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INTERVIEWwithANDREAS KUEFERArt Consultant/Exhibitor,Art Basel— Andreas Kuefer, Basel-basedConsultant, Designer and Art Director,gives a personal preview of the upcoming44th edition of Art Basel andart collecting advices about the ongoingsearch for the right masters ...

Name your top five highlight galleriesand artists of this year’s Art Basel...The bluechip galleries have put on strong shows over thelast years so I‘m interested to see what they will haveon display this time around. Some of the galleries I‘meager to check out are ”Lehman Maupin“, ”Andrehn Schiptjenko“with new works by Utah Barth, Xavier Hufkens andBasel’s own ”Von Bartha Garage“. From what I‘ve heard, we canexpect a fantastic Art Basel Unlimited, including works by AiWeiwei, Wolfgang Laib and Roni Horn amongst many others. Ialso believe that Art Basel’s satellite fair VOLTA will be worth avisit this year. They have a strong roster including Copenhagen‘s”Larm Gallery“, ”Charlie Smith“ from London and some upand coming New Yorker (Lower East Side) representatives with”Pablo‘s Birthday“ and ”The Hole“.ArtBasel / Von Bartha Garage

ArtBasel / Von Bartha Garage

ArtBasel / Von Bartha Garage

Over 300 leading galleries from NorthAmerica, Latin America, Europe, Asia,and Africa show their masters in Basel.How do you select between a must-seeand optional gallery visit?This is something you establish over the years. If theprogram of a gallery keeps enchanting you over years,mark that as a „must visit“. Another way is to do someresearch before visiting the fairs and look up the exhibitorsinformation on their websites. A good approach that you see alot of the experienced fair visitors take, is to speed walk throughthe fair, mark the map with galleries you want to revisit and thentake your time to do so. If your time is limited, start with Art BaselUnlimited and then potentially limit yourself to a part of ArtBasel that most interests you.ArtBasel Unlimited / Galerie Capitain

ArtBasel / LARMgalleriArtBasel / Andréhn-Schiptjenko

ArtBasel / Lehmann Maupin

Art Basel has developed from an artfair into a global brand with sisterfairs in Miami Beach and the newestshow in Hong Kong. What are thekey similarities and differences betweenthe fairs?With the expansion into the Asian market, Art Baselhas secured its number one spot in the art world.Unfortunately, I wasn‘t able to visit Hong Kong butthe feedback has been very positive, even though it‘s created a bitof an art marathon with Hong Kong, Venice and Basel happeningback to back. Of course, there‘s a regional aspect to the fairs andthe selection of galleries and artists that make each unique. Asthe fairs have been strongly embedded into each cities culturallife, the events beside the fair have become almost as importantas the exhibition itself. Basel is probably the most serious ofaffairs while Miami takes the number one spot for entertainmentand has become one big art party.ArtBasel | HongKong

ArtBasel / MCH Swiss Exhibition Hall

ArtBasel / Lehmann Maupin

You exhibit and sell art on-site inBasel. How would you describe yourown experience of the fair?I‘ve been operating at some of the satellite fairs and consultingcollectors. Basel has always been a great market for uswith an often quite art savvy audience that makes it a pleasureto deal with. While the Americans used to make up a largebulk of the visitors, we‘ve seen a shift towards a more diverseaudience. Turkey for instance has been coming on strong.What are the current trends on the artmarket? Which are the best-sellingartists?Whenever Art Basel is in the same year as the VeniceBiennale, you can expect artists represented in bothto do extremely well. Playing along with the ”economics“the last years have shown a trend to buy ”names“, whichthe average collector regards as the most secure investment. Ithink we‘re now seeing a shift again towards less investment drivencollecting. Painting (if it was ever gone) is definitely back!ArtBasel | HongKong / Marian Goodman

ArtBasel / Galerie Urs Meile

Do you collect art yourself? Whatadvice would you offer to someonestarting a collection?Someone once said you‘re a collector if you own more artthan you can fit on your walls. So yes – I qualify. It‘s difficultto give general advice on collecting. It‘s a very individualthing and a lot of personal factors weigh in. My advice:Spend as much time as you can visiting as many fairs as youcan. Train your eye and look if there‘s a pattern of works you‘redrawn to. Take a closer look at those, engage with the dealersand ask for information on specific works – learn about theartist. Take or ask for a picture and walk away. If a specific workdoesn‘t let you go, you‘re drawn back to it and it fits your budget– buy it. Be smart about your budget. Every novice collector makesmistakes. Trust me, there‘s works in my collection I wouldn‘tbuy anymore today. You grow with your experience. Your budgetshould do the same. Even though employing an art advisor hasbecome quite fashionable and good advise is extremely valuablein the art world, be careful to do so and who to pick when startingto collect. You don‘t want your collection end up reflectingmore the art advisor rather than yourself.ArtBasel / Sean Kelly Gallery