![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2e7d223022adc387aeeff65e16abb998c5601c61-4473x6709.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\nThere is a notable depth to this year\u2019s edition of Unlimited, the section of Art Basel dedicated to large-scale works. This comes through both in terms of chronology\u2014with works spanning nearly 100 years\u2014and an interest in bodies of work, showing how artists sometimes \u201cthink about monumentality or the scope of a project a little bit differently\u201d, says the section\u2019s curator Ruba Katrib. Katrib, the chief curator and director of curatorial affairs at MoMA PS1 in New York, explains that the 59 projects touch on a wide range of themes. Considerable focus has been placed on the choreography of the floorplan, she adds, where one constellation of works speaks to another. Here, Katrib describes some highlights.<\/p>\n
Chris Burden<\/p>\n
L.A.P.D. Uniforms (1993)<\/p>\n
Gagosian<\/p>\n
The oversized Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) uniforms serve as the opening statement for this year\u2019s section. The piece was created as a response to the acquittal of the four LAPD officers behind the horrific beating in 1991 of Rodney King, a Black man. \u201cThis is a work that unfortunately continues to be relevant today,\u201d Katrib says.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Thomas Ruff, The September 11th Photographs (2004-07), David Zwirner David Owens<\/p>\n
Thomas Ruff<\/p>\n
The September 11th Photographs (2004-07)<\/p>\n
David Zwirner<\/p>\n
This is a set of 12 internet images of the World Trade Center attacks, which the German artist has manipulated by, for example, enlarging the pixels and enhancing the colours. The series suggests themes such as how images \u201ccirculate in the world, and how they are mediated\u201d, Katrib says.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cd9e33f0afac9c96493d3895bf4bfe0e886e1f8a-6533x4355.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Niki de Saint Phalle, Blue Obelisk with Flowers (1992), Galerie Georges-Philippe & Nathalie Vallois David Owens<\/p>\n
Niki de Saint Phalle<\/p>\n
Blue Obelisk with Flowers (1992)<\/p>\n
Galerie Georges-Philippe & Nathalie Vallois<\/p>\n
Niki de Saint Phalle\u2019s obelisk-like sculptures were made in response to the HIV\/Aids crisis. \u201cShe was thinking of these works as playful, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, models for condoms,\u201d Katrib says. The works made up part of Saint Phalle\u2019s broader attempts to raise awareness about HIV\/Aids.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/97612676c91aac1a17b34a661c8bd224ed5c16d7-6720x4480.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Alfredo Jaar, The Power of Words (1984\/2021), Jean-Kenta Gauthier, Goodman Gallery, Galerie Lelong, Lia Rumma and Galerie Thomas Schulte David Owens<\/p>\n
Alfredo Jaar<\/p>\n
The Power of Words (1984\/2021)<\/p>\n
Jean-Kenta Gauthier, Goodman Gallery, Galerie Lelong, Lia Rumma and Galerie Thomas Schulte<\/p>\n
Steeped in red light, the installation comprises a photograph of a typewriter, with the area where paper should be filled\u00a0instead with projected images of figures in crisis. \u201cIt explores the limits of language and how images shape our understanding,\u201d Katrib says of the work created not long after Jaar arrived in New York, having fled Augusto Pinochet\u2019s dictatorship in Chile.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7690384f43088d8523352a1bdac7e348c5358b6f-6610x4407.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Peter Hujar, The Gracie Mansion Show (1974-85), Ortuzar and Fraenkel Gallery David Owens<\/p>\n
Peter Hujar<\/p>\n
The Gracie Mansion Show (1974-85)<\/p>\n
Ortuzar and Fraenkel Gallery<\/p>\n
Peter Hujar\u2019s final major series, of 70 photographs, is presented here as it was for a show in New York\u2019s East Village, is a rare opportunity to get into the American photographer\u2019s mindset. \u201cThe exact relationship between the images is really set by him, and that\u2019s what we see here,\u201d Katrib says.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/30dd823e9005f2705ca036c8e60c5e1a35ee6b83-6452x4301.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Eduardo Arroyo, La Ronde de nuit aux gourdins (1975-76), Galerie Kal\u00e9idoscope and Galerie Le Minotaure in collaboration with Galerie Louis Carr\u00e9 David Owens<\/p>\n
Eduardo Arroyo <\/p>\n
La Ronde de nuit aux gourdins (1975-76)<\/p>\n
Galerie Kal\u00e9idoscope and Galerie Le Minotaure in collaboration with Galerie Louis Carr\u00e9<\/p>\n
Eduardo Arroyo created this monumental painting upon hearing that the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco was close to dying. It is a reimagination of Rembrandt\u2019s La Ronde de Nuit (1642), in which contemporary weapons are placed in the hands of the figures, while side panels nod to the fact the Rembrandt work was cut so it could fit into a city hall. It is a tribute to a leading Old Master that also creates a link between \u201cmundane, bureaucratic\u201d state violence and the \u201cvivid violence of weapons\u201d, Katrib says.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ed8af6a542cb573604356dff1797194b0e3be9f7-6420x4310.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Oskar Schlemmer, Homo, Composition in Metal (1930-31), Leandro Navarro and Thaddaeus Ropac David Owens<\/p>\n
Oskar Schlemmer<\/p>\n
Homo, Composition in Metal (1930-31)<\/p>\n
Leandro Navarro and Thaddaeus Ropac<\/p>\n
The Bauhaus artist\u2019s wall-mounted wire sculpture comprises three human body-like forms in different proportions. Light and shadow are critical to the experience of the work, Katrib explains\u2014together, they contribute to an exploration of the relationship between the body and space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is a notable depth to this year\u2019s edition of Unlimited, the section of Art Basel dedicated to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8],"tags":[43250,35193,77,39765],"class_list":["post-85880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basel","tag-art-basel-2026","tag-artists","tag-basel","tag-unlimited"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116764697470133975","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}