New | A bigger, better Basel: Art fair returns to Hong Kong with strong local focus

Art Basel Hong Kong will overwhelm the city with more than 100 art events starting on Thursday but its impact on the local art scene will go well beyond the four-day event, industry insiders say.

Aficionados from around the world are flocking to the city as preparations for dozens of Basel art events get underway.

“One of the things we’ve been most proud about the fair has been its ability to put the spotlight to what’s happening in Hong Kong,” says Magnus Renfrew, director of Art Basel Asia.

The show is returning after last year’s debut that attracted 60,000 visitors. The international art fair made Hong Kong its third show location after its original in Switzerland and Miami Beach in the US when it acquired a 60 per cent ownership stake in Art HK in 2011.

Art Basel’s global director Marc Spiegler said, “There is a much stronger local scene to engage with in Hong Kong compared to Basel or Miami.”

Of the 245 galleries from 39 countries and territories participating in this year’s fair, 25 are based in or have an office in Hong Kong.