Would it be fun for me to go to Art Basel (in Basel)?
March 8, 2022 8:54 AM
Can you tell me what Art Basel is like and whether I’d find it fun? I am visiting my friend in Switzerland and can either go (1) when Art Basel is or (2) when another good friend of ours is visiting.
I’m planning to visit my friend Brenda in Switzerland in either May or June. Our other friend, Annie, is planning to spend all May in Switzerland, and her parents live in Basel. I hang out with both Annie and Brenda regularly.
I love going to art museums, both at home and when I travel, and have spent an entire day in them when traveling alone. I’ve attended a few talks about art that I’ve enjoyed at my local art museums. Annie’s parents say that if I visit during Art Basel then I can stay with them. However, Art Basel is in June, and going to it means I won’t be able to hang out with Annie at all (and thus Annie + Brenda or Annie + her parents together) since she’s leaving at the end of May.
I’ve heard Art Basel Miami is fun, but part of that seems to be that Miami is fun, full of art parties (that I wouldn’t be invited to), and great for clubbing and drinking (I do neither). What is Art Basel in Basel like?
I’m planning to visit my friend Brenda in Switzerland in either May or June. Our other friend, Annie, is planning to spend all May in Switzerland, and her parents live in Basel. I hang out with both Annie and Brenda regularly.
I love going to art museums, both at home and when I travel, and have spent an entire day in them when traveling alone. I’ve attended a few talks about art that I’ve enjoyed at my local art museums. Annie’s parents say that if I visit during Art Basel then I can stay with them. However, Art Basel is in June, and going to it means I won’t be able to hang out with Annie at all (and thus Annie + Brenda or Annie + her parents together) since she’s leaving at the end of May.
I’ve heard Art Basel Miami is fun, but part of that seems to be that Miami is fun, full of art parties (that I wouldn’t be invited to), and great for clubbing and drinking (I do neither). What is Art Basel in Basel like?
Not answering the question, but: if you're near Lausanne, The Collection de l'Art Brut is very interesting. Also, if you have the time to range across Europe somewhat, Documenta 15 in Kassel Germany this year should really be something. It's a heavy art experience.
posted by ovvl at 1:22 PM on March 8, 2022
posted by ovvl at 1:22 PM on March 8, 2022
Switzerland is awesome, and doesn't require a special program. Go when your friend is there. And do go see the bears, in Basil.
posted by Goofyy at 5:24 PM on March 8, 2022
posted by Goofyy at 5:24 PM on March 8, 2022
I’ve heard Art Basel Miami is fun, but part of that seems to be that Miami is fun, full of art parties (that I wouldn’t be invited to), and great for clubbing and drinking (I do neither). What is Art Basel in Basel like?
Former Basel resident here. Art Basel is fun.
If you score a ticket (ideally a free ticket via corporate contacts, as tickets are priced to keep riff raff like me out), it's a very fancy private art show of the type described by coffeecat. Everyone is enjoying themselves, people-watching, art-watching, etc. It's a special occasion and feels like one.
However, even if you don't, it's a fun time to be in Basel. There are lots of "fringe" events - art shows not associated with the official event; club nights; the bars and restaurants are full; and there's an official Art Basel Parcours trail [not the jumping-off-buildings kind of Parkour] where big name and up-and-coming artists exhibit publicly around the city as well as in spaces not normally accessible to the public. Here's the 2021 lineup. Art Basel is a big, citywide international event and it's way more fun than either of the other two calendar highlights, which are Fasnacht Carnival and the Baselworld watch event, both earlier in the year.
But!
That said, I would still suggest that you take the other option of going there at the same time as your friend. Why? Two reasons:
1) Basel, as befits a disproportionately rich city in arguably the world's richest country, has a ton of art to see all year round, regardless of the Art Basel event. In town, you have the Kunstmuseum and the Museum Tinguely (the starting point of the Rhine swim route incidentally, although the water is probably still too cold at that time of year). Better, for my money, is to take a picturesque cycle through the woods out to Riehen and to check out Fondation Beyeler. Or a somewhat less picturesque cycle in a different direction out to Fondation Laurenz Schaulager. Or, if you're into architecture and design as well as art, hop across the border to the Vitra Museum in Germany. (There are solid public transport options to get to all of those places, too.) Plus, googling for details, I see there are various other museums that I didn't even go to / hadn't been aware existed / had forgotten about.
2) Basel operates on secrets and exclusivity. The equivalent of Masonic lodges are the Fasnacht cliques, small groups of people who meet underground and spend the year producing costumes and practising to play music during the Fasnacht carnival - these genuinely function like secret societies, and are important for networking and nepotism. And this attitude extends everywhere. For example, I was speaking to a friend the other day who's still based there and he proudly told me "I've visited this secret tiki bar" and I told him oh yeah, I know the one, hidden in the bamboo behind the restaurant next to the chemical plant. "No, everyone knows that one. The real secret tiki bar. The one in the bomb shelter that's had the same band playing there for more than 30 years." OK, I hadn't known about that one. But very believable - I was still finding secret / so-poorly-publicised-as-to-be-secret venues and events up until my last week there. And I lived there for three years. So having local contacts is invaluable for getting a fuller Basel experience. Finally, the population of Basel is more than one-third foreign, and Swiss residents can be standoffish to foreigners (familiarity breeds contempt, or something). That means that it can feel borderline unfriendly as a solo traveller. Much more fun to be there with friends!
posted by chappell, ambrose at 2:34 AM on March 10, 2022
Former Basel resident here. Art Basel is fun.
If you score a ticket (ideally a free ticket via corporate contacts, as tickets are priced to keep riff raff like me out), it's a very fancy private art show of the type described by coffeecat. Everyone is enjoying themselves, people-watching, art-watching, etc. It's a special occasion and feels like one.
However, even if you don't, it's a fun time to be in Basel. There are lots of "fringe" events - art shows not associated with the official event; club nights; the bars and restaurants are full; and there's an official Art Basel Parcours trail [not the jumping-off-buildings kind of Parkour] where big name and up-and-coming artists exhibit publicly around the city as well as in spaces not normally accessible to the public. Here's the 2021 lineup. Art Basel is a big, citywide international event and it's way more fun than either of the other two calendar highlights, which are Fasnacht Carnival and the Baselworld watch event, both earlier in the year.
But!
That said, I would still suggest that you take the other option of going there at the same time as your friend. Why? Two reasons:
1) Basel, as befits a disproportionately rich city in arguably the world's richest country, has a ton of art to see all year round, regardless of the Art Basel event. In town, you have the Kunstmuseum and the Museum Tinguely (the starting point of the Rhine swim route incidentally, although the water is probably still too cold at that time of year). Better, for my money, is to take a picturesque cycle through the woods out to Riehen and to check out Fondation Beyeler. Or a somewhat less picturesque cycle in a different direction out to Fondation Laurenz Schaulager. Or, if you're into architecture and design as well as art, hop across the border to the Vitra Museum in Germany. (There are solid public transport options to get to all of those places, too.) Plus, googling for details, I see there are various other museums that I didn't even go to / hadn't been aware existed / had forgotten about.
2) Basel operates on secrets and exclusivity. The equivalent of Masonic lodges are the Fasnacht cliques, small groups of people who meet underground and spend the year producing costumes and practising to play music during the Fasnacht carnival - these genuinely function like secret societies, and are important for networking and nepotism. And this attitude extends everywhere. For example, I was speaking to a friend the other day who's still based there and he proudly told me "I've visited this secret tiki bar" and I told him oh yeah, I know the one, hidden in the bamboo behind the restaurant next to the chemical plant. "No, everyone knows that one. The real secret tiki bar. The one in the bomb shelter that's had the same band playing there for more than 30 years." OK, I hadn't known about that one. But very believable - I was still finding secret / so-poorly-publicised-as-to-be-secret venues and events up until my last week there. And I lived there for three years. So having local contacts is invaluable for getting a fuller Basel experience. Finally, the population of Basel is more than one-third foreign, and Swiss residents can be standoffish to foreigners (familiarity breeds contempt, or something). That means that it can feel borderline unfriendly as a solo traveller. Much more fun to be there with friends!
posted by chappell, ambrose at 2:34 AM on March 10, 2022
And do go see the bears, in Basil
That's Bern, which - bears aside - has a strong claim to be the most boring city in the world.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 2:36 AM on March 10, 2022
That's Bern, which - bears aside - has a strong claim to be the most boring city in the world.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 2:36 AM on March 10, 2022
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I have not been to Art Basel but I have been to Frieze London, which I understand is similar. It's honestly very similar to going to an art museum, the difference being that it's a great way to see art that you may otherwise have no option of seeing (i.e. works that may only ever be privately owned). The people watching is also better, and if you find this interesting, even as an outsider you'll be able to get a glimpse into how the art market world functions.
That said, the main reason art-world people enjoy these types of global exhibits is that it's a chance to see their various art world friends, some of who they might only have the chance to see at events like this. Which is to say, the fun part is the social part, and it's only really fun if you've got a lot of artist/art buying friends.
So I'd prioritize your own friendships, and include a visit to an art museum during your trip.
posted by coffeecat at 11:43 AM on March 8, 2022