Art Basel announced that it will go ahead with its Marquee Swiss Fair. The event will take place as planned at Messe Basel on 24-26 September, with three VIP preview days beginning 21 September. 273 galleries from 33 countries will participate in the fair.

Art Basel is supposed to be held annually every June. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s edition was cancelled and this year’s edition was postponed until September. 

As reported by Artnet, Art Basel cited the success of its recent edition of Art Basel Hong Kong that was held in May. Despite extreme travel restrictions, the Hong Kong edition still managed to feature more than 100 galleries and welcomed 30,000 visitors.

Due to the pandemic, the Swiss edition fair will be held in a hybrid format. It will utilise satellite booths operated by locals, so gallerists who won't be able to travel to Switzerland because of travel restrictions can still participate. 

Art Basel will also release robust virtual programming, including live virtual VIP walkthroughs of the fair as well as the traditional online viewing room for those who are unable to attend. 

The exhibition will be held with some adjustments for safety precautions. Visitors must provide either proof of full vaccination, a recent negative COVID-19 test result, or proof of sufficient antibodies. 

The fair will be divided into four sections: Galleries, which is the fair’s main section with 221 galleries; Feature for single or duo-artist presentations from 24 galleries; Statements for 18 solo presentations of emerging artists; and Edition, which will have 10 galleries focusing on prints and editioned works. Other sections, such as Unlimited (for large-scale installations), Parcours (for site-specific works and performances around Basel) and Film, will be announced at a later date.

The full list of exhibitors is available here.