galerie.

Bruce Nauman, Drill Team (1966). Courtesy of Konrad Fischer Galerie.

If the Bruce Nauman retrospective at MoMA last year has left you craving more of the multifaceted American artist’s work, make sure to stop into Konrad Fischer’s booth, which will feature Nauman’s work alongside a mainly German roster of artists—among these the pithy Marcel Broodthaers, Wolfgang Laib, and Bernd and Hilla Becher.

Booth 2.0 / B4

6. Galerie Rudiger Schottle

Courtesy of Galerie Rudiger Schottle

Susan Weil, Grace (Blueprint) (2019). Courtesy of Galerie Rudiger Schottle

Susan Weil is often footnoted as an early romantic partner to Robert Rauschenberg, but throughout her long career she has created a moving, hauntingly forcefol body of work. Here one can find her photography, amid an eclectic set of artists including Florian Süssmayr, Thomas Struth, and Goshka Macuga.  

Booth S23, 2.1

 

7. Galeria Elvira Gonzalez

Gunter Haese, Okettt Turm (1990). Courtesy of Galeria Elvira Gonzalez.

Gunter Haese, Okettt Turm (1990). Courtesy of Galeria Elvira Gonzalez.

Minimalist simplicity meets playful forms in this presentation here. The exactitude of Anges Martin and Donald Judd are counterbalanced by works by Alexander Calder and the German-Venezulaun artist Gego. Especially pleasing are the sculptures of German artist Günter Haese, which possess a nearly cosmological quality.

Booth G13

 

8. Galerie Knoell

Max Bill, Nucleo Verde (1971). Courtesy of Galerie Knoell.

Max Bill, Nucleo Verde (1971). Courtesy of Galerie Knoell.

The 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus has been marked by seemingly endless exhibitions, news stories, and events. And in this booth, the celebrations continues with a solo presentation of the Swiss artist, architect, and designer Max Bill whose oeuvre was deeply inspired by the Bauhaus as well as the ideal of the gesamtkunstwerk or “total artwork.” Expect bright colors and bold geometric shapes. 

Booth J11

 

9. Fortes D’Aloia Gabriel

Ernesto Neto, O Espirito dos Olhos Fricabra (2019). Courtesy of Fortes D'Aloia Gabriel.

Ernesto Neto, O Espirito dos Olhos Fricabra (2019). Courtesy of Fortes D’Aloia Gabriel.

You’ll find an elegant and intellectually rigorous presentation by Brazilian gallery Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel at Basel this year, including Ernesto Neto’s web-like textile sculptures ad Iven Machado’s commanding creations made up from construction materials.  

Booth L22

 

10. Almine Rech

Allen Jones, Leather Figure (2001). Courtesy of Almine Rech.

Allen Jones, Leather Figure (2001). Courtesy of Almine Rech.

British Pop artist Allen Jones’s works are at once fetishistic and futuristic, populated by women figures, nearly robotic in appearance and often clad in hyper-sexualized ensembles. Lace-up boots, latex suits, French maid get-ups all abound. Almine Rech recently announced the gallery’s exclusive representation of Jones’s work and, as a celebratory nod, are filling their booth with his playfully erotic sculptures.

Booth F6