ART BASEL 2025; A TRIUMPHANT CELEBRATION OF GLOBAL CONNOISSEURSHIP

Robb Report India - Jun 23, 2025

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From Katharina Grosse’s ephemeral Messeplatz installation to rare collector moments and museum takeovers, the recently concluded Art Basel 2025 brought together the art world’s most discerning minds and proved that creativity and community can thrive even in uncertain times.
 
It takes a pathbreaking work, a spectacular show, or an elegant fair to shift one’s perception of art and connoisseurship. Art Basel 2025, returning after 13 years, proved to be a significant event—where art was celebrated and the global community came together with purpose. In a world shaken by incidents like the Air India flight tragedy and the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, the fair stood as a reminder of how art continues to unite us, even amidst economic uncertainty.
 

For this year's Art Basel, the fair commissioned Katharina Grosse to create CHOIR, a large-scale, site-responsive painting for the Messeplatz Project. The work exists like a rare flower, blooming for seven days before disappearing. 'It's a kind of folly in a very mercantile space, and there is a generosity and beauty in that,' says Grosse.

 

Most galleries adopted the new strategy of pre-selling works before the fair opened, which resulted in a strong start for many major exhibitors. The mood at the fair was upbeat, beginning with the Unlimited section, where many of the large-scale artworks on display were pleasantly inoffensive and apolitical, perhaps a reflection of the current global geopolitical climate. Standout works included those by Danh Vo, Cosimo von Bonin, Claudia Comte, Thomas Schütte, and Michelangelo Pistoletto, who made an appearance at the age of 91. Overall, the mood leaned toward playing it safe. What followed was a vibrant week filled with dinners, brunches, cocktail parties, talks and museum openings, bringing together collectors and art lovers from across Asia and around the world.

 

Several galleries and museums hosted lunches and dinners for their patrons and clients. Swiss collectors such as Uli Sigg, Heiner Vischer, Oliver and Svetlana Ehinger, the Zegna family, Knoell Rehman, and many others opened their homes to a wider audience of collectors and art lovers, creating a truly immersive experience.

 

Museums like Schaulager unveiled Steve McQueen’s immersive sound and light installation, while the Fondation Beyeler hosted a talk by Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, who launched the Qatar Pavilion at the fair, along with architect Peter Zumthor, the principal designer of the new LACMA building in Los Angeles, and its director, Michael Govan. The museum also showcased a spectacular room of Picassos and a retrospective of the veteran Latvian artist Vija Celmins. Meanwhile, the Kunstmuseum hosted a breakfast to inaugurate its exhibition on sculptures by Medardo Rosso, along with a remarkable Alberto Giacometti collection from the artist’s family.

 

Set against Basel’s timeless charm, the fair stood out not just for its art, but for the conversations, connections and context it created.

June 23, 2025