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The Best Artists and Accounts to Follow at Art Basel According to an It-Girl Gallerist

And if you happen to be in Miami, make sure to check out their work.

Culture
The Best Artists and Accounts to Follow at Art Basel According to an It-Girl Gallerist

I’ve never been to Art Basel Miami, but I imagine if I did I would be immediately overwhelmed. There are over 250 of the world’s leading galleries with works by more than 4,000 artists on display. Over 70,000 visitors come from across the world to not only see the art, but to also attend fashion events thrown by the likes of Fendi and Loewe (making the people-watching just as enticing as the gallery-hopping). And again, this is all happening in Miami where there are enough beaches, cocktail bars, and dancing spots to keep even the most dedicated art enthusiast otherwise occupied.

Isabelle Bscher of Galerie Gmurzynska learned to walk in the city at the art fair and is the third-generation owner of the gallery—which is to say Art Basel practically raised her. Splitting her time between Zug in Switzerland and New York City, she spends her days conceptualizing exhibits and events for the annual fair; in 2014 she organized a widely popular Art Basel exhibition by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. Considering the gallery represents some of the most well-known artists, such as Donald Judd, James Turrell, and Yves Klein, Bscher is well versed in the masters but also accustomed to seeking out and identifying emerging up-and-comers. If you’re lucky enough to be down south for the artful affair, here is Bscher’s list of artists and exhibits not to be missed this year.

 


Francesco Vezzoli

“I care deeply about Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli. His work is fantastic with a twinge of a sense of humor that I am completely enamored with and can’t wait to see at Basel.”

 

Tom Wesselmann

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@tom_wesselmann

“Tom Wesselmann is always a MUST-SEE, in my opinion! Almine Rech Gallery is bringing a very important smoker painting that fairgoers will not want to miss.”

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@tom_wesselmann

 

Raymond Pettibon

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@davidzwirner

“I also always like seeing Raymond Pettibon work, and I am especially partial to the gouaches.”

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@davidzwirner

 

Laura Owens

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@whitneymuseum

“I am really looking forward to seeing works by L.A.-based painter Laura Owens. She just had a great mid-career retrospective at the Whitney that was magnificent. Her paintings are so joyful and have always stood out to me.”

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@whitneymuseum

 

Maurizio Cattelan

“Another of my all-time favorite artists that I always make time to see is Maurizio Cattelan. He always manages to create a real impact in a society completely overflooded with images.”

 

Roberto Matta

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@pacegallery

“Matta has always been one of my absolute favorites—if not my favorite artist, and we are showcasing an amazing early painting of his at our booth this year.”

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@pacegallery

 

Roy Lichtenstein

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@roylichtenstein

“Lichtenstein is an artist that has always been very close to my heart, and this year we will have an amazing painting of his that has been in the same collection for 40 years.”

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@roylichtenstein

 

Jean Pigozzi

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@jeanpigozzi

“Jean Pigozzi also has a great new series of dog photographs that are just so powerful and real, which can be found at our booth this year. These photographs are a step in a new direction for him, as he takes a more abstract, almost sensual artistic angle.”

Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@jeanpigozzi

 

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