BASEL.- The 38th edition of Art Basel, the international art show, takes place in the city of Basel (Switzerland) from June 13 through 17, 2007. The over 300 leading galleries selected by the Art Basel Committee come from all continents and will be showing works by over 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Over 20 galleries will be making their first appearance at the international art show. The «Art Statements» and «Art Premiere» sectors have been expanded. Further exhibition platforms feature editions, cultural institutions and magazines, art projects in urban spaces, and film work. The «Art Unlimited» hall offers artists and galleries a platform for showing large-scale works such as can be seen and purchased at no other art fair. There will also be a special presentation of artist records. At «Art Basel Conversations» interested visitors can meet leading exponents of the international art world. For the first time, official cooperation has been established between Art Basel, the Venice Biennale, the documenta in Kassel, and Skulpturenprojekte Münster.

The 38th edition of Art Basel, the international art show, runs from June 13 through 17, 2007. The show opens on June 12 with a Vernissage for invited guests. «Professional Day», aimed at museum professionals, dealers, and collectors, will be held on Friday, June 15. Over 55,000 art collectors, gallerists, artists, curators, and art lovers from all over the world are expected. Art Basel is regarded as the most important annual reunion of the art world and is indisputably the world's biggest and most important fair for modern and contemporary art. Art Basel's excellent reputation is founded both on the high quality and unique diversity of the exhibited works and on the international audience attracted by the event. Taking place during the same period as the Venice Biennale, the documenta in Kassel, and Skulpturenprojekte in Münster, Art Basel is ideally positioned between the openings of these three exhibitions. This year, for the first time, these four majors events will be engaging in official cooperation (further information on this will follow).

Launched with enormous success last year, the special «Art Premiere» sector is being expanded from 12 to 16 galleries. The participating galleries come from Germany, the USA, Switzerland, France, Italy, Great Britain, Austria and Denmark. The layout of «Art Premiere» has been revamped, with four galleries clustered in each of the four corners of the first floor of Hall 2. This year's «Art Premiere» sector will be running under the heading of «Artist Dialogues». Each of the 16 curated projects represents an exciting juxtaposition of works by two artists.

300 of the world's leading galleries will be exhibiting at Art 38 Basel (for the list of exhibitors, go to www.ArtBasel.com/Exhibitors). They were selected from over 800 applicants by the Art Basel Committee, composed of gallerists Victor Gisler (Galerie Mai 36, Zurich), Xavier Hufkens (Xavier Hufkens, Brussels), David Juda (Annelie Juda Gallery, London), Claes Nordenhake (Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm, Berlin), Esther Schipper (Esther Schipper, Berlin), and, as a new addition this year, Tim Neuger (Galerie neugerriemschneider, Berlin). Patrice Contensin (Galerie Lelong Editions, Paris) was the expert for «Art Edition»; Edwynn Houk (Gallery Edwynn Houk, New York) served as the Art Basel Committee's advisory expert on photography. The experts for the «Art Statements» and «Art Premiere» sectors were Jochen Meyer (Galerie Meyer Riegger, Karlsruhe), Florence Bonnefous (Air de Paris, Paris) and Toby Webster (The Modern Institute, Glasgow). The Art Basel Committee arrived at its decisions on the basis of comprehensive preliminary information and several days of conferencing. 99% of last year's exhibitors had reapplied for admission. More than 20 galleries will be taking part in the international show for the first time. The show will once again feature the crème de la crème of the international gallery scene.

«Professional Day», which is aimed at museum professionals, dealers, and collectors, is scheduled for Friday, June 15, 2007. «Professional Day» gives exhibitors an opportunity to run special events or show part of their booth in revamped form between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. On Friday until 1 p.m., admission to the international art show is only by invitation of the participating galleries and the Show Management. In the morning there will also be panel discussions and events geared specifically to professional visitors.

«Art Basel Conversations» are also back again this year. Fostering direct encounters with leading figures from the international art world, «Art Basel Conversations» offer privileged access to first-hand information on all aspects of collecting and exhibiting art. The «Art Basel Conversations» forum encourages the exchange of ideas by means of panel discussions and personal contact with the panelists and other guests.

Art 38 Basel will be showcasing the whole array of artistic means of expression. The repertoire runs the gamut from paintings, drawings, photography, editions, sculptures, and installations to performance art, artist records, and films. The works on view and for purchase at the show range from museum-quality masterpieces to new works by established artists and talents waiting to be discovered. Prices start at a few hundred francs for editions, multiples, and works by young artists and extend into the millions for museum-worthy masterpieces.

Special sectors will feature one-person shows of young artists («Art Statements»), editions («Art Edition»), art projects in urban space, institutions, magazines, and artist films («Art Film»). «Art Unlimited» will present some 60 large-scale artworks – as shown and available for purchase at no other art fair. «Art Unlimited» offers artists and gallerists a platform for the presentation of works exceeding the scope of art-fair exhibition booths and frequently even of galleries, museums, and other traditional locations for the presentation of art. Over 50 international art magazines will also be making an appearance. «Art Lobby» – the communication platform in the «Art Unlimited» hall, where artists, collectors, art mediators, and the general public can meet and talk – once again promises to be the ideal place for networking in the art scene. This is where leading exponents of the international art world will be discussing timely art-market-related issues, cultural institutions will be introducing themselves, and new books will be presented.

Art 38 Basel and «Art Unlimited» are generously supported by UBS, which has been sponsoring partner of Art Basel since 1994.

Art Basel Miami Beach will be held in Miami Beach, Florida, from December 6 through 9, 2007.

For further information on Art 38 Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach, visit the website at www.ArtBasel.com.