As the 48th edition of Art Basel closed on Sunday, 18 June 2017, the fair was able to report excellent sales, highlighting its ability to bring together leading galleries and collectors from around the world. Coinciding this year with the Venice Biennale, Documenta 14 and Skulptur Projekte Münster, Art Basel drew a particularly strong public of new and established collectors from many countries. The uncertain political and economic situation has prompted the current demand for blue-chip artists. While collectors are now definitely more focused on opportunities in the leading post-war market, when I visited Art Basel’s satellite fairs, including Liste and Volta, I was pleasantly surprised by the works of new and exciting emerging artists. And it was encouraging to hear that these fairs also reported very strong sales.

 Copyright 2017 Mart Engelen