Outstanding booth presentations, strong collector attendance and exceptional sales confirm Art Basel’s position as the premier fair for contemporary and Modern works As the 46th edition of Art Basel closed in Basel on Sunday, June 21, 2015, the show was once again widely praised for the many outstanding quality artworks on display and the precisely presented stands. Gallerists reported excellent sales across all levels of the market – to a particularly international array of collectors and institutions – with many declaring this to have been their strongest Art Basel edition.

The show, whose Lead Partner is UBS, presented 284 galleries from 33 countries, exhibiting the work of over 4,000 artists. A total of 14 galleries showed in Basel for the very first time, coming from China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Once again, Art Basel provided a platform for galleries to present the very best contemporary and historical material. This year a significant reconfiguration of the downstairs floorplan in Hall 2 moved 57 galleries to new positions – representing the biggest such shift at the show in the last decade. Bringing galleries showing work from 1900 to 1970 in closer proximity to each other, it created a stronger focus for their outstanding historical material, which included premier pieces by Max Beckmann, Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, Georg Grosz, Yves Klein, René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko and Egon Schiele.

The show attracted an attendance of 98,000 over the six show days. Alongside major private collectors from Europe, North and Latin America, and Asia, representatives and groups from over 80 museums and institutions from across the world attended the show, including: Art Gallery of Ontario; Dia Art Foundation, New York; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Institute of Contemporary Arts, London; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; National Gallery Singapore; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Serpentine Galleries, London; Tate, London; The Royal Academy, London; The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing; Whitechapel Gallery, London; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York and Yuan Museum, Beijing.

Galleries exhibiting within all sectors of Art Basel expressed their enthusiasm about this year's show: ‘Business at this year's Art Basel has been brisk and continuous. We are proud to have placed more works in museum collections than ever before in our history at the fair, including a significant piece by Mike Kelley. We also managed to place all four of our Unlimited projects – a testament to the unrivalled reputation of Art Basel and the collectors it attracts.’ Iwan Wirth, President, Hauser & Wirth, Zurich, New York, London

‘Art Basel provided the perfect platform to present our Robert Rauschenberg works. They all sold within the first few hours.’ Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst, Pace London President, Pace, New York, London, Zuoz, Beijing, Hong Kong

‘Art Basel provides high visibility to artists and galleries on the world stage – we have been able to place work with a major European museum as a direct result of the fair. And I always learn things in Basel that continue to inform my program throughout the year.’ Maureen Paley, Founder & Director, Maureen Paley, London

‘Art Basel was once again a fair that went beyond expectations. We saved important works for this fair, including two Joseph Beuys sculptures that we placed in the most exciting collections. It was our first time showing Robert Rauschenberg since we began to work with the Foundation, and we placed works with museums and important collections in Germany and France. The attendance of major museum directors and curators was enormous, and they travelled with their trustees, which meant they were able to make quick decisions. Only Art Basel is able to attract this kind of seriousness.’ Thaddaeus Ropac, Founder & Director, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, Salzburg

‘Once again, Art Basel has proven to be the best art fair in the world. We have had an incredible response to every artist exhibited in our booth, placing multiple major works with museums and private collectors from the Americas, Europe and Asia. Unlimited was equally successful for the gallery, as we placed significant historical installation-based works by Olafur Eliasson and Haim Steinbach with an important North American museum and an important European collection, respectively.’ Tanya Bonakdar, Founder & Director, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York

‘We had an extremely good start to this year's fair with many key works on the booth selling in the first few hours. We were especially happy to re-connect with Asian clients, who we got to know during Art Basel in Hong Kong earlier this year. Art Basel continues to impress.’ Esther Schipper, Founder, Esther Schipper, Berlin

‘We have found the show very strong this year – and the shift in floorplan has brought a real cohesion, making it easier for galleries to be in conversation with one another and for collectors to navigate the show and explore their interests. Basel is still the only fair where when they say 'vernissage', it really is dedicated time with collectors who are here to explore the show seriously.’ Pierre Ravelle-Chapuis, Director, Van de Weghe Fine Art, New York