{"id":192811,"date":"2025-06-17T22:31:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T22:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/192811\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T22:31:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T22:31:11","slug":"blue-chip-works-by-rothko-richter-picasso-headline-art-basel-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/192811\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue-Chip Works by Rothko, Richter, & Picasso Headline Art Basel 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFor decades, Art Basel<\/a> in Switzerland was the only fair that mattered\u2014the undisputed apex of the art market calendar. But in 2025, that certainty has splintered. With a bloated and chaotic global fair circuit and new contenders arriving every year (oh, hello Art Basel Qatar), even loyalists have started to ask: is Basel still top dog? For the galleries that brought the right material, it would seem so. David Zwirner sold a sculpture by Ruth Asawa for $9.5 million and a Gerhard Richter painting for $6.8 million. Gladstone sold an untitled Keith Haring from 1983 for $3.5 million, while White Cube moved a Georg Baselitz for \u20ac2.2 million. Thaddaeus Ropac also did especially well, with a Baselitz going for over $1 million.<\/p>\n

\t\tRelated Articles<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\n\tThis year, Art Basel, now in its 55th edition, opened under clear skies and heat\u201480 degrees Fahrenheit and climbing. For the 291 exhibitors participating, it\u2019s the last chance to reframe a summer season defined by tepid auctions and cautious collecting.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a soft, unpredictable market, the smart dealers have realized that the most effective strategy is to hedge their bets by casting a wide range of price points, periods of art history, and artistic styles. As art adviser Gabriela Palmieri put it, \u201cUncertainty in the world is mirrored by the uncertainty over what will motivate even the most discerning collectors. The response has turned Art Basel into a place where more really is more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGalleries that have previously relied on previews and multiple reserves (they still do) are now betting on volume and visibility as well. Robert Diamant, the founder of Carl Freedman Gallery in Kent, England, which isn\u2019t showing at the fair this year, told ARTnews on the sidelines that collectors are increasingly snubbing more \u201cacademic works\u201d rooted in art history in favor of \u201ccolorful things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tMoody Rothko Steals the Show\t<\/p>\n

\n\tTalk of the conflicts raging in Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, and Iran is hot on fair-goers\u2019 lips, but that hasn\u2019t deterred wealthy collectors from lounging in the fair\u2019s sunbaked courtyard while sipping champagne and slurping back oysters. Art Basel is a bubble. <\/p>\n

\n\tWas the heat making buyers lethargic? David Nolan, founder of his eponymous New York gallery, thought so. \u201cIt was a little slower than usual, however, business remains healthy overall,\u201d he told ARTnews. \u201cWe\u2019ve made some sales to new clients, though the majority have been to clients known to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHauser & Wirth, Switzerland being their home turf, naturally came out with force by headlining its booth with a hypnotic, moody Mark Rothko from the early 1960s. The painting wasn\u2019t on any of the PDFs circulated by the gallery ahead of the fair. \u201cThere\u2019s only so much you can see on a screen\u2014nothing replaces the moment you stand in front of a work in real life,\u201d Iwan Wirth, the gallery\u2019s cofounder, told ARTnews.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe work, No. 6\/Sienna, Orange on Wine (1962), was first shown in the1964 exhibition that introduced Abstract Expressionism to Switzerland, \u201cBilanz Internationale Malerei seit 1950\u201d at the Kunsthalle Basel, just on the other side of the Rhine from the Messeplatz. While the gallery wouldn\u2019t share the price, works from this same year have sold for between $30 million and $50 million at auction in the last 20 years, including at Christie\u2019s in 2022.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMark Bradford, Ain\u2019t Got Time To Worry, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto Keith Lubow\/\u00a9 Mark Bradford\/Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen asked if Basel\u2019s Art Basel still has the sway it once did, Wirth gave a confident \u201cyes,\u201d adding that \u201ca lot of people start collecting here because it\u2019s a great introduction to the art world. It always has been.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMany of the gallery\u2019s mid-career stars\u2014such as Rashid Johnson and Mark Bradford\u2014are presenting new work that looks backward, toward early influences, modernist touchstones, and overlooked figures in art history. One of Johnson\u2019s new \u201cQuiet Paintings\u201d revisits the material-heavy techniques of his earlier career\u2014scraping and layering into thick surfaces, while tilting its hat to influences from art brut and Sigmar Polke. Titled Spectrum (2025), it sold for $1 million on Tuesday. The gallery also sold two works by Bradford for $3.5 million each, two George Condo\u2019s for $2.45 million each, and a Louise Bourgeois for $1.9 million.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAn\u00a0untitled painting, from 1957\u201358, by Joan Mitchell in Pace\u2019s booth at Art Basel 2025<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9Joan Mitchell Foundation\/Courtesy Art Basel<\/p>\n

\t\tHedging Bets, Alleviating Risk\t<\/p>\n

\n\tPace\u2019s booth at Art Basel is organized with a deliberate split: fresh contemporary works are shown along the outer walls, while the gallery\u2019s historical masterworks anchor the interior. The presentation spans a wide price range\u2014from under $30,000 to a $30 million Picasso\u2014making clear that the gallery is covering all corners of the market.<\/p>\n

\n\tAmong the contemporary highlights are Pam Evelyn\u2019s Focal Length (2025), which sold for $85,000, and Kylie Manning\u2019s Jetty (2025), bought for $115,000. Inside the booth, near $30 million Picasso is a major Joan Mitchell, both works on reserve at the close of Art Basel\u2019s first preview day.<\/p>\n

\n\tPace reported over strong first-day results, including Agnes Martin\u2019s Untitled #5 (2002), which sold for over $4 million, and Emily Kam Kngwarray\u2019s Anooralya \u2013 Yam Story (1994), which went for $450,000. Other key sales included Arlene Shechet\u2019s Fictional First Person (2025), snapped up for $150,000 and Elmgreen & Dragset\u2019s The Visitor (2025), sold to Leipzig\u2019s G2 Kunsthalle for $300,000.<\/p>\n

\n\tPace\u2019s least pricey offering was Li Hei Di\u2019s artwork Triple Flood (2025), which sold for $28,000. Over at Marianne Boesky\u2019s booth, prices started at a similar point. Boesky told ARTnews that she is \u201cinsulating\u201d her booth from the \u201cchallenges impacting the secondary market\u201d by offering \u201cprimary market material at attractive price points between $30,000 and $1.8 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGagosian\u2019s booth at Art Basel 2025, featuring Pablo Picasso\u2019s T\u00eate de femme (1951) and Enfant assis (1939).<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto Owen Conway\/\u00a9 2025 Estate of Pablo Picasso\/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York\/Courtesy Gagosian<\/p>\n

\n\tGagosian, too, is casting a wide price net with a selection of works roughly between $30,000 and $2 million. Its booth, curated by the Venice Biennale and MCA Chicago veteran Francesco Bonami, straddles secondary market gems and new works by Jad\u00e9 Fadojutimi, John Currin, and Sarah Sze. These are hung next to notable pieces by Christo, Picasso, and a grisly Richard Avedon image of Andy Warhol\u2019s mangled torso.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt would be absurd not to mention that the entrance to Gagosian\u2019s booth has a retooled version of Maurizio Cattelan\u2019s infamous Him (originally a kneeling Hitler effigy). For the reworked version, dated 2021, titled No, Cattelan has covered the dictator\u2019s face with a paper bag, keeping his piously interlaced digits and infamous herringbone suit.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGagosian\u2019s booth at Art Basel 2025, featuring Maurizio Cattelan\u2019s No (2021), foreground, and a 2023 untitled painting by Rudolf Stingel. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto Owen Conway\/Courtesy Gagosian; Art, front to back: \u00a9Maurizio Cattelan; \u00a9Rudolf Stingel<\/p>\n

\t\tBrisk Sales and \u2018Less Americans\u2019\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThaddaeus Ropac reported brisk sales by early afternoon including James Rosenquist\u2019s Playmate (1966), which sold for $1.8 million to a European institution; 1981\u2019s Lipstick (Spread) by Robert Rauschenberg for $1.5 million; and Claire McCardell 9 (2022) by Alex Katz for $800,000. The gallery also sold three works by Baselitz including Hier jetzt hell, dort dunkel dunkel (2012) for $1.8 million. (Baselitz, along with Lucio Fontana, will be the first two artists shown at Ropac\u2019s new Milan gallery when it opens in September.)<\/p>\n

\n\tDavid Zwirner had sold 68 works from its stand by 5 p.m. The most notable the $9.5 million Asawa and $6.8 million Richter, as well as two new works by Dana Schutz, which sold for $1.2 million and $850,000. Zwirner also has on offer a Richter that, according to a well-informed adviser, is priced at $28 million. (A Zwirner rep said the gallery is not disclosing the price of that artwork.)<\/p>\n

\n\tOver at White Cube\u2019s booth, shortly after the first groups of collectors had entered the Messe, a stern Jay Jopling, the gallery\u2019s founder, told ARTnews it was \u201ca bit early to reveal any prices, but we\u2019ve already sold loads of stuff.\u201d They included David Hammons\u2019s Untitled (2012) and Red Birds (2022) by Cai Guo-Qiang. Jopling declined to disclose prices.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe gallery\u2019s global sales director, Daniela Gareh, later told ARTnews that \u201cit\u2019s been a strong first day\u2014we\u2019re particularly pleased with the institutional placement of several key works.\u201d They include three editions of Danh Vo\u2019s In God We Trust (2025) that went for $250,000 each. Two were sold before the fair kicked off and another on Tuesday. Guo-Qiang\u2019s Red Birds went to an unnamed European institution for $1.2 million.<\/p>\n

\n\tMathieu Paris, the gallery\u2019s senior director, told ARTnews that \u201cthere are definitely less Americans at the fair this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhite Cube also sold a Baselitz portrait of the artist\u2019s wife made in 2023 for $2.2 million, a large-scale work by Tracey Emin for over $1 million, and an acrylic on canvas painting by the late Sam Gilliam for $975,000.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tView of White Cube\u2019s booth at Art Basel 2025. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto Alex Burdiak\/Courtesy White Cube<\/p>\n

\t\t\u2018Great Atmosphere\u2019\t<\/p>\n

\n\tArt Basel\u2019s CEO Noah Horowitz said this year\u2019s edition felt more focused\u2014less party chatter, more serious engagement with the art itself. He pointed to a broader generational and geographic mix on the fair floor, and noted that for younger collectors, Basel remains \u201ca rite of passage\u201d regardless of what anyone says. Basel\u2019s bid to stay culturally relevant while navigating a market in flux can be seen clearly in the Unlimited sector. Once dominated by older European men, now reflects a wider range of perspectives, Horowitz said, from American artists like Diane Arbus, Lorna Simpson, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres to artists from Lebanon, Greece, and Russia.<\/p>\n

\n\tAndreas Gegner, a senior director at Spr\u00fcth Magers, told ARTnews that \u201cwe are having a fantastic first day at the fair\u2014the atmosphere is great.\u201d The gallery\u2019s sales included Barbara Kruger\u2019s Untitled (WAR TIME, WAR CRIME), from 2025, for $650,000; HORIZON. Shortness of Breath (2025) by Sterling Ruby for $350,000; and Rosemarie Trockel\u2019s Golden Brown (2005) for $850,000. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNot all works were flying off the shelves, though. It was tougher going for Mazzoleni Gallery, with spaces in London and Turin, which was struggling to find a buyer for a shredded Lucio Fontana made out of copper titled Concetto spaziale (1962). In fact, the gallery, which is displaying a selection of Italian masters, was still waiting to confirm a deal, but said there had been \u201clots of interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAshkan Baghestani, Sotheby\u2019s vice president and head of sale, told ARTnews that \u201cif you look around the fair, there\u2019s obviously still a lot of wealth in the world, despite what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe continued, \u201cThe May sales were really positive for us, all the small collections we had did well, anything under $2 million did super well. There was depth of bidding, records for artists, quality of property, so I think this brings positivity going into Art Basel.\u201d He added that he\u2019s looking forward to seeing how Art Basel\u2019s new fair in Doha plays out in February. \u201cI\u2019m excited. It\u2019s smaller, very well curated, it will be interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Two<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tOlga de Amaral, Lienzos C y D, 2015.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9Olga de Amaral\/Courtesy Lisson Gallery<\/p>\n

\n\tLouise Hayward, a London-based partner at Lisson Gallery, told ARTnews that Art Basel \u201cstill represents the climax of the year for us.\u201d By midday, the gallery\u2019s confirmed sales included Dalton Paula\u2019s Xica Manicongo (2025) for $200,000, Lee Ufan\u2019s Response (2025) for $850,000, and Olga de Amaral\u2019s Lienzos C y D (2015) for an undisclosed sum.<\/p>\n

\n\tARTnews asked a despondent Kenny Schachter, the artist and Artnet News columnist, if he thought the fair had lost any gravitas over the last few years. \u201cI measure my life by how many Art Basels I have left, so if I go by the \u2018Gagosian scale,\u2019 I\u2019d say I have about 17 remaining, and it\u2019s not getting any better\u2014it needs more vitality,\u201d he said, noting that \u00a0Basel Social Club, a startup fair a 20-minute walk from the Messeplatz, had \u201cinvigorated me. You want to see new ways of thinking. The art world is the most staunchly conservative industry, nothing prepared me for how backward-looking it is. It\u2019s so resistant to change, and that\u2019s disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, did Basel\u2019s first VIP day mark a rebound, a reprieve, or a launch of a new maximalist strategy? Depends on who you ask\u2014and how much they sold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For decades, Art Basel in Switzerland was the only fair that mattered\u2014the undisputed apex of the art market…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":192812,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[78732,78721,4021,4020,4022,77,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-192811","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-art-basel","9":"tag-art-basel-2025","10":"tag-arts","11":"tag-arts-and-design","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114701080217092498","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}