Art Basel

Art Basel = Anne's heaven. Ok, a bit of an exaggeration. There would be more chocolate and fewer pretentious people in heaven. I've never been surrounded by so much wonderful modern and contemporary art! I really enjoyed Art Unlimited, which is the big exhibition of contemporary works. Then there are more gallery booths than I could have ever imagined, each with some of the best works by their best artists. On my first day I was having such a great time and thought I was going to be finished very quickly and what was I going to do with all of the extra time? Then I realized that I had barely seen 1/8 of everything. At that point I became completely overwhelmed and couldn't look at individual works anymore. It was too much. I just wandered the aisles stunned by how much there was to see. While I had my wits about me I made sure to write down the names of artists I really liked or had never heard of but want to see where they go. Then there are also lectures and panel discussions to go to. Yesterday I heard Josh Baer, dealer and founder of the Baerfaxt journal on the art market, discuss what's new and changing in the 2008 art market. Tomorrow I hope to make it to a panel on key principles in collecting contemporary art.

Not only is this a great opportunity to look at the art; but a fantastic venue for people watching! There's the obvious art crowd; you can pick out the artists, dealers, and scholars, but then there are the Sikhs and oligarchs who have flown in on their helicopters, and an interesting husband and wife who both shaved their heads, wore the same makeup, and matching dresses with their faces screen-printed on them. I wasn't sure what category in which to place the last two.

Anyway, back to me being overwhelmed. On top of the art and the people to consider is the money: the money that was spent to put everything on, and more importantly the huge amounts of money that are being spent (and I'm not just talking about the overpriced coffee). By the second day, much of what I had seen the day before had a little red dot next to it, or had been taken down and replaced by another masterpiece. I will be represented by a little red dot one day. Until then I will remain the gauche American girl who wore flip flops. In my defense, the weather is lousy and rainy and I found out the hard way that my other shoes smell awful when they get wet. I decided that being gauche and un-stylish was better than being stinky.

Though I go to Basel everyday, I am actually staying in Mulhouse, France, a 45 minute train ride and a world away. It's not my favorite place. It's stuck somewhere between a city and a village but as far as I have seen, it seems to lack the better qualities of each. I guess I shouldn't be so harsh. My hotel is tidy and efficient, despite its interesting location directly between the hospital and the foundry.

Oh, I finally got my phone figured out; however, it required getting a new number: 06 70 25 15 92. Please feel free to call or SMS (text).

That's all for now. Love to you all!

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