Your Guide to Art Basel 2024, according to Experts

If art fairs were animals, Art Basel might be a lion: top of the food chain, majestic to behold, but also pretty intimidating to approach.

Since its foundation in 1970, Art Basel’s flagship art fair has steadily maintained its reputation as arguably the most important event of the art market calendar. Every year, more than 250 leading contemporary art galleries descend on the genteel Swiss city, bringing with them an international troupe of art world luminaries.

Not only does the fair itself take place in the hulking 141,000-square-meter Messe Basel convention center, it’s merely a part of a thrumming agenda of activity across the Swiss city. Other art fairs such as Design Miami, Liste, Basel Social Club, June Art Fair, and Photo Basel are taking place concurrently, while the various charms of the city itself are amplified by a slew of events that take place throughout the week.

So, how does one take it all on? Artsy has enlisted the experts, gallerists, collectors, curators, and artists who know the city best, to present top tips for doing Art Basel properly—covering everything from what to wear to where to eat.

How to prepare for Art Basel

Prep smart

Once your week starts at Art Basel, it’s unlikely to stop. A portable phone charger was recommended among the must-pack items from most people Artsy spoke to. “Once you leave your hotel, you can really be out and about all day and all night,” said Patricia Amberg, senior art advisor with UBS Family Advisory, Art & Collecting and a longtime Art Basel attendee.

Loading up on snacks is another thing to be mindful of during busy periods. Sara Fitzmaurice, CEO of the arts PR firm Fitz & Co and an Art Basel attendee for more than two decades, recommends a preliminary stop at a Coop supermarket. “Long days with little time for breakfast or lunch mean having healthy snacks in my room is a must,” she noted. “I also load up on bottled water to stay hydrated throughout the week.”

Other things to pick up between the plane/train and the fair include:

• A day pass for the tram—the preferred and most efficient way to get around town. If you have an Art Basel VIP pass, tram travel is free.
• Bookmark the online city map, which contains a handy index of local landmarks. You’ll thank yourself later.

Ahead of the fair, it’s always useful to do some reading to earmark the booths and areas that you might want to check out. Here are some handy ways of doing so:

• Check out Art Basel’s guide to the galleries and sectors at the fair. Download the PDF floor plan of the fair to highlight which galleries you want to see.
• Read Artsy’s preview of the 10 shows to see during the fair.
• Sign up for the local magazine Bebbi Zine’s daily digest, a recommendation from Basel locals Hester and Stefan von Bartha: “A newsletter each morning during Art Basel with all the best events, openings, and parties.”

Dress chic—but keep things practical

Art Basel hosts no shortage of eye-catching looks, but for a day that requires being on one’s feet throughout, practicality is as much a consideration as style. Mathieu Paris, a senior director at White Cube, opts for “classic navy-blue suits paired with Nike sneakers,” while Isabella Icoz, a partner at Lehmann Maupin, typically wears “a dress with either flats or sneakers. Unfortunately, high heels and me are not a good combo!”

Fitzmaurice goes for “dress pants, layered with a silk blouse with a sweater or scarf, as the weather can change from cold to hot.” She recommends cool sneakers and keeps her phone “out and handy on a crossbody strap,” and carries “a wallet-purse to keep things light and simple.”

Like all art fair attendees, staying chic is very much the through line when it comes to outfit choices. “This year I will wear an ensemble by Uma Wang,” noted Rosemarie Schwarzwälder, whose gallery Galerie nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder has participated extensively at the fair. “I rediscovered this brand at the last edition of Art Basel Hong Kong.”

How to navigate the Art Basel fair

Make a plan

With some 285 exhibitors at this year’s edition of Art Basel, it’s wise to have an idea of how you might take on the fair before you get there. Some plot out specific booths to visit, while others are methodical about walking every aisle.

“I always plan my course the day before and leverage the printed floor plan, checking off galleries that I have seen,” said Fitzmaurice. “I take notes on my phone regarding interesting artists, and conversations to follow up on, and capture photos of works that caught my eye (don’t forget to shoot the wall label).”

Shu Zheng, a curator at the Sixi Museum in Nanjing and a seasoned Basel pro, ticks off the names on her list first and then walks through the lanes of the fair methodically, so as not to miss anything. “There are always some surprises,” she noted.

Don’t beat yourself up if you find yourself walking in circles at the Messe, noted Stefan von Bartha. “Even though we have been showing at Art Basel for almost 50 years, there is always one member of the staff who gets lost during the week,” he said.

“I do not follow a specific strategy when navigating the booths. I always make a point to systematically explore every booth at the fair, aisle by aisle, keeping my mind open for discovery,” said Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, an esteemed art collector and president of Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. “Standout works for me are often deeply personal. They resonate with my experiences and tell stories that provoke reflection on the complexities of today’s world.”

Italian artist Enrico Marone Cinzano—who is exhibiting with Friedman Benda at Design Miami Basel this year—offers a similar sentiment: “I try not to restrict or prescribe my experience; trusting my senses leads to striking encounters with history or contemporary designs that define our times,” he said.

Keep the energy high

Art Basel is a marathon, not a sprint. Whether you’re making deals or blowing air kisses, keeping the energy flowing is key.

White Cube’s Mathieu Paris goes for “a full protein diet” of bratwurst every lunch and veal “à la Zurichoise” every dinner. Meanwhile, Stefan von Bartha eschews alcohol and goes for “cold showers, good music in the morning, rushes of adrenaline, and hopefully many inspiring conversations at the booth.”

Schwarzwälder prepares for a day at the fair by “meditating and exercising early in the mornings” to give “strength and calm for an entire intense day at the fair.”

Zheng fixes on the tried and tested combination of coffee and cake (“caffeine plus sugar”) to keep the motor running throughout the day. Longtime Art Basel exhibitor Kamel Mennour, of Parisian stalwart Mennour, recommends a series of small breaks to keep levels high. “I am a very energetic person, so it is not difficult for me to maintain high energy throughout the fair,” he told Artsy. “I can’t wait to start my day, so I wake up very early and include in my routine short periods of relaxation to stay focused and refreshed.”

Top tip: Don’t make the VIP day your only visit to Art Basel. Our insiders noted it’s worth returning for the “second hang” of new works that rotate into some fair booths on Wednesday.“Some booths are going to be totally different,” Zheng noted.

Must-sees during Art Basel Week 2024

Unlimited

Also in the Messeplatz, Art Basel’s Unlimited sector is dedicated to “monumental” installations exhibited by galleries in the main fair. It’s “like a walk in the park, just in a fair hall surrounded by art,” as Stefan von Bartha aptly put it. Recommendations of what to look out for in the 2024 Unlimited sector include:

• Mark Manders’s work with Tanya Bonakdar Gallery and Xavier Hufkens, recommended by Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. “I first met Mark in 2000 and followed his practice closely over the last 24 years,” she said. “His work features prominently in my collection.”
• “Don’t miss seeing Chilean Swiss artist Francisco Sierra’s Guppy installation—a project we supported and realized,” said Von Bartha.
• Alicja Kwade’s sculpture, recommended by Mennour. “Kwade is unrivaled in encouraging us to reflect on our relationship with the world,” he said.

Off-site installations

During Art Basel, site-specific interventions, performances, and sculptures will be showcased across the city. Here’s what our insiders recommend:

• A performance by Madeline Hollander on Wednesday night at 8 p.m., recommended by Stefanie Hessler, director of Swiss Institute and Art Basel Parcours curator: “Starting nearby the fair and leading towards the Merian, where Wendy’s Wok World is organizing a Karaoke Bar Night followed by Chuquimamani-Condori (live) hosted by Mathis Altmann and Jan Vorisek.”
• The Hotel Merian on Rheingasse will come alive with numerous site-specific installations, “truly the place for the broader art world to meet, network, and discuss art discoveries,” noted Fitzmaurice. The façade of the Merian will be dedicated to an installation by Petrit Halilaj.
• Agnes Denes’s Wheatfield — A Confrontation (2024) on the Messeplatz was recommended by numerous insiders. “I am thrilled that Art Basel is recreating this landmark work. To create the original exhibition, Denes and her assistants planted 1.5 acres of wheat in the Battery Park Landfill and were responsible for maintaining their urban field for four months,” Fitzmaurice said. “Denes’s work encourages viewers to think critically about the relationship between the natural world, artistic display, and our value systems.”

Art fair frenzy

As noted above, Art Basel isn’t the only fair taking place throughout the week. Here’s a whistle-stop guide to the other art fairs:

• Liste Art Fair Basel: June 10–16, Mühlenberg 12, near the Messe, featuring 91 galleries billed as “the latest voices in contemporary art.”
• Design Miami Basel: June 10–16, Hall 1 Süd, Messe Basel. The fair presents “a rich program of historic and contemporary collectible design.”
• Basel Social Club: June 9–16, at the farmland fields behind the residential neighborhood of Bruderholz. An annual alternative fair, Basel Social Club 2024 promises “an exhibition by local and international artists, a program of performances and many culinary offerings.”
• June Art Fair: June 10–16, a short walk from Messeplatz. This intimate fair prioritizes an “open format” in a concrete bunker. Photo Basel: June 10–16, at the Volkshaus Basel. Dedicated to photography with 41 exhibitors from 15 countries.

Museum moments

Basel punches above its weight when it comes to the institutional offerings on view within a relatively small vicinity. Here’s what our insiders recommend:

• Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, a short tram from the Messe. Its summer exhibition “Crowd Chronicles” transforms the museum into a “site of an experimental presentation of contemporary art.”
• The Kunstmuseum on St. Alban-Graben is the oldest public art museum in the world. It presents a solo show of works by Dan Flavin as well as the group exhibition “When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting.”
• Cinzano recommends a visit to the Skulpturhalle on Mittlere Strasse: “It has primarily replicas but incredible reference pieces for those inspired by the history of antiquities.”
• Hessler recommends Der Tank on Florenz-Strasse, “an exhibition space that is part of the Institute Art Gender Nature HGK Basel FHNW.”
• The Vitra Design Museum on Charles-Eames-Strasse outside of town “shouldn’t be missed for its combination of culture and nature,” said Von Bartha. “Their outdoor area is wonderful.”

Where to eat and drink around Art Basel

Drams by the Rhine

Basel offers no shortage of watering holes to decompress after a long day of traipsing the fair. Our insider’s choice picks are as follows:

• The Trois Rois: An Art Basel staple. The place where most nights end and where what seems like the entire art world congregates.
• The Imis Bar at Volkshaus Basel: “This place has such a unique vibe, and, besides the cathedral in Reims in France, it is the only place with glass windows by German artist Imi Knoebel,” said Von Bartha.
• Campari Bar: Located near the Kunsthalle; good for a quick tot.
• Derrière: In Ochsengasse, it’s “perfect for meeting up with old friends, fellow collectors, or artists,” said Sandretto Re Rebaundengo.

Eateries by the dozen

For a quick bite at Art Basel, Icoz recommends “Tibits at Unlimited, and of course, the famous veal sausage at the Rotunda; their cheese quiche is also pretty good, too.”

For supper, our insiders offer the following tips:

• Chez Donati: Located on St. Johanns-Vorstadt, it offers Italian food in chic surroundings. “An all-time classic, always super hectic, and has been the birthplace of many art initiatives, artist projects, and other wild ideas in the past,” said Von Bartha.
• Brauerei-Basel: On Grenzacherstrasse, this is an upscale traditional restaurant with a formidable wine list.
• Restaurant Krafft: At the Hotel Krafft on Rheingasse, “its terrace provides the perfect spot to unwind and enjoy the sunset after a busy day at the fair,” said Sandretto Re Rebaundengo.
• Bodega Zum Strauss: On Barfüsser Pl. Pasta and game at another art world staple.
• Restaurant Kunsthalle: Stylish brasserie fare at the Kunsthalle Museum.
• Au Violon: Brasserie-style fare on im Lohnhof.
• Rhyschänzli: Top-drawer regional produce on Lichtstrasse.
• Schnabel: Typical Basel home cooking on Trillengässlein.
• Hasenburg: On Schneidergasse, this spot is famous for its Rosti.
• Boulangerie Leyes: An excellent spot for pastries on Mulhouse.
• For solid vegetarian options: Lauch on Klingentalstrasse, Concordia on Haltingerstrasse and Vegitat on Klybeckstrasse.
• Pop-ups near the fair this year include: We Are Ona at Filter4, which serves up an exclusive tasting menu by chef Sayak Sawaguchi; and Ghetto Gastro at Bronx Bodega, which presents a menu that draws inspiration from Caribbean Latin, Asian, and African influences.

What to do beyond the art of Art Basel