BASEL, SWITZERLAND.- «Art Basel Conversations» traditionally takes place in June, during Art Basel in Switzerland, and in December, during Art Basel Miami Beach in the USA. The program includes a number of platform discussions relating to the collecting and exhibiting of art. Well-known artists and leading personalities from the world of art speak at these events and mingle with the public. One special highlight at «Art Basel Conversations» this June is sure to be the plat-form discussion devoted to the museum boom in China. This will be attended by leading exponents of the Chinese art scene. «Art Basel Conversations» is organized in collaboration with Bulgari.

By facilitating direct exchanges with leading lights of the international art scene, «Art Basel Conversations» permits privileged access to first-hand information on matters relating to all aspects of collecting and exhibiting art. «Art Basel Conversations» is a forum which encourages the exchange of ideas through platform discussions and personal contact with speakers and other guests. Famous artists, art collectors, museum directors, Biennale curators and architects take part in this event. Speakers not only present their ongoing and upcoming projects, but also report on their experiences and on the challenges they face, in so doing revealing an insider's view of the art scene. «Art Basel Conversations» is an open platform for dynamic and inspiring dialog.

The curtain goes up on «Art Basel Conversations» at Art 36 Basel on Wednesday 15 June 2005 with an evening event for invited guests. The music will be provided by English artist and Turner Prize prizewinner Martin Creed and his band. From Thursday 16 June to Sunday 19 June, «Art Basel Conversations» will be held in the Bulgari Pavilion (Exhibition Square) from 10 to 11.30 a.m. The events are open to the public and admission is free. All visitors will receive a complimentary copy of the «Art Basel Conversations» catalog.

How and what do art scene insiders, gallery owners, artists, curators and museum directors collect for themselves? A discussion on this theme on Thursday 16 June brings together Maria de Corral, art critic, free-lance curator and co-director of the 51st Venice Biennale, member of the advisory board of the Telefonica Foundation Collection, Madrid; Gottried Honegger, artist, collector (Espace d'Art Concret and Albers-Honegger Collection, Château Mouans-Sartoux, France, Zurich,); Pierre Huber, art dealer, collector, Pierre Huber Collection, Geneva; Michelangelo Pistoletto, artist, collector, Cittadellarte-Pistoletto Foundation, Biella, Italy. The host is Richard Flood, Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. Topics will include: In your capacity as art scene insiders and art collectors, how does this dual identity influence your role in the world of art? How does your art collection change your work as an artist, as an art dealer, as a curator? What inspired you to build up an art collection of your own? What rules should an art scene insider observe when collecting art?

«Art Basel Conversations» on Friday 17 June 2005 will be devoted to the issue of artists and museum architecture. Which, for artists, are the ideal examples of museum architecture? What are the greatest architectural challenges facing artists in museums? How does museum architecture influence the relationship between art and viewer? How can artists influence those who commission museums - and their architects - in their choice of architectural idiom? This platform discussion brings together Vito Acconci, architect, artist, New York; John Armleder, artist, Geneva, New York and Andrea Fraser, artist, New York. The host is James Rondeau, Frances and Thomas Ditmer Curator of Contemporary Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.

China is currently experiencing an unprecedented museum boom. Indeed, the Chinese government has announced that it will build 1,000 new museums by the year 2015. The capital Peking alone plans 32 new museums by 2008 and Shanghai, host city to the 2010 World Expo, aims to have inaugurated 100 new museums by then. Does the future of the museum reside in China and how will this museum boom affect the art world? This topic will be considered on Saturday 18 June 2005 by the following distinguished personalities: Yung Ho Chang, architect (Atelier FCJZ), Chairman and Professor, Peking University Graduate Center of Architecture, Peking; Chaos Yang Chen, curator, founder of CHAOSPROJECTS/Visual Thinking, Peking; Fan Di'An, Vice President, Central Academy of Art, Peking; Hou Hanru, curator, Paris; Claire Hsu, Executive Director, Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong; Pi Li, art critic, curator, Shanghai; Huang Yong Ping, artist, Paris; Dr. Uli Sigg, collector, Member of the Advisory Board of the China Development Bank, former Swiss Ambassador to China, North Korea and Mongolia; Wang Huangsheng, Director, Guangdong Museum of Art, Ershadao Island, Guangzhou; Guan Yi, collector, Peking. The host is Hans Ulrich Obrist, curator of the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris.

«The curator's circle, new practices in curating» on Sunday 19 June 2005 tackles many questions: In future, will the curating of exhibitions only be possible in an institutional context? What does being a free-lance curator involve? How important to the work of the curator is the issue of preserving the art? How does a curator working for an institution remain autonomous? How has the function of a curator changed over the last five years? The participants are Nicolas Bourriaud, Co-Director Palais de Tokyo, curator, author, Paris, co-curator Biennale de Lyon, 2005; Charles Esche, Director Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, curator Istanbul Biennal, 2005; Massimiliano Gioni, co-curator 4th Berlin Biennale, Berlin, Artistic Director Fondazione Nicola Trussardi, Milan; Ruth Noack, curator, Documenta 12, free-lance curator and art historian. The host is Gilane Tawadros, Founding Director of inIVA (Institute of International Visual Arts) London.

«Art Basel Conversations» reflects the commitment of Art Basel and Bulgari to contemporary art and to those who create, mediate, or simply love, art of this kind. «Art Basel Conversations» will be supported by a comprehensive publication containing all the platform discussions which took place during Art Basel Miami Beach last December, as well as short biographies of the participants and other useful information. The catalogue can be ordered from www.ArtBasel.com and costs CHF 28.00.