Art Basel 2018 Must-See

The fun begins! 
Art Basel Immersion.
The strongest statements made at this year’s Fair are from in-depth presentations that immerse you like this Keith Haring installation. Gallerist Barbara Gladstone built a special room infused with red light to show works by Haring she selected from the estate covering the full length of his brief career. The mini exhibition addresses how playful he was with materials and how he loved to explore commonplace objects as canvases for his iconography.

Iconic at Basel!
The most spectacular Masterworks at this year’s Fair are grouped all together in 1 powerful spot. All come from the private collection of Richard Gray, a giant of American art dealers, who passed away this year. Imagine, the best Works chosen by one of the best eyes from the best artists of the second half of the 20th century. JacksonPollock, Willem De Kooning, Franz Kline, Alberto Giacometti, Pablo Picasso, David Hockney and a half dozen more. Put this at the top of your must-see list!

Women!
Front and Center
Finally! Women Artists and and Gender Issues are well represented in this year’s edition of Art Basel. Many of the most compelling one-person presentations are devoted to pioneering women including Shelagh Wakely (1932-2011), one of the first installation artists. Richard Saulton at the Basel Fair is showing important historical work of hers for the first time in the US, including this Dessert Trolley laden with Gilded Fruit.

Basel Energy!
As well as in-depth presentations, there are many stand-out works by women artists at Basel this year. This winding tornado vortex called “Alien Twister” is by master sculptor Alice Aycock at Galerie Thomas Schulte.

In Your Face
Genius Power
Nearly a dozen commanding sculptures by Macarthur Genius Joyce J. Scott create a nexus of power at Peter Blum’s Basel booth. In these early career works Scott uses weaving, beadwork, blown glass and found objects to create powerful figurative sculptures. The intricately made objects address issues of race, class, and sex with a macabre mix of humor and outrage. Don’t miss this chance to experience the emotion and spirituality that comes with Scott’s references to Native and minority cultures.

Abstract into Figure
Reinvention at Basel
David Park, One of the giants of postwar American painting is celebrated this year at Basel with a stunning display of his late paintings. During his last ten years Park rejected a career focused on abstraction and turned to painting the figure. These mature expressive works sing with the confidence of revelation as Park uses an abstract aesthetic to create rhythm and flatten space. With his inventive pallete, bold gestures and varied paint textures, so clearly seen in this show, Park launched the Bay Area Figuration movement along with noted west coast painters Richard Diebenkorn and Elmer Bischoff. Don’t miss these powerful portraits and scenes at Hackett Mill’s booth in the Survey section.