BASEL, SWITZERLAND.- The 37th edition of Art Basel closed its doors on Sunday, June 18. An annual reunion of the international art world, it attracted collectors, artists, curators, and art lovers from across the globe. The participating galleries, the Show Management, art aficionados, and the media unanimously declared it an outstanding year. Art 37 Basel impressively confirmed the robust health of the international art market. The new «Art Premiere» sector, featuring 12 young galleries from 9 countries, proved very popular. The new «Art Institutions» platform, which offered 6 well-known museums an opportunity to present themselves to the inter-national public, also received a warm welcome. Despite closing one day earlier this year, the international art show again drew 56,000 visitors and a record number of 2,000 media representatives.

The 37th edition of the international art show closed with excellent results. The approximately 300 exhibiting galleries consider this year’s Art Basel to have been a great success. Summing up the show, Samuel Keller, Director of Art Basel, commented: «The 37th edition of Art Basel was a Grand Cru, an excellent vintage. The galleries brought their finest works to Basel and were rewarded for their efforts». 56,000 visitors, art collectors, museum professionals, artists, and art lovers from all over the world visited Art 37 Basel. And a record number of 2,000 media representatives from all continents came to see what the international art market currently has to offer. As the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung put it : «Sprechen wir also ruhig von Perfektion, wenn von der Art Basel die Rede ist» and went on to say: «Parcours ohne Vergleich: Die 37. Ausgabe der Art Basel hat ihren Führungsanspruch uneinholbar ausgebaut.» The New York Times headlined: «High Rollers and Blue-Chip Artists at Basel Fair». Some of the many rave reviews in the press came from the Handelszeitung in Zurich: «Die Art Basel setzt globale Mass-stäbe»; Spain’s ABC: «Lo que ofrece Art Basel no lo ofrece nadie: una historia del arte del último siglo, sin excepción de gustos y tendencias, a la venta»; Die Welt (Berlin): «Raumschiff Art Basel völlig losgelöst»; Le Figaro (Paris): «Succès planétaire pour la 37e édition de la foire de Bâle»; the Neue Zürcher Zeitung: «Die 37. Art Basel – unübertroffene Kunstmarktschau»; the Süddeutsche Zeitung: «Die Moderne im Superlativ»; La Vanguardia: «Basilea se queda sin cuadros»; the International Herald Tribune: «Upbeat mood and brisk sales at Basel», and the Svenska Dagbladet (Stockholm): «Art Basel – världens största och mest prestigefulla konstmässa.»

«Art Basel Conversations», organized in association with Bulgari, were a great success. Attracting several hundred visitors each day, they featured distinguished experts discussing subjects relating to the exhibition and collection of art. The panelists in the discussion about the future of cultural institutions in the Middle East pronounced the event a milestone for the region.

4,000 spectators went to the St. Jakob Park stadium for the premiere of «ZIDANE a 21st Century Portrait», a film about soccer star Zinedine Zidane by artists Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno.

The second edition of the special «Artists’ Books» exhibition was very well received. Artists’ books from the 1960s by over 100 well-known artists were on show.

On opening day, visitors to the Vernissage were able to enjoy the Art’s first-ever concert, given by the Sinfonieorchester Basel under the direction of Howard Griffiths.

«Professional Day», which took place on Friday, was well-received by its target audience. Some 100 galleries staged special activities at their booths: one-person shows of young artists, thematic exhibitions, book premieres, lectures, performances, and guided tours.

By the last day of the show, both the lavishly illustrated Art Basel catalog, providing a comprehensive survey of what the international art market has to offer, and the «Art Unlimited» catalog were sold out.

UBS, a leading international financial institution, has served as the main sponsor of Art Basel since 1994. Since 2001 this long-standing partnership has also included Art Basel’s sister show, Art Basel Miami Beach. Art Basel figures alongside the famed UBS Art Collection as one of UBS’s key commitments in the field of contemporary art. «UBS is proud to be associated with Art Basel, which reflects contemporary trends in society and even anticipates the future. This is particularly appropriate to UBS, which always tries to be one step ahead», says Peter A. Wuffli, Group Chief Executive Officer of UBS.

Visitors - Everyone involved in Art 37 Basel considered it an excellent year, with responses ranging from satisfaction to delight. Visitors were reported to have shown extraordinary interest. Never before have so many major art collectors from all over the world come to Art Basel. Never before has the show attracted as many famous artists. Hotel rooms in and around Basel were booked solid. There were private collectors from all continents. Over 150 private planes landed at Basel-Mulhouse Airport. Virtually all of the world’s foremost museums sent delegations to Art 37 Basel. There was a particularly marked increase in attendance by members of the Chinese, Indian, and Russian art scene.

Sales - According to Show Management surveys, all the exhibiting galleries found buyers for their works. Many exhibitors reported their best sales results ever.

Pierre Huber, owner of Art & Public (Geneva): We sold very well, including to collectors from threshold countries. «Art Unlimited» is the perfect place to show collectors large-scale works in an ideal environment.

Peter C. Freeman, owner of Peter Freeman, Inc. (New York): A fantastic show: we sold a great many works to museums. It’s the high standard of the visitors that makes Art Basel special.

Laurence Miller, owner of Laurence Miller Gallery (New York): We sold works by our artists to 15 different countries, and a number of galleries will be showing our artists in the near future.

Peter Nagy, director of Nature Morte (New Delhi): This is the first time we have participated in Art Basel. The show is phenomenal. Interest in Indian art is booming. We met the most important curators from the most important museums in Europe and the USA here.

Kerstin Wahala, manager of Galerie Eigen + Art (Berlin): A top-flight fair all round; good art, international visitors, good conversations, very good sales, even of works that require courage. Every day was equally good for us. Not only is the Show Management a perfect organizer, it also shows loving attention to even the tiniest details.

Burkhard Riemschneider, owner of neugerriemschneider (Berlin): We had a very good show. We sold works by all of our artists, in every price range.

Thomas Zander, owner of Galerie Thomas Zander (Cologne): Nothing compares to Art Basel. We were sold out on the first day. We were able to place our artists in major private and museum collections.

Sean Kelly, owner of Sean Kelly Gallery (New York): Exceptional: Art Basel is the best art fair in the world, but this year was the best year of the best art fair in the world.

Bärbel Grässlin, owner of Galerie Bärbel Grässlin (Frankfurt am Main): Every year Art Basel is the show with the highest standard of quality and the place we do the best business.

Hanna Schouwink, director of David Zwirner (New York): We worked hard to bring the best works to Basel. Our sales were outstanding. We rehung our booth four times.

Thaddaeus Ropac, owner of Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac (Salzburg, Paris): Art Basel is the best place to network, the place to discuss new projects and establish new contacts. For instance, I was able to arrange for the big Baselitz retrospective to travel to a museum in Korea.

Emily Sundblad, director of Reena Spaulings Fine Art (