Basel

The Basel contemporary art fair last week defied forecasts of a market slowdown, with wealthy collectors buying works with seven or eight-figure price tags.

At its VIP day on June 13, Zurich's Hauser and Wirth gallery sold a spider by Franco-American sculptor Louise Bourgeois for $22.5 million.

Climate change, migration, artificial intelligence, perspectives on Africa and combating nationalism take center-stage this year at Art Basel, the world's top contemporary art fair.

The French art world was shaken on Jan. 26 by news that the Art Basel fair has swooped in to replace France's own, long-running FIAC at the Grand Palais in Paris.

The shock decision comes at a time when Paris is regaining its place as a pre-eminent center for art in the world, helped by a slew of new museums and the impact of Brexit on its main rival London.

Art Basel Hong Kong, one of Asia's premier art fairs, is back in slimmer form after a hiatus prompted by COVID-19.

About 100 galleries from 23 countries are participating, half the pre-pandemic level, with others joining via online viewing rooms. The show runs through Sunday.

Global bank capital rules should be applied in full across the European Union, the bloc's banking watchdog said on Monday, dashing industry hopes for leniency after a decade of intense regulation.

Swiss police say five fans of Greek club PAOK Thessaloniki were hurt in an attack by local hooligans at a hotel in Basel.

The incident on Wednesday came hours before Thessaloniki beat FC Basel 3-0 in a Champions League qualifying match, eliminating the Swiss team 5-1 on aggregate.

As wealthy VIPs filtered into Art Basel's imposing halls to view some of the most valuable works in contemporary art, the staff at Frame Art Fair were a kilometer away scrubbing floors.

Greek archaeologist Christos Tsirogiannis based in Cambridge is reported to have identified two ancient Greek vases on sale at the well-known Frieze Masters art fair in Regent’s Park, London.

Hundreds of glass bottles suspended in nets or hanging from chains hauntingly illustrate the horrors of the slave trade, while 40,000 golden bullets are poised menacingly above an egg-covered surface.

The global political turmoil has left its mark on many of the works on display at this year's Art Basel, the world's biggest contemporary art fair.

An EasyJet flight that took off from Thessaloniki on Tuesday bound for the Swiss city of Basel was forced to return to the northern Greek port shortly after takeoff due to what the company described as a technical problem.