Art Basel’s ‘OVR:20c’: Participating Galleries, Artists, and Highlights
Live from October 28 to October 31 and featuring 100 Art Basel galleries from 23 countries and territories, ‘OVR:20c’ is dedicated exclusively to works created during the 20th century. Participating galleries will present tightly curated exhibitions showing up to six works simultaneously, celebrating the wide range of artistic production across the century’s ten decades.
Collectors will be able to discover 600 exceptional works by a global array of artists who bore an important influence on one of the most noteworthy centuries in art history, spanning painting, sculpture, drawings, installation, and photography, as well as video and digital works.
Multiple galleries will offer presentations that showcase defining decades or critical moments within 20th century art. Highlights include: Fraenkel Gallery’s presentation of photographic works from the 1960s, featuring artists who redefined the rules of the medium, including Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, and Garry Winogrand; a selection of monumental sculptures and paintings created in 1990 by Kishio Suga, Lee Ufan, Tatsuo Miyajima, and Toshikatsu Endo at SCAI The Bathhouse that illustrate the innovative legacy of Mono-ha; an exhibition by Luciana Brito Galeria that fosters greater international awareness of the Brazilian Concrete art movement of the 1950s, showcasing historical works by ‘Grupo Ruptura’ artists Waldemar Cordeiro, Geraldo de Barros, Kazmer Féjer, Hermelindo Fiaminghi, and Maurício Nogueira Lima; Mazzoleni’s presentation of works by three pioneering Italian artists – Alberto Burri, Lucio Fontana, and Piero Manzoni – who had a profound impact on the growth of new creative trends in the post-war period; and more.
Many galleries will focus their presentation on a single artist. Highlights include: Susan Sheehan Gallery’s presentation of six prints by Vija Celmins, which serve as key examples of the artist’s signature style and meticulous renderings of vast natural wonders; The Third Line’s showcase of earlier works on paper and textiles by Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, whose practice blends principles of Islamic geometry with a contemporary sensibility; a selection of never-before-exhibited paintings by Louise Fishman from the artist’s personal archive at Vielmetter Los Angeles that reflect the brilliance and intimacy of her power as a painter; Xavier Hufkens’ presentation of paintings by Alice Neel, featuring a painting from each decade of her prolific career; a never-before-seen selection of erotic works on paper by Paraguayan artist Feliciano Centurión at waldengallery, which reflect the aesthetics not only of the artist but also of the larger artistic community in Argentina in the later 1980s, as the country emerged from a dictatorship; Mai 36 Galerie’s presentation of prints by iconic American photographer and cultural figure Robert Mapplethorpe; a selection of works created by Barbara Hammer in the 1990s at Company Gallery, including two seminal films that reflect the artist’s goal to create portraits of queer culture to trace experiences that may otherwise have been obscured in mainstream history; and six double-sided watercolor drawings by the enigmatic Outsider artist Henry Darger at Andrew Edlin Gallery, which depict the heroines that appear in Darger’s 15,000-page fantasy-adventure novel.
‘OVR:20c’ will also feature presentations that explore specific currents, trends, and developments across the century. Specific examples include: Paula Cooper Gallery’s presentation of works characterized by radical materiality, from sculptures by Arte Povera pioneer Luciano Fabro to the cubic works of Sol LeWitt and Jackie Winsor; Massimo De Carlo’s ‘Homage to the Square’, which explores diverse interpretations of the form throughout the 20th century through works by Josef Albers, Carl Andre, Alighiero Boetti, Olivier Mosset, Matt Mullican, and Steven Parrino; Regen Projects, showcasing a selection of works by artists that employ language to various means, including Catherine Opie, Jack Pierson, Lari Pittman, Richard Prince, Gillian Wearing, and Lawrence Weiner; Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, presenting a selection of figurative works representing the currents of 20th century American portraiture, featuring works by Benny Andrews, Milton Avery, Richmond Barthé, Beauford Delaney, Nancy Grossman, and Charles White; and Bergamin & Gomide’s presentation that will bring together works by artists including Francisco Brennand, Frans Krajcberg, Montez Magno, Rivane Neuenschwander, José Resende, and Amélia Toledo, who each drew unique inspiration from natural elements and the characteristics of the Brazilian terrain.
Marc Spiegler, Global Director, Art Basel noted: ‘OVR:20c provides an overview of important artistic movements and discourses that emerged in the 1900s, as well as unique and compelling works created by artists across generations and regions during this period. Patrons visiting OVR:20c will be able to explore thoughtfully curated selections drawn from across ten decades that redefined the art world, embodied by premier quality artworks.’
For the full gallery list, please visit artbasel.com/ovr. The Online Viewing Rooms will be available via the Art Basel website under artbasel.com/ovr, as well as on the Art Basel App for the most mobile-friendly experience.
Online Viewing Rooms
Art Basel’s Online Viewing Rooms offer exhibitors an additional platform to showcase artworks to Art Basel’s global network of patrons, as well as new collectors and buyers. The original concept of the Online Viewing Rooms was to run in parallel to the shows – rather than replacing the physical experience of an art fair – allowing gallerists to showcase additional curated exhibitions of works not presented at the fair. Given these extraordinary times, two standalone editions for galleries who were chosen to participate in Art Basel Hong Kong and Basel took place in March 2020 and June 2020 respectively. The newly launched formats of Online Viewing Rooms in September and October are more focused in theme and scope, giving Art Basel galleries the opportunity to present tightly curated exhibitions drawn from their programs. In addition to the ongoing software development for the platform, the upcoming edition of the Online Viewing Rooms will introduce a new live-chat feature that allows visitors to directly engage with galleries. Another edition of Art Basel’s Online Viewing Rooms will be taking place in December, with details to follow in the upcoming weeks.
OVR:20c
Preview (by invitation only)
Wednesday, October 28, 2020, noon (CET) – Friday, October 30, 2020 noon (CET)
Public days
Friday, October 30, 2020 noon (CET) – Saturday, October 31, 2020 midnight (CET)
Selection Committee for OVR:20c
Emi Eu, STPI, Singapore
David Fleiss, Galerie 1900-2000, Paris
Thiago Gomide, Bergamin & Gomide, São Paulo
Steven Henry, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York
Lucy Mitchell-Innes, Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York
Mary Sabbatino, Galerie Lelong & Co., Paris and New York
Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world’s premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition. Art Basel’s engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through new digital platforms and a number of new initiatives such as The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report and The BMW Art Journey. Art Basel’s Global Media Partner is The Financial Times. For further information, please visit artbasel.com.
Upcoming Art Basel shows
Hong Kong, March 25-27, 2021
Basel, June 17-20, 2021
Miami Beach, December 2-5, 2021
Upcoming Art Basel Online Viewing Rooms
OVR:20c, October 28-31, 2020
OVR: Miami Beach, December 4-6, 2020