from the fair’s edition last September—were back in force, with Mera Rubell, Qiao Zhibing, Timothy Tan, and Richard Chang all spotted roaming the aisles of the main event on Tuesday. The atmosphere in the first hour of VIP preview was buzzing: boldface names including Guggenheim director Richard Armstrong, Venice Biennale curator Cecilia Alemani, and collectors Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and Uli Sigg brushed shoulders with artist Beeple and Swiss tennis player Roger Federer.
Another difference was the crowd at the jam-packed morning reserved for First Choice VIPs, with Hauser and Wirth co-president Marc Payot among those remarking that there were “nearly too many people for a preview.” “I love attending Art Basel but finally decided to skip this year,” California-based collector Mihail Lari said.