Politics Looms Over the World's Biggest Contemporary Art Fair
At the V.I.P. opening of Art Basel in Switzerland on Tuesday morning, American gallerists were greeted with three kisses on the cheek — and hushed questions about the man in the White House.
European collectors and museum leaders wanted to know how Los Angeles artists were responding to the arrival of military troops on their streets during the administration's efforts to control anti-deportation protests. Could the Smithsonian Institution maintain its independence from the federal government? Should they delete social media before trying to enter the United States for a gallery visit? And will international museums continue their policy of lending art to American institutions?
'You can time your watch that there is always a tragedy before, during or after Art Basel,' said Iwan Wirth, the president and co-founder of Hauser & Wirth, one of the largest galleries in the world. 'It is a bubble the art world dives into, but there is still uncertainty.'
That uncertainty picked up shortly after President Trump's inauguration in January, starting with executive orders that banned diversity initiatives at federally funded organizations. Since then, the White House has attempted to overhaul the Smithsonian, successfully removed the director of the National Portrait Gallery and cut millions of dollars in arts funding, telling administrators that federal support was being redirected to 'projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity.'
But the greatest effect on the ultrawealthy who come to one of the world's most important fairs for contemporary and modern art is the uncertainty around the threat of tariffs and the weakening of the dollar, according to interviews with more than a dozen art specialists. There were few major American collectors seen at the art fair's previews on Tuesday, and several of Basel's luxury hotels had rare vacancies that suggested smaller audiences and a growing regionalism in the art market.
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