Art Basel Takes Off

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GEROGIOS KEFALAS/KEYSTONE/AP

'Moonrise, East' by Ugo Rondinone, a cast aluminum, drawn enamel, and wooden plinth sculpture welcoming visitors to the Art Basel art fair.

The international art world is descending upon Art 39 Basel, in Basel, Switzerland, where nearly 300 art galleries will offer the work of 2,000 artists. The annual event, the world's largest art fair, brings together the leading names in Modern and Contemporary art; it opened yesterday for invited guests, and visitors were able to see work from around the world. At this year's fair, under the joint leadership of Annette Schönholzer and Marc Spiegler after Cay Sophie Rabinowitz resigned as artistic director in April, the special exhibition in the Art Unlimited hall is a celebration of artist-designed magazines, curated by Lionel Bovier, the director of Printed Matter in New York. In Art Statements, one-person booths give emerging artists a chance to communicate their work directly. The Public Art Projects showcase work by renowned artists, including Ugo Rondinone (Brunnen, Switzerland), whose "Moonrise, East" (2005) is represented by the gallery Presenhuber (Zuerich), top. Above, visitors take in the exhibition area of the Gallery Bernier/Eliades (Athens). Art Basel, which was moved 10 days earlier to avoid conflict with the European soccer championships, runs through June 8.