Art Basel, the worlds leading contemporary art fair has lost their second director in a month. Annette Schönholzer has announced that she will be leaving the fair, after twelve years. This is the second key executive team member to leave in a month. Magnus Renfrew, Art Basel’s Asia director is to join Bonhams auction house as their deputy chairman beginning in September. Marc Spiegler and Marco Fazzone both director of resources and finance, are staying on at the Swiss fair.
Schönholzer has been with Art Basel since 2002 as their show manager. She was promoted to co-director with Spiegler in 2008. Ms Schönholzer had been working with new initiatives along with Spiegler who will continue in this role. Schönholzer will now “pursue other opportunities in the cultural sphere” but will remain a consultant for the Basel event in the coming months, according to the fair press office.
Traditional gallery displays are still the centre of Art Basel, but throughout the history of the fair, other sectors have grown to increase the scope of works on display and participation of both those in the art world and the general public. The 300 core galleries represent over 2,500 artists from every corner of the globe. Exhibiting Modern and contemporary art in a wide range of media the fair is sure to be varied and exciting. Londoners who make the journey encounter some familiar faces as 27 London galleries exhibit including White Cube, Victoria Miro, Frith Street Gallery, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, The Paragon Press, and Annely Juda Fine Art.