Sunday in Switzerland was spent in Zurich, where Thea, Ethan, Suzanne and Ashley caught up on the current museum and gallery exhibitions.  The Löwenbräu building, which had been closed for renovation, reopened with brighter, more expansive spaces.  We enjoyed the “Hans Arp: Ovi Bimba” show at Hauser & Wirth; previewing the auction lots which are being sold to benefit the Kunsthalle Zurich; and the LUMA foundation’s presentation of work by Urs Fischer.  After the Löwenbräu building, Art Advisory stopped in to see Eva Presenhuber’s exhibition, “Painting Now;” Olivier Mosset’s installation at the temporary Kunsthalle Zurich space; and Carissa Rodriguez’s new work at Karma International.  Finishing off the day was the “Riotous Baroque” exhibition at Kunsthaus Zurich curated by Bice Curiger, featuring work by Maurizio Cattelan, Oscar Tuazon and Paul McCarthy, among others, alongside Old Master paintings, with an emphasis on “manifestations of precarious vitality.”

Art Basel officially began on Monday with the opening of the Design Fair.  As always, Patrick Seguin had a fantastic presentation, employing a Prouvé construction as his booth.  Also of note, Galerie Kreo presented a collection of lamps that gallery owner, Didier Krzentowski, had been amassing for over 30 years.

LISTE, the young art fair, opened that afternoon and was crowded with collectors who were looking for artists at lower price points.  Of particular interest was the presentation by House of Gaga from Mexico, featuring works by Adriana Lara and the duo Jay Chung & Q Takeki Maeda.

After LISTE, Art Advisory headed back towards the Messe to see the opening of Art Statements and Art Unlimited.  We were particularly impressed with Alex Israel’s installation at Peres Projects in Art Statements, as well as Dahn Vo’s gold leaf work based on the Brother’s Grimm version of Cinderella in Art Unlimited.

The main fair opened on Tuesday and was not as crowded as in years past due to the organizer’s decision to limit the number of entrants at the 11am time slot, allowing for a more enjoyable first few hours.  And with the extension of the VIP opening into Wednesday, we were able to use the quieter second day to learn about new artists.

Although the Jeff Koons exhibition opened in May, the Beyeler Fondation hosted a dinner honoring the artist early in the week. Thea and Ethan were in attendance along with long-time supporters, curators, gallerists and friends, including Jeffrey Deitch, Miuccia Prada, Ann Goldstein and Christopher Williams.

Thursday morning, Thea, Ethan, Suzanne and Ashley, along with a few gallerists, artists and collectors, were invited to a special viewing of the Josephine Pryde exhibition “Miss Austen Still Enjoys Photography” at the Kunsthalle Bern.  The exhibition primarily featured recent bodies of work including the Guinea Pig series and Attitudes at Conception.

Capping off Art Basel, Thea, Ashley and Suzanne returned to the Beyeler on Friday to enjoy an artist talk between Hans Ulrich Obrist and Philippe Parreno  and a performance by Arto Lindsay during the Beyeler’s annual Nocturne party.