Why Did A Record Number of Private Jets Just Landed in Switzerland?

Art Basel 2019

This morning, while I was getting ready to go to Basel for the preview of the Art Basel art fair, I heard on the radio that Swiss airports registered the biggest ever number of private planes. Most of them landed in the country exactly for this event: Art Basel is the biggest and most successful art fair in the world.

During the preview days, which are by invitation only, about 80% of the sales are done. Collectors, gallerists, art lovers travel from allover the world to see the biggest concentration of top selling art in one space.

Price Tags

Get ready for impressive price tags on the art you’re going to admire (the fair will be open to the public starting from Thursday). The Jeff Koons heart you see in these pictures costs 90 million $. The Mark Rothko of the picture above, 47 million $.

The maps by Alighiero Boetti – displayed by the Tornabuoni gallery in Florence, have always been some of my favourites. Being Italian, I ended up chatting with the gallerists and asked one of them as a present for my upcoming birthday.

If you arrange the shipping expenses, why not. But I think you might change your mind, when you realise the cost!

They said, only half jokingly.

Politics and Sex

There were a lot of political artworks (a lot about immigration, for example), and quite a group of pieces inspired by nudity or sensuality. I always notice these strong messages most and love their provocation.

Overall, I felt the quality of the offer was amazing. Honestly I would have bought a lot, if only I had the budget. It’s almost impossible to see such a concentration of masterpieces outside of a famous museum, so Art Basel is like a walk in the Louvre, in a shop, and in the middle of fancy people. A great pleasure each year – enjoy the Basel Art Fair!