What does the word ‘Basel’ mean to you?

Art, truly. I once read that there are more world-class art collections and museums per square meter and per capita in Basel than any other place in Europe, if not worldwide. I don’t know if that is empirically true, but it sure feels like it.

Your first memory in Basel?

Staying in a ragged youth hostel during an Art Basel because it was the only lodging that I could afford in the city at the time – even though I was a full-fledged professional by then.

Where do you feel most at home?

For the last eight and a half years that I’ve run Kunsthalle Basel, I’ve lived in the area known as Kleinbasel, which is also where Art Basel happens, and it really feels like home.

What is the mark of a true Basler?

A cosmopolitan sophistication, but also an exceptional sense of discretion.

Which famous figure best embodies Basel?

The basilisk. This mythological creature can be found on several fountains throughout the city as well as on the bridgehead of the Wettsteinbrücke. Seeing it always reminds me that despite the calmness and levelheaded rationality of Basel, this Swiss city was also built on the foundations of the fantastical and magical.

Your favorite place for breakfast?

In Kleinbasel, Avant-Gouz or a new place called SILO run by young hoteliers. In the city center, Confiserie Bachmann. Near Kunsthalle Basel, Café-Bar Elisabethen.

Where are the best boutiques?

In the realm of clothing, Set & Sekt for the chic and new, and Frankie Frankie for the beautiful and once-loved. For all sorts of other exquisite things, Grimsel and Designbutik.

Guests at your dream dinner party in Basel?

I love what happens with eclectic mixes at dinner parties. So, if I could channel both the living and the dead, I’d say, Audre Lorde, David Bowie, Alexa Demie, Marcel Duchamp, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, and P. Staff.

Where do you go out in Basel?

Renée for cocktails in a room lined with peacock wallpaper, Kulturbeiz 113 for stiff drinks with a view, Kaserne Basel for concerts or performances, HUMBUG to discover new scenes, and – perhaps my favorite when the company is right – Don’t Worry Be Happy Bar for a total dive bar experience, karaoke included.

Which artwork best represents Basel?

I don't know if ‘represents’ is the right word here, but the most iconic work associated with the city is certainly The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb by Hans Holbein the Younger from 1521 at the Kunstmuseum Basel. Few images I know are as gripping or unflinchingly ruthless.

What is the craziest thing you have heard or seen on the streets of Basel?

There used to be – and maybe still is – an Uber driver who drives around in a vintage silver Rolls-Royce wearing a top hat. I’ve never managed to book him, but I know people who ordered an Uber and were shocked to have a Rolls show up as their ride.

Find out everything you need to know about Art Basel's upcoming edition in Basel, running June 15-18, here.

All photos by Noé Cotter for Art Basel.

Published on June 6, 2023.