I was pleasantly surprised by my first trip to Basel. At the fair the quality of works on view was excellent both in the modern and contemporary sections. And…even better news…sales were happening. Not just tiny things as in previous fairs but large, important and expensive works which bodes well for the art market. I spent the better part of 4 days combing the fair, trying to take it all in without going into overload having just experienced the Venice Biennale in all its glory just a few short days before. In addition to the fair which also included a section called Artist Statements where solo artists were featured, there was a Giacometti retrospective at the Fondation Beyeler (not only a wonderful show but an amazingly beautiful space) and a Van Gogh landscape show at the Kunstmuseum.

Some highlights of the fair included:

Lynne Cohen, Factory Lobby (Nebraska), Gelatin silver print, 1980, 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches

A black and white Lynne Cohen photo from 1980. Two Ruscha works on paper from the 1980s. A Jean Arp framed cutout on cardboard from 1927 called “Tete.” There were gorgeous Miró works on view and small Calder sculptures seemed to be in every booth I went into which is always nice. An Achrome by Manzoni from 1959 was outstanding at Karsetn Greve’s booth which also had a Twombly work on paper that was unforgettable. Two small subtle Richard Tuttle drawings caught my eye for a cool $25,000 each.

Marc Swanson, Untitled (black antler), 2009, Antler, crystals, adhesive, 5 1/4 x 11 x 14 1/2 inches

The hip artist Marc Swanson had his rhinestone antlers on view at Richard Gray Gallery’s booth. And Rudolph Stingel could be found in many booths. In fact, Paula Cooper had a small version of the large works with chain-link fence patterns found on view in Francois Pinault’s new exhibition, “Mapping the Studio” at the Punta della Dogana. There were a dozen artists whose work I had first seen at the Biennale who appeared en masse in the booth at the Basel art fair.

Arturo Herrera, Pan #6, 2008, Aluminum, glass and stell

There were wonderful unique works made of aluminum, glass, and steel by Arturo Herrera for $15,000 each. I drooled over a Christo collage of “Orange Store Front” from 1965 that put my editioned print of the same subject to shame. A small, black wonderful Calder sculpture c. 1945 called “Big Bellied Bottle” could be yours for a mere $400,000. A Sarah Morris work was on view at White Cube’s booth which, by the way, was probably my favorite booth of the whole fair. They have the most wonderful spectrum of artists. They never disappoint.

I was surprised to see a number of works by the female Surrealist Meret Oppenheim who is best known for her fur-lined cup in the permanent collection of MoMA in New York. At a Zurich gallery’s booth I learned about a Swiss abstract expressionist/color field painter named Franz Fedier whose work was quite beautiful and relatively affordable. Nelson -Freeman was another favorite booth with a 1963 Agnes Martin that blew me away. Amazing that just using oil, graphite and ink on linen can create a work that causes a bit of a religious experience for the viewer (at least this viewer).

Silvia Bächli

They also had Mel Bochner works and the artist whose work is on view at the Swiss pavilion in the Biennale, Silvia Bächli. She uses gouache on paper to create almost Chinese brushwork-like abstractions with simple lines and shapes. They also had a bright pink James Welling piece, an artist represented by David Zwirner, and a Richter oil and graphite on canvas from 1969 which was spectacular.

Donald Moffet, Lot #060805, 2005Oil and alkyd on linen35 1/4 x 28 inches

Donald Moffet’s shiny silver paintings were on view in a number of booths. Acquavella had a Paul Klee form 1938 that was outstanding in color and subject for 6 million US dollars.

Upstairs I was impressed with Jack Shainman’s booth which was devoted to the work of Kerry James Marshall. A Japanese gallery astounded me with the work of a twenty-something year old artist which involved intricately detailed drawings on paper and canvas. The major work in the booth had sold and they told me they would have to wait for him to produce more though they did have a book with his drawings for 1500 Euro for sale. There was some decent Chinese contemporary work on view. One of my favorites was a series of photos by Geng Jianyi–gorgeous.

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Lavandino, 1962-2007silkscreen printing on polished stainless steel

A Pistoletto (also has work on view in Venice) work of a sink on a steel reflective surface caught my eye and was priced at 160,000 Euro.

Ruben Ochoa, I Thought It Came Tumbling Down, concrete on paper, 2009, 41 x 65 x 3 inches

A work on paper by Ruben Ochoa (whose installation at Peter Blum was an earlier blog entry) was very cool. Abstract and minimalist in nature it was made of concrete on paper and was installed with heavy duty screws to insure it would stay on the wall of the booth.

Pizzi Cannella, Salon de Musique

And I was amazed to see an artist whose work I had almost convinced a client to purchase many years ago on view at Barbara Mathes Gallery. Pizzi Cannella’s “Salon de Musique” was gorgeous and the subject of the chandelier brought me right back to Venice with all of its beautiful Murano glass light fixtures.

Tacita Dean, Fernweh, 2009

Tacita Dean’s photogravure in eight parts stopped me in my tracks. Entitled “Fernweh” which is a German term without an English equivalent meaning “an aching to get away,” it is a gorgeous black and white landscape made from found photographs with indecipherable scribbles randomly placed on the works. There was also a very affordable $600 print by Saul Steinberg entitled Cedar Bar from 1997. And colorful new prints by Chris Ofili were available for $900 each at Crown Point Press.

Feeling the need to see more affordable works I headed to SCOPE art fair (sadly I never made it to Volta or Liste).

Izima Kaoru

There I fell in love with photos that looked like they were out of a fashion magazine but with an artistic twist by Izima Kaoru.

Stanley Wong

Stanley Wong’s Asian scrolls paid homage to the cultural heritage of China but instead of a painted landscape, the center of the scroll holds a modern photograph.