BASEL.- UBS celebrates 25 years as Lead Partner of Art Basel, (14 – 17 June 2018), with a dedicated exhibition of work by artist Carlos Cruz-Diez from the UBS Art Collection, presented in the UBS Lounge. Cruz-Diez is considered one of the key 20th century thinkers in the realm of color, and is adept at creating participatory visual experiences.

The presentation at Art Basel will feature works from the UBS Art Collection that were part of an architectural intervention by Cruz-Diez at the former Union Bank of Switzerland building on Flurstrasse in Zurich in the 1970s. Chromo-kinetic elements were integrated into elements of the building so that people in halls, corridors and common spaces were captivated by an ever-changing color scheme.

Carlos Cruz-Diez said: “The ‘Environnement Chromatique‘ [Chromatic Environment] of the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) headquarters, on which I worked over 4 years, is one of my integrations of art in architecture I have the fondest memories about. Art is a complex structure of communication, expression, discovery and invention. Every work of art, every human production, is important when it modifies a former way of thinking."

The works presented at Art Basel will be exhibited together for the first time since 2011. Some have not been seen in public, while others have been displayed in UBS flagship buildings in London, Hong Kong and Panama. The UBS Art Collection is pleased to have the chance to work closely with Carlos Cruz-Diez and his studio, which restored several artworks for the display in the lounge at Art Basel.

Mary Rozell, Global Head of the UBS Art Collection, said: “The relationship between the UBS Art Collection and Carlos Cruz-Diez exemplifies the Collection's approach of close collaboration with living artists over many years. Ambitious site-specific artworks, created in collaboration with a diverse group of international artists, are one of the defining legacies of our collection.”

UBS has been collecting contemporary art for the last 60 years, driven by the company’s long-held belief that the art of today provides inspiration and encourages innovative thinking. With over 30,000 works, the UBS Art Collection is one of the most significant corporate art collections. UBS supports artists and galleries and actively lends works to major art museums and cultural institutions for public exhibitions. A selection of 54 works by Ed Ruscha from the Collection are currently the subject of a dedicated exhibition at the esteemed Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark. Ed Ruscha VERY: Works from the UBS Art Collection is on view until 19 August 2018.