ART BASEL 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
Art Basel 2025, taking place from June 19–22 at Messe Basel, promises to be an unmissable event for art lovers and collectors alike. With Preview Days having taken place on June 17 and 18, the fair brings together over 280 galleries from 42 countries, showcasing a stunning array of works from both established and emerging artists.
Known for its exceptional curatorial approach and dynamic programming, Art Basel has once again set the stage for groundbreaking artistic exchange and exploration.
Highlights of Art Basel 2025
CHOIR by Katharina Grosse:
One of the most anticipated works at Art Basel 2025 is CHOIR by German artist Katharina Grosse. Grosse has transformed the Messeplatz into a monumental outdoor installation that challenges traditional notions of painting and public space. Using her signature spray-paint technique, Grosse envelops the fairgrounds in vivid white and magenta hues, creating a dynamic, shifting environment that invites visitors to experience art in a completely immersive way. The installation not only engages with the physical space but also encourages a dialogue between the viewer, the artist, and the surrounding environment. Curated by Natalia Grabowska, Curator at Large, Architecture and Site-Specific Projects at Serpentine, London, CHOIR is a powerful example of how art can transcend boundaries and interact with its context.
Premiere Sector:
This year’s Art Basel introduces the Premiere sector, a new addition that focuses on works created in the past five years, offering galleries an exclusive stage to present the most cutting-edge pieces from contemporary artists. Notable highlights in this sector include Edel Assanti’s booth, which features Lonnie Holley’s evocative installation Without Skin, a work that addresses civil rights history with profound emotional depth. Galerie Jacky Strenz’s tribute to the late Lin May Saeed, Interspecies Harmony, will also be a standout, promoting the interconnectedness of humanity and nature. The Premiere sector provides an essential platform for both established and emerging artists to showcase their innovative practices.
Unlimited Sector:
The Unlimited sector at Art Basel 2025, curated by Giovanni Carmine, Director of Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, will present 68 large-scale installations by distinguished and emerging artists.This year, one of the most captivating works in the sector is Marinella Senatore’s 34-meter-long illuminated sculpture We Rise by Lifting Others. The piece bridges social divides and reinforces the power of community through art, creating a visual and emotional experience that invites reflection on collective action and solidarity. The Unlimited sector offers a space for ambitious, transformative art that speaks to both the present and future of creative practice.
Art Basel Awards:
In a new collaboration with Hugo Boss, Art Basel has launched the inaugural Art Basel Awards, a prestigious recognition of excellence in the art world. The Art Basel Awards are presented in partnership with BOSS and celebrate 36 visionary Medallists with a dynamic Awards Summit that brings together the most influential and forward-thinking minds in contemporary art. These awards will honor both emerging and established artists, curators, institutions, and cross-disciplinary creators, offering them significant grants and opportunities for exposure. The Art Basel Awards celebrate those who have made an impact in the art community and provide a platform for furthering their careers and artistic endeavors.
Curatorial Diversity
This year’s Art Basel offers a remarkable diversity of artistic voices across its various sectors. Unlimited, curated by Giovanni Carmine, Director of Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, presents 68 ambitious large-scale works, including Grosse’s CHOIR and installations by both emerging and established artists. Meanwhile, Parcours, curated by Stefanie Hessler, Director of Swiss Institute (SI) in New York, will feature more than 20 site-specific installations, transforming the city of Basel itself into an expansive art gallery. The public art installations are along Clarastrasse, up to the Rhine and including the former Hotel Merian on the riverbank as well as a large-scale installation on Münsterplatz.
This year’s Kabinett sector, focusing on thematic presentations, will showcase 22 distinct projects that explore concepts of memory, identity, and material intelligence.
Notable galleries such as White Cube, Gagosian, and Pilar Corrias will present some of the most talked-about works at the fair, including pieces by artists like Lynne Drexler, Cai Guo-Qiang, Sabine Moritz, and Tala Madani. These presentations delve into themes of abstraction, loss, and memory, offering visitors a profound engagement with contemporary issues through art.
A Platform for Global Dialogue
Art Basel continues to evolve as a platform that goes beyond showcasing art; it facilitates a global dialogue that reflects the most pressing cultural, political, and environmental concerns of our time. Whether through immersive installations like Grosse’s CHOIR or the political inquiries of Madani and Moritz, Art Basel 2025 offers an opportunity for reflection and engagement with the transformative power of art.
In addition to the fair itself, Basel Art Week—including satellite fairs like Liste and Volta, and exhibitions at major institutions like Kunstmuseum Basel and Fondation Beyeler—ensures that visitors experience a complete immersion into the contemporary art scene.
With its focus on large-scale works, emerging voices, and socially engaged art, this year’s fair reinforces Art Basel’s position as a global leader in contemporary art, celebrating the power of art to engage with and shape the world around us. Whether you are a collector, a critic, or simply an art lover, Art Basel 2025 will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on your understanding of contemporary artistic practices.
