Art Basel postpones Basel show to September

Due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic and travel restrictions worldwide, Art Basel has decided to postpone its June fair. The 2021 edition of Art Basel will now take place at Messe Basel from September 23 to September 26, 2021, with preview days on September 21 and September 22, 2021. 

The decision was made after extensive discussions and analysis in consultation with gallerists and collectors, as well as external experts, putting foremost the health and safety of all concerned while aiming to achieve the broadest possible international attendance for the show. 

Marc Spiegler, Global Director, Art Basel said: ‘While the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination programs started in many parts of the world last month, 2021 is a year in which planning remains complex due to many uncertainties. By moving our Basel fair to September, we hope to offer our galleries greater possibility for successfully preparing their year. Following ten months of vaccination programs in many countries, we anticipate broad international participation in our Basel show in September, because all our conversations within the artworld indicate a strong desire to see art in person and engage face-to-face with the global cultural scene. Naturally, we will continue our digital activities connecting Art Basel galleries with global patrons, as we prepare our return to staging physical fairs in the post-pandemic period.’ 

In 2021, Art Basel will present three Online Viewing Rooms, to which all galleries accepted to Art Basel's shows between 2016 and 2021 will be invited to apply. ‘OVR: Pioneers’, taking place from March 24 to March 27, 2021, will be dedicated to artists who have broken new grounds aesthetically, conceptually, or socio-politically. A second thematic Online Viewing Rooms will take place from June 16 to June 19, 2021, with Art Basel curators determining themes and helping to select the participating galleries. In the beginning of November, ‘OVR:2021’ will exclusively feature artworks created this year.