Places for Sculpture: Basel, Switzerland

Art Basel (June 16 – 19, 2016): In addition to the Galleries sector forming the bulk of the fair, visitors can take in a range of related special events and exhibitions, including Feature, with specially curated projects; Unlimited, for presentations that exceed the physical limitations of the usual art-fair stand; Statements, which presents solo projects by emerging artists; Edition, with a rich array of prints, multiples, and editioned works; Parcours, which engages viewers outside the fair with site-specific sculptures, interventions, and performances throughout Basel; a gathering of art magazines from around the world; and an ambitious program of films. Specific projects and participating artists will be announced after The Nasher magazine goes to press, but check www.artbasel.com for more details as the time of the fair draws closer.

Kunstmuseum Basel: After being closed for renovations to its main site and construction of a new building across the street, the Kunstmuseum reopens with a special focus on sculpture. Sculpture on the Move (April 19 – September 18, 2016), the inaugural exhibition in the new building (designed by Christ & Gantenbein architects), presents the dynamic evolution of sculpture over the past century, with an emphasis on the medium since World War II, especially three primary trends:  the incorporation of objects and materials from everyday life; the blurring of spatial and conceptual boundaries between sculpture and other forms of art; and a renewed focus on traditions of figuration. Drawing on powerful works from their own collection, supplemented by important international loans, the exhibition ranges from Alberto Giacometti and Hans Arp to Richard Serra, Joseph Beuys, and Eva Hesse, as well as to Fischli and Weiss, Robert Gober, and Charles Ray. At the Museum für Gegenwartskunst (Museum for Contemporary Art), the exhibition continues with recent works by Gabriel Orozco, Danh Vo, and Monika Sosnowska, among others. www.kunstmuseumbasel.ch

Museum Tinguely: This scenic museum on the banks of the Rhine offers above all an immersive experience of the found-object sculpture of the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely in all its clanking, heaving glory. The building, designed by Mario Botta, also offers ample exhibition space, and the museum frequently presents artists whose work relates in some way to Tinguely’s. On view during Art Basel will be Michael Landy: Out of Order (June 8 – September 25, 2016), the first retrospective by this Young British Artist outside the UK. Landy questions the function of art and artworks in society, and is perhaps best known for the 2001 project Break Down, in which he drew up a list of his possessions, in order to systematically destroy them.  www.tinguely.ch

Kunsthalle Basel: During the week of Art Basel, the Kunsthalle will open Angst, a new project by Anne Imhof, recent winner of the Preis der Nationalgalerie 2015. Combining drawing, installation, and performance over the duration of the exhibition, Imhof will present an “opera” of sorts, mixing amateur and formally trained performers with moving sculptural elements. www.kunsthallebasel.ch

Just outside Basel:

Fondation Beyeler: In addition to its outstanding permanent collection (the legacy of art dealer Ernst Beyeler, the museum’s founder, as well as one of the founders of Art Basel) and Renzo Piano-designed building, the Beyeler will this summer have on view the special exhibition Alexander Calder + Fischli/Weiss (May 29 – September 4, 2016), focusing on themes of balance, equilibrium, and precariousness common to these artists’ work. Although the subject of a retrospective this year at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, the chance to see the ingenious and canny works of Peter Fischli and David Weiss in combination with the inventive playfulness of Calder promises focused insights on an important aspect of the Swiss duo’s contribution to contemporary sculpture.