In partnership with Art Basel Since its inception in 1970, international Modern and contemporary art fair Art Basel has evolved in its bid to unite and connect different facets of the global art community. Founded by three Swiss gallerists — Ernst Beyeler, Trudl Bruckner and Balz Hilt — the fair today is a global leader with four international shows in Switzerland’s Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong and, since 2022, Paris. For luxury fashion, courting the contemporary art customer could provide access to a cohort whose spending appears to be less impacted by rising living costs. According to the 2023 Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting, the median expenditure on fine art and antiques by collectors surveyed across 11 markets worldwide reached $65,000 in the first half of this year, up by 19 percent on 2021. Ahead of the Miami Beach show, which will play host to 277 exhibitors showing over a five-day event, BoF sits down with Art Basel’s global head of partnerships, Melissa Netecke, to discuss the evolution of the art fair, insight into ultra-high-net-worth consumers and how best to utilise the fair as a cultural conduit between art and luxury fashion. Read more below:
Caitlin Britton
11mo
Epic! Great read.
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