Art Basel 2025 unfolded across Basel from June 19 to 22, with Preview Days held on June 17 and 18. The 55th edition welcomed 88,000 visitors and featured 289 leading international galleries from 42 countries and territories. From the scale of its central programming to the interventions across public space, the fair positioned the city itself as part of its exhibition structure. Large-scale commissions, expanded curatorial platforms, and the launch of the Art Basel Awards marked a clear shift in how the fair approached engagement, reach, and recognition.
One of the edition’s most impactful works was Katharina Grosse’s CHOIR, which covered more than 5,000 square meters of Messeplatz in sweeping bands of magenta and white. Applied using industrial spray equipment directly onto walls and pavement, the work activated the plaza as a painted environment, disrupting architectural form and spatial reading. Curated by Natalia Grabowska, CHOIR stood as the artist’s largest urban intervention to date, and set the tone for the fair’s expanded physical and conceptual footprint.
The Unlimited sector returned under the direction of Giovanni Carmine, presenting nearly 70 large-scale works inside a 16,000 square meter exhibition hall. The program included installations, performances, and wall-based works, with standout pieces such as Andrea Büttner’s Shame Punishments, Marinella Senatore’s We Rise by Lifting Others, and a presentation by the Cairo-based collective nasa4nasa. The sector’s range and density reflected a clear appetite for works that resist conventional display formats and push toward immersion or activation.
Parcours, curated for the second year by Stefanie Hessler, extended the fair further into Basel’s public spaces under the theme Second Nature. Over 20 newly commissioned works were installed along Clarastrasse and nearby urban sites. Among the highlights were Hylozoic/Desires’ monumental textile work spanning Münsterplatz and Selma Selman’s scent-and-sound-based installation in St. Clara Church. These works subtly reconfigured civic space, introducing sensory and material disruption into everyday pedestrian routes.
In parallel with expanded programming, Art Basel 2025 introduced the Art Basel Awards, honoring 36 medalists across artistic and curatorial disciplines. The awards ceremony was held at Rathaus Basel, followed by a reception at Kunstmuseum Basel. During the event, the newly announced Koyo Kouoh Fellowship was introduced in partnership with RAW Material Company. This initiative will support one African art professional each year for three years, offering a fully funded development program tied to Art Basel. A public summit followed on June 20, offering panel discussions and keynotes featuring award recipients, jurors, and institutional leaders from across the cultural sector.
Museum attendance remained a defining feature of the edition, with representatives from over 250 institutions present. Visitors from the Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, Tate, Guggenheim, LACMA, Leopold Museum, and Serpentine Galleries moved through the halls alongside figures from regional and emerging institutions. Institutional acquisitions focused on works by Cecilia Vicuña, Alina Szapocznikow, and Loie Hollowell, with several first-time exhibitors also reporting strong engagement from curators and patrons.
Exhibitor feedback indicated consistent sales across sectors, with major placements of works by David Hockney, Ruth Asawa, Gerhard Richter, Keith Haring, and Mark Bradford. Many galleries noted increased institutional interest compared to previous editions, particularly in relation to female artists and those with socially grounded practices. The fair’s commercial strength ran parallel to its curatorial expansion, allowing multiple forms of success to coexist.
Additional activity surrounded the Art Basel Shop, which returned with a curated selection of editions and artist-designed goods. Guest artist Katharina Grosse contributed a capsule collection that included hand-painted soccer balls and transparent bags. Other items included collectibles from Kasing Lung, Sasha Stiles, and Daniel Arsham, as well as a special FC Basel jersey and raincoat by Thomas Bayrle. Artist appearances and in-store activations created informal moments of contact between audiences and creators.
Beyond the fair itself, museums and foundations across Basel mounted major exhibitions timed to coincide with the week. Highlights included Vija Celmins and Jordan Wolfson at Fondation Beyeler, Medardo Rosso and Verso at Kunstmuseum Basel, and solo presentations at Kunsthalle Basel by Dala Nasser, Ser Serpas, and Marie Matusz. Liste marked its 30th anniversary, while Basel Social Club transformed a former bank into a multi-level exhibition site.
The next edition will return to Messe Basel from June 18 to 21, 2026, with Preview Days on June 16 and 17.
