Art Basel 2016 with Ruinart Champagne
Art Basel, Europe’s largest and most influential art fair opened its gates again. La Bonne Vivante joined Ruinart at the collectors lounge for a sneak prereview of Art Basel’s 47th edition.
Established in 1729, Ruinart is the world’s oldest champage house. Its wine cellars underneath the city of Reims have been listed a Unesco world heritage last year.The house of Ruinart has always had close links to the world of art. The Ruinart family has had a long dynasty of art collectors and part of the Ruinart family members have been artists themselves. It is therefore no surprise that Ruinart has been a Sponsor of the Art Basel for years. Ruinart collaborates with an artist every year for the art basel. Their this year’s choice was Erwin Olaf, an internationally recognized photographer and artist. Olaf was fascinated by Ruinart’s famous crayeres and therefore decided to focus on their prehistoric natural formations and human trances. The result has been a collection of stunning photo art in black and white showcasing Ruinart’s wine cellars. These art pieces truly merge Ruinart’s heritage with contemporary art.
As in previous years, Art Basel showcased some very impressive contemporary art pieces. With 286 galleries from 33 countries gathered at the fair, the sheer size of art can be intimidating and it probably would take a full working day to appreciate all of the art exhibited. As the oldest art fair of the art basel family, the fair is a strong indicator of contemporary art buying trends.
As Mr. Spiegler , the head of Art Basel put it, “If they can’t sell great works in Basel, they can’t sell them anywhere.” My personal highlights included Kurt Schwitter’s Ohne titel and an installation by Hans Op de Beeck, called The Collector’s House, a charcoal room with a post-Pompeii feel to it.
