The arrival of summer then slowed down commercial activities in favor of a series of openings of cultural events linked to Museums and Foundations, especially in the south of France, allowing a broader view to the entire art world.
The gallery market in Basel
The world's best-known and most anticipated fair, ArtBasel, anticipated by an interesting weekend of special events in neighboring Zurich, has attracted thousands of collectors to the Swiss city, fostering the development of six other satellite fairs, which complement the offer by focusing on specific sectors such as Photo, Design, and art books, or on geographical and historical realities less represented in the main fair, particularly present at the Liste, Volta, and June fairs.
In the 'Unlimited ' section of ArtBasel, dedicated to spectacular monumental works, Keith Haring's Street Art, Hiroshi Sugimoto's great photography, historical installations by Italians Mario Ceroli and Jannis Kounellis, as well as the 2015 Venice Biennale winner Chiharu Shiota, one of the most interesting artists of the last decade, stand out.
It is impossible to summarize the great variety of styles, ideas and prices of the thousands of works proposed by the hundreds of participating galleries; the public success translated into transactions mainly for the 'safer' component of the market, represented by already established artists and million-dollar prices, while the market for young up-and-comers, which until recently had deluded the illusion that it could continue its run without limits, has definitely cooled down.
The market's gradual uncovering of its most speculative participants fortunately leaves room for those who operate in the long term, reducing volatility.
Summer dates between Monaco and Arles
The last appointment with the art market before the summer break took place in the Principality of Monaco, with the artmonte-carlo fair, a catalyst for a select group of international galleries, many of them already present in Basel.
While the historicized component prompted secondary market galleries to offer well-known names such as Picasso, Lucio Fontana, Basquiat, Calder, and Alighiero Boetti, primary market galleries dared more, bringing in works by living artists, many from Africa, such as Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu, Moffat Takadiwa who turns waste into works of art, and Nubian Fathi Hassan.
The same week saw the opening of two events destined to remain visible for the summer, the Les Rencontres de la photographie d'Arles, an essential event for fans of this medium as well as art in general, and the exhibition dedicated to Turner at the Forum Grimaldi in Monaco.
For those who want to push into the hills of Cannes, the new museum dedicated to women artists, the FAMM in Mougins, created on the initiative of collector Christian Levett, is worth a visit as well.
A summer full of bargains for all tastes-and budgets!