Sales of $3.4 billion Art Basel inventory prove art market bubble isn't bursting anytime soon
Works by British artist Martin Creed are a hot item at Basel. A four-minute film he created in 2013 sold quickly for $65,000.
According to Artnet, a $5.5 million Christopher Wool piece was sold by New York's Van de Weghe Gallery in the first half hour of Basel's opening day.
"Untitled (SC5)" by Christopher Wool.
Not everything at Basel is for sale. Artist Julius von Bismarck is doing performance art on this rotating platform. The work is called “Egocentric System.”
An Alberto Giacometti sculpture sold at auction for a record-breaking $140 million earlier this spring, so this work by the famed artist got a lot of traffic on opening day.
Saudi Arabian artist Maha Malluh's "Food for Thought Almuallaqat" exhibit centers on the idea that food brings people together.
Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted puffing an e-cigarette and palling around with art dealer Larry Gagosian at Basel. Apparently he had his eye on works by Takashi Murakami, George Condo, and Pablo Picasso.
A visitor steps in front of "Enso: Asura" by Takashi Murakami.
This work by Kaddia Attia, ironically titled "Beginning of the World," references the universe and its constant state of repair.
Hauser & Wirth gallery sold this stuffed animal mashup by Detroit-born artist Mike Kelley for an undisclosed amount.
At Art Basel Hong Kong, which took place in March, Gwyneth Paltrow was seen eyeing works by Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Visitors view a painting by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Olafur Eliasson's "Your Space Embracer" installation plays with light, shadows, and motion.
Pascale Marthine's "Plastic Tree" installation features wispy trees festooned with colorful plastic bags.
This piece, entitled "Snow White Bambi," is part of a slightly twisted (often anatomically correct) series by California artist Paul McCarthy on fairy tale characters.
New York-based artist Doug Aitken's work has fetched prices from five to six figures.
Here's something anyone at the fair can afford: a drink at Hauser & Wirth gallery's Roth Bar, a watering hole and art installation in one.
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