Switzerland’s flagship fair brings the art world to town | Canada Voices

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I boarded the plane for Zurich last June. My final destination was the 56-year-old Art Basel and its satellite shows. It was the first year that so many Canadian galleries, including Vancouver’s Catriona Jeffries and Montreal’s Eli Kerr, were on-site for Swiss art fair season. But I also planned to spend some time in Zurich, as well as the de facto capital, Bern, exploring each city’s galleries to understand how Switzerland’s visual art landscape exists when the Basel booths get packed up and shipped off to their next stop on the ever-expanding global circuit of commercial exhibitions. I was struck by the diversity and dynamic programming I found.

My cultural tour began at Zurich Art Weekend, a festival heading into its ninth season this summer. This year’s itinerary, which stretches from June 12 to 14, includes programming at the Kunsthalle, one of the city’s pre-eminent institutions, which reopened its doors in 2022 after a significant refurbishment by Gigon/Guyer Architects and Atelier WW. The schedule also incorporates Zurich’s robust cadre of independent galleries concentrated on the Ramistrasse, a stretch that, from the Kunsthalle, eventually meets the Limmat riverbank.

On my visit, I was one of a lucky few who were able to tour the corporate collection of Julius Baer (the bank that backs the festival), including its first video work, an early piece by Swiss multi-media artist Pipilotti Rist. There was also a bustling museum soiree at the sprawling Kunsthaus. In attendance was Jeffrey Gibson, the American, Mississippi Choctaw-Cherokee artist whose dazzling multimedia sculptures took up residence in the entry hall of the structure’s Chipperfield building. Monster Chetwynd was also there; the British artist’s interactive sculpture, Zardoz, was permanently installed in its Garden of Art last September. This June, at the nearby Cabaret Voltaire, the birthplace of the Dada art movement, exhibitions will focus on 1916, the year the venerable performance space was founded and became an important part of Zurich’s cultural fabric.

Arriving in UNESCO-listed Bern with its landmark Zytglogge, a medieval clock tower in the city centre, places you a scenic 40-minute bus ride away from the Zentrum Paul Klee. Its dazzling Renzo Piano architecture and ambitious programming pay homage to the pioneering painter after whom the institution is named. Its exhibition schedule, which this summer highlights the work of avant-garde artist Kurt Schwitters, entrances visitors just the same.

One of the best things about Bern is its walkability, and both the Kunstmuseum and Kunsthalle – a 15-minute amble from one another – hosted impressively eclectic programming during my stay. An expansive survey of esoteric self-taught Italian artist Carol Rama’s work at the former, and at the latter, a trio of solo shows by maverick Black artists. The Kunsthalle’s summer 2026 programming includes exhibitions by multidisciplinary artist Tai Shani.

Before my trip, any time I told someone in the art industry that I was bound for Art Basel, their inevitable question was, “the good Basel?” They meant the fair founded in 1970 and currently staged at the staggering Herzog & de Meuron-designed Basel Exhibition Centre. So popular and clout-bestowing is this blue-chip enterprise that it has spawned the introduction of Basel fairs in Hong Kong, Miami and Paris, which aren’t always held in the same esteem as the original event.

Art Basel 2025 featured a handful of Canadian entries including the legendary artist-run centre Art Metropole, which was celebrating its 49^th appearance at the fair. Toronto commercial gallery Franz Kaka was also on site with a presentation of pieces by Turkish Canadian artist Elif Saydam; some of the pieces on view were painted on found toilet stall doors, a ribald move that the Dadaists would undoubtedly approve of.

“Last year was our first participation in Art Basel,” Franz Kaka’s founder, Aryen Hoekstra, says, noting that the gallery had previously shown at one of its satellite fairs, Liste. This June, Hoekstra and his team will showcase the work of three Canadian women artists: painter Jennifer Carvalho; photographer and sculptor Lotus L. Kang; and Alice Gong Xiaowen, an emerging interdisciplinary artist.

Hoekstra says that Basel, which was founded in 1970, remains relevant to the art world at large thanks to its international viewpoint. With so much uncertainty in the U.S. market, the fair has become an important node for Canadian gallerists. “It offers a chance to deepen an understanding of the gallery’s programming,” Hoekstra says.

The fair has expanded its venues over the past six decades. Across the Rhine, I caught the inaugural Africa Basel fair, a lively five-day event that will run from June 17 to 21 this year. An abundance of intriguing artworks will be on display, many incorporating compelling materials. Last year’s offering boasted works largely crafted from upcycled elements such as pill blister packs and tire refuse.

ON LOCATION

ZURICH

Cabinet Vintage

The area around Kunsthalle Zurich, which is conveniently located within the city’s tram system, is full of leafy streets lined with beautiful low-rise apartments and independent businesses including Cabinet Vintage, which stocks everything from Mugler to Hermès. cabinet-store.ch

BERN

Swissôtel Kursaal

Within walking distance of everything from the Stadttheater to the majestic Cathedral of Bern to the Old City’s over 100 historic fountains, this well-appointed property offers views of the Alps. Stays from $683/night through swissotel.com

Vierte Wand

This restaurant’s name translates to “fourth wall.” It’s a regional fare-focused boîte and home to the “longest table in Bern,” which takes its shape from the original stage floor of the 1903 city theatre. If you’re lucky, you might be treated to the sound of a nearby soprano warming up for the evening’s performance. buehnenbern.ch

BASEL

Bistro Kunstmuseum

This is the place to see and be seen during fair season. This June, the gallery itself will host a special exhibition honouring the oeuvre of Helen Frankenthaler as well as the first solo show in Switzerland by Chinese digital artist Cao Fei. kunstmuseumbasel.ch

Du Pont

The haughty Hugo – an Italian-born tipple of Prosecco, elderflower syrup, soda water and mint – is Switzerland’s beloved low-alcohol summer drink. Order one at this spot overlooking the Rhine River. dupontbasel.ch

The Globe and Mail Style Magazine travelled as a guest of Switzerland Tourism, which did not review or approve this article. Stories are based on merit; The Globe does not guarantee coverage.