The Art Newspaper

Liste’s laid-back approach appeals to buyers

The scrappy fair exemplifies a certain anti-commercial attitude, but this does not mean it is not about selling

By Lindsay Pollock. From Art Basel daily edition
Published online: 17 June 2010

Dutch dealer Steven van Grinsven collaborated with London book dealer Conor Donlon for his Zinger Presents stand (0/10/2) installation "Leading Men, Leading Men", priced at $45,000

Dutch dealer Steven van Grinsven took an unconventional approach to his Zinger Presents Liste stand (0/10/2). He collaborated with London book dealer Conor Donlon to fill a row of cases with books and works exploring what it means to be macho. “Leading Men, Leading Men”, includes a vintage Easy Rider paperback, a pair of ballerina slippers and Tom Cruise-style aviator sunglasses. The installation was priced $45,000. “Art fairs can be like shops,” said Van Grinsven. “But they can also be a lot more than that.”

The Liste fair, now in the 15th year, is mounted in a former Basel brewery. Some 350 international art dealers vied for 64 spots. Though the likes of power dealer Larry Gagosian and Greek collector Dakis Joannou were among this year’s visitors, the fair is also known for its casual atmosphere—in one corner, a pair of artists stood smoking, exhaling out of large windows. The scrappy fair exemplifies a certain anti-commercial attitude, but this does not mean it is not about selling.

“We sold out in one hour,” said Berlin and Los Angeles dealer Javier Peres of Peres Projects (0/7/4) who brought five large, gritty, Art Brut-inspired canvases by New York painter Joe Bradley. “I can’t remember the last time I said ‘sold out’, or ‘waiting list’.” The paintings, with titles such as Frankenstein and Berlin Hermaphrodite, were priced at $18,000 to $25,000.

“We sold nearly everything,” said Michael Gillespie of New York’s Foxy Production (0/7/3) who presented a group of paintings and sculptures by British artist Gabriel Hartley. The paintings were priced between $4,000 and $7,500. A wall-sized canvas entitled Pout was acquired by a “major English collection”.

“The fair totally exceeded our expectations,” said Zurich dealer Claudia Groeflin (0/6/2) who presented a solo show of work by Swiss artist Athene Galiciadis, priced at SwFr850 to SwFr8,500. “The fair is about young art—before you get into the white cube. That’s its charm,” said Groeflin.

The fair has a reputation as a springboard for artists and dealers who graduate onto bigger and better things. Well-known Art Basel figures, including David Zwirner (E10) and Maureen Paley (P10), previously exhibited at Liste. Painters Wilhelm Sasnal and Elizabeth Peyton also made early appearances at the fair.

San Francisco-based dealer Claudia Altman-Siegel (-1/2/4), a Liste newcomer, focused her stand on conceptual photography, including a triptych of photographs by Shannon Ebner, priced $30,000. She sold two editions and won a prize as the fair’s best first-time exhibitor.