Itinerary
Monday - June 15, 2026
11:00am – Private Encounter with artist Kader Attia and Parcours curator Stefanie Hessler
UBS Aeschenvorstadt, Basel
Join internationally acclaimed artist Kader Attia – one of today’s most influential voices exploring identity, history, and repair – together with curator Stefanie Hessler, Director of Swiss Institute New York and curator of Parcours, for an intimate introduction to Art Basel’s acclaimed public sector for site-specific works.
During this private tour, Attia will present his major installation Untitled (Rainsticks) (2024/2025), a large-scale sound environment that transforms everyday materials into an immersive experience. As shifting sounds move from a gentle trickle to a resonant storm, the work evokes water as a force of ecological and spiritual transformation, offering a powerful reflection on our relationship to the natural world.
12:30pm - Lunch in honor of Messeplatz artist Nairy Baghramian at a Private Collector Home
Heiner Vischer, Riehen
On the occasion of her major public commission for Art Basel, we are delighted to invite you to a private lunch in honor of Nairy Baghramian, one of the most respected contemporary sculptors working today.
Hosted at the home of our Basel based collector and Global Patron Heiner Vischer, this intimate gathering celebrates Baghramian’s distinctive practice which explores the human body, architecture, and systems of support.
3:00pm - Tour of Messeplatz with artist Nairy Baghramian
Art Basel, Messeplatz, Basel
Following the lunch, discover Baghramian’s large-scale public commission Modèle vivant (S’empilant) (2026), created specifically for Art Basel.
Installed in the iconic Messeplatz fountain, the work unfolds as a rhythmic assembly of large-scale sculptural groupings combining amorphous forms with geometric support structures. Evoking bodies in suspension, the work reconsiders the relationship between sculpture, site, and viewer within the dynamic context of Art Basel.
3:30pm - Early Access to Unlimited with Noah Horowitz, Maike Cruse, Vincenzo de Bellis, and participating artists Wael Shawky and Goshka Macuga
Art Basel, Unlimited, Hall 1, "Gate 101" on Isteinerstrasse
Enjoy exclusive early access to Unlimited, Art Basel’s pioneering sector for large-scale presentations, before the official VIP opening.
You will be welcomed by Noah Horowitz, CEO of Art Basel, Maike Cruse, Director of Art Basel in Basel, and Vincenzo de Bellis, Chief Artistic Officer, Art Basel, who will introduce this year’s presentation.
This edition brings together nearly 60 ambitious projects by leading artists including Oskar Schlemmer, Chris Burden, Isa Genzken, Theaster Gates, Tracey Emin, Ed Ruscha and many more – spanning large-scale installation, sculpture, film, and performance.
A number of participating artists, including Wael Shawky and Goshka Macuga, will be present, offering a rare opportunity to engage directly with their work.
Tuesday - June 16, 2026
10:00am to 11:00am - Welcome Breakfast at Collectors Lounge
Art Basel, Collectors Lounge, Hall 2, Level 2
Join members of our Global Patrons Council, Art Basel Gold Awardees and Medalists, alongside a select group of leading collectors and museum directors for a private breakfast ahead of the fair opening.
Guests will enjoy access to the show floor from 11:00am.
5:00pm - Private Encounter with artist Sabine Moritz
Art Basel, Hall 2.0, Main Entrance
Discover Melancholia, a new body of works by Sabine Moritz, one of the most compelling painters of her generation, known for moving fluidly between abstraction and figuration.
Created especially for Art Basel, this presentation offers insight into her exploration of abstraction, figuration, and presence, ahead of her forthcoming exhibition at the Garden Museum, London (October 2026).
The visit will take place in the presence of the artist.
Wednesday - June 17, 2026
10am - Private Collection visit with Breakfast at Heikedine und Jörn Günther
Heikedine und Jörn Günther's home, Basel
Join us for breakfast and a tour of the Günther Collection. Dr Jörn Günther is the world’s leading dealer in medieval manuscripts, with an inventory that includes some of the most important pieces to have passed through the market in the last 40 years. Alongside an incredible selection of museum-quality codices in the gallery, the Günther residence boasts an impressive collection of contemporary artwork presented alongside historic pieces and is home to the world's largest private collection of medieval manuscript miniatures.
12:00pm - Private Encounter with artist Alfredo Jaar
Art Basel, Hall 1.0 Entrance Unlimited
Join internationally renowned artist Alfredo Jaar, whose work has been exhibited in major museums worldwide, for a private encounter at Unlimited.
Jaar will present The Power of Words (1984/2021), an early landmark installation examining the role of media and the power of images in shaping public perception — themes that remain strikingly relevant today.
5:00pm – Private guided tour at Kunstmuseum Basel with Director Elena Filipovic
Kunstmuseum Basel
Enjoy a private tour of the Helen Frankenthaler exhibition at Kunstmuseum Basel, led by museum director Elena Filipovic.
This landmark presentation marks the artist’s first institutional solo presentation in Switzerland and the largest survey of her work ever shown in Europe.
The visit includes exclusive access to the Kupferstichkabinett (Prints and Drawings), featuring exceptional works on paper from Renaissance masters to contemporary artists, led by Museum Director Elena Filipovic.
6:00pm - Private Encounter with artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons
Art Basel, Hall 2.0, Main Entrance
Experience an intimate encounter with María Magdalena Campos-Pons, one of the leading artists of her generation and an Art Basel Awards Medalist.
Her multidisciplinary practice spans photography, installation, and performance, exploring themes of memory, identity, and the legacies of diaspora. Drawing on her Afro-Cuban, Chinese, and Hispanic heritage, her work weaves together personal and collective histories shaped by migration, colonialism, and resilience.
8:00pm - Dîner Campagnard
Haus zum Raben, Basel
Basel collectors Oliver and Svetlana Ehinger, together with Global Patron Heiner Vischer, invite you to a special evening at “Haus zum Raben”, one of Basel’s most distinguished historic residences.
During the evening, guests will have the opportunity to join guided tours through the historic rooms on the first floor.
Thursday - June 18, 2026
12:30pm - Lunch honoring Münsterplatz artist Ibrahim Mahama
Haus der Kulturen, Basel
Join us for a private lunch celebrating Ibrahim Mahama, one of the most important contemporary artists working today, known for his large-scale installations exploring history, labor, and global trade.
2:00pm – Private tour of Münsterplatz with artist Ibrahim Mahama
Münsterplatz, Basel
Following lunch, experience Mahama’s major public commission The God of Small Things (2026), presented as part of the Art Basel Awards.
Installed in the historic Münsterplatz, the ambitious sculptural and spatial installation transforms the square into an immersive environment using materials sourced from Ghana’s industrial history. Mahama’s practice is internationally recognized for addressing questions of memory, postcolonial identity, and global systems through monumental sculptural installations. Rather than a singular monumental form, the work unfolds as a constellation of suspended sculptural elements arranged to create an immersive spatial environment, transforming the historic square into a site of material and political reflection.
Luxury Hotels
We are pleased to introduce an exclusive new partnership with a carefully curated selection of leading 5-star hotels in Zurich and Lucerne, including private shuttle options to Basel. On VIP-days, free Limousine-Shuttle Service is available in the morning and evening.
Should you need any support in booking a hotel room kindly reach out to Francesca Gasser, via email or phone +41 61 268 68 68.