Beyond basel and frieze: Where contemporary art is really invented
In October 2022, the Parisian gallery Almine Rech presented a painting by American artist Julie Curtiss at Artissima—a female silhouette with blue hair, half-painting, half-sculpture, sold in under two hours for €85,000. What made the transaction remarkable wasn’t the price, but the location: Turin, a city better known for its automotive industry than its art market. Yet it was there, in the former halls of the Fiera di Torino, that collectors like Miuccia Prada and François Pinault come every year to unearth future stars before they land in Basel or Miami. Artissima is just one of twelve European fairs that, far from the spotlight of Switzerland and England, are shaping trends, launching careers, and redefining what it means to "buy art." These events, often overlooked by tourist guides, are the true laboratories where new forms of creation, commerce, and even political resistance are being tested. Here’s where and how contemporary art is reinventing itself, off the beaten path.
By Artedusa
••14 min read01Regional fairs: the machines that manufacture legends
Contrary to popular belief, art fairs weren’t born in Basel in 1970, but in Cologne in 1967. Art Cologne, the world’s first modern fair, was created by German gallerists tired of seeing their artists exhibited in generalist salons. Its success proved one thing: contemporary art needed dedicated spaces where collectors could compare works in a professional setting. Yet this model quickly showed its limits. By the 1990s, fairs had become commercial monsters, where galleries spent fortunes on ephemeral stands while prices soared. It was in this context that regional fairs emerged, as a response to the hypercapitalism of Basel and Frieze.
Take Liste Art Fair, founded in Basel in 1996 by a group of young gallerists. Its principle? To offer space to emerging galleries, with affordable stands and a rigorous selection process. The result: in 2023, 40% of the artists presented at Liste went on to be exhibited in institutions like MoMA or Tate Modern. Among them was Avery Singer, spotted by the gallery Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler in 2014, whose works now sell for between $500,000 and $1 million. Liste isn’t a "minor" fair—it’s a career accelerator, where savvy collectors come to make deals before prices skyrocket.
At the other end of the spectrum, Artissima in Turin has taken the concept even further. Since 2013, its "Back to the Future" section has revisited forgotten artists from the 1990s, like Maurizio Cattelan or Rirkrit Tiravanija, whose works have seen their value multiply tenfold after their rediscovery. In 2022, a painting by Marlene Dumas presented in this section sold for €1.2 million to a Turkish collector. These fairs don’t just sell art—they rewrite art history in real time.
02The secret of successful fairs: the alchemy of curation and chance
What distinguishes a successful fair from a mere commercial salon is its ability to create unlikely encounters. At Chart Art Fair in Copenhagen, chance is even institutionalized. Each year, participating galleries are drawn by lot to determine their location. The result: a conceptual art gallery might find itself next to a Scandinavian design stand, sparking unexpected dialogues. In 2023, the gallery Nils Stærk exhibited ceramics by Asger Jorn alongside furniture by Ferm Living, giving birth to a new trend: "design-art," where functional pieces are signed by artists.
At Vienna Contemporary, geopolitics dictates the curation. Founded in 2012, the fair has always highlighted the artistic scenes of Central and Eastern Europe. In 2023, its "Focus: Ukraine" section presented works created during the war, like Boryana Rossa’s photographs of destroyed buildings covered in patriotic slogans. Several pieces were purchased by Western museums, including the Belvedere in Vienna. Here, art isn’t just a commodity—it’s a testimony, and fairs become platforms for cultural resistance.
Even logistical details play a role. At Art Brussels, galleries are divided into three sections: "Prime" for established names, "Discovery" for young talents, and "Rediscovery" for forgotten artists. This segmentation allows collectors to target their searches. In 2022, the gallery Xavier Hufkens sold a series of drawings by Tracey Emin in the "Rediscovery" section for €250,000—a price well below that of her recent works, but with enormous potential for appreciation. Regional fairs excel at turning constraints (limited budgets, small spaces) into opportunities.
03How galleries turn a stand into a selling machine
Behind every fair stand lies months of work. Take the example of Galerie Perrotin, which participates in about ten fairs a year. For Art Basel Hong Kong in 2024, the team began preparing its stand six months in advance. First, the artist selection: Takashi Murakami to attract Asian collectors, Claire Tabouret to appeal to Europeans, and Gabriel Rico for Latin American art lovers. Then, logistics: the works are packed in custom crates, with humidity sensors for sensitive canvases. Finally, the stand design: Perrotin spends up to €100,000 to create an immersive space, with walls painted in pastel tones and lighting designed to highlight each piece.
But not all galleries have Perrotin’s resources. At Independent Brussels, an alternative fair founded in 2016, stands are minimalist: white partitions, raw wooden pedestals, and basic lighting. Yet this simplicity is intentional. "We want visitors to focus on the art, not the decor," explains Liv Vaisberg, co-founder of the fair. The result? In 2023, the gallery Croy Nielsen sold an installation by Julian Charrière for €120,000 in a stand that cost only €5,000 to set up. The lesson is clear: at a fair, true luxury isn’t in marble or LED lights, but in the quality of the selection.
Galleries also use psychological strategies to encourage purchases. At Artissima, the gallery T293 placed a small sculpture by Tatiana Trouvé at the entrance of its stand in 2022. "Collectors see an accessible work first, which encourages them to come in," explains gallerist Davide Quadrio. Once inside, they discover more expensive pieces, like a €150,000 painting by Neïl Beloufa. This technique, called the "anchoring effect," is common at fairs: start with an affordable work to put the visitor at ease.
04Behind the scenes of fairs: logistics, scandals, and high-stakes gambles
Organizing an art fair is a bit like staging an ephemeral show where anything can go wrong. In 2019, at Artissima, a gallery hired actors to pretend to buy works, hoping to drive up prices. The ruse was discovered, and the gallery was banned from the fair. But scandals aren’t always so dramatic. In 2021, at Vienna Contemporary, a €500,000 painting by Georg Baselitz was reported "stolen" by its transporter. After a week of panic, the work was found... in a warehouse in Munich, where it had been mislabeled.
Logistical problems are commonplace. At Art Brussels in 2022, Brexit caused an administrative nightmare: British galleries had to pay 20% customs duties on their works, and some even withdrew from the fair. "We lost 30% of our British exhibitors," recalls Anne Vierstraete, the fair’s director. Even without Brexit, transport costs remain a headache. For Art Basel Miami in 2023, the gallery Hauser & Wirth spent €80,000 just to ship a sculpture by Louise Bourgeois from New York. Fragile works, like Dale Chihuly’s glass pieces, require climate-controlled crates and specific insurance—up to 2% of the work’s value.
But fairs are also the stage for successful gambles. In 2017, at Liste, the gallery Company presented a series of drawings by Julie Mehretu when the artist was still little known in Europe. The result: MoMA bought a work for its permanent collection, and Mehretu’s prices multiplied fivefold in two years. "Fairs are trend accelerators," explains Stefano Raimondi, director of Artissima. "An artist can go from anonymity to stardom in three days."
05Where to find the works that will appreciate tomorrow
If you want to buy art that isn’t already overpriced, regional fairs are the best place to hunt for gems. Here’s where to look, and how to spot future stars.
The "emerging" sections. At Art Brussels, the "Discovery" section is a breeding ground for talent. In 2021, the gallery Rodolphe Janssen presented Lynn Hershman Leeson, a pioneer of digital art then unknown in Europe. Today, her works sell for between €50,000 and €200,000. At Liste, the "Solo" section highlights one artist per edition with a monographic exhibition. In 2016, that’s where Julie Curtiss was spotted by Almine Rech, before becoming a market staple.
The specialized fairs. Chart Art Fair in Copenhagen is the best place to discover Nordic art, still undervalued. In 2023, the gallery Nils Stærk sold works by Tal R for €30,000—a modest price for an artist whose paintings now exceed €200,000. At Art Vilnius, the Baltic scene offers unique opportunities. In 2022, a painting by Žilvinas Kempinas, a Lithuanian artist known for his kinetic installations, was bought for €40,000 by a German collector. Today, his works reach €150,000.
The collaborations between art and design. At 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, the boundaries between art and design blur. In 2023, the brand Ferm Living collaborated with artist Mette Schelde to create a series of ceramic vases, sold for €2,000 each. These hybrid objects, halfway between art and decoration, are increasingly sought after by collectors. "Young buyers want pieces that have a double life: aesthetic and functional," explains Christian Rasmussen, Ferm Living’s director.
The engaged works. Fairs are also places where art meets politics. At Vienna Contemporary in 2023, the Ukrainian gallery The Naked Room presented works created during the war, like Boryana Rossa’s photographs of destroyed buildings. Several pieces were purchased by European museums, including the Belvedere. "Buying engaged art is also supporting a cause," emphasizes Katerina Gregos, the fair’s artistic director.
06The real cost of visiting a fair: what the catalogues don’t tell you
Going to an art fair isn’t just about paying for your ticket (between €20 and €50). It’s also about anticipating a series of hidden costs that can quickly blow your budget.
Transport and insurance. If you buy a work, you’ll need to transport it. For a medium-sized painting, expect to pay between €500 and €2,000 in shipping costs, depending on the distance. Fragile works, like glass sculptures, can cost up to €5,000 to ship. Not to mention insurance: between 1% and 2% of the work’s value. In 2022, a collector paid €3,000 in insurance for a Gerhard Richter painting bought for €150,000 at Art Cologne.
Customs duties and VAT. If you buy a work outside the European Union, you’ll have to pay customs duties (between 5% and 10% of the value) and VAT (20% in France). In 2023, a French collector had to shell out €25,000 in taxes for a sculpture bought for €100,000 at Frieze New York. "Many people forget these costs and end up with a nasty surprise," explains Élodie Morel, an art law expert.
Storage. If you don’t have space to hang your new acquisition, you’ll need to store it. Specialized warehouses cost between €100 and €500 per month, depending on the size of the work. In 2023, specialist online platforms launched "Art Vault," a secure storage service starting at €200 per month.
Restoration costs. Old or fragile works may require restoration. In 2021, a collector spent €15,000 restoring a Pierre Soulages painting bought for €200,000 at Art Brussels. "You should always budget for restoration, especially for works on paper or sculptures," advises Marie Lavandier, director of the Louvre-Lens Museum.
07How to visit a fair like a professional
To get the most out of a fair, you can’t just wander between the stands. Here’s how to proceed, step by step.
Before the fair: prepare your visit. Download the online catalogue and identify the galleries that interest you. "A fair is like a supermarket: if you don’t have a list, you’ll get lost," explains Thaddaeus Ropac, a gallerist. Also check out the special sections, like "Discovery" at Art Brussels or "Back to the Future" at Artissima. Finally, make appointments with the galleries that interest you. "Fairs are networking places: the more prepared you are, the better your chances of making deals," adds Ropac.
During the fair: be strategic, First day (VIP preview): This is when serious collectors buy. Prices are still negotiable, and the works haven’t been "picked over.", Second day: Galleries start lowering their prices. "This is the best day for patient buyers," explains Anne Vierstraete, director of Art Brussels. et Last day: Galleries want to clear their stands. "You can get up to 50% off some works," confides an anonymous collector.
After the fair: follow the market. If a work interests you but you’re hesitant, ask the gallery for an "option." This gives you 24 to 48 hours to think it over, without obligation. "Serious galleries always accept options, especially for works over €10,000," explains Élodie Morel. Finally, follow the artist on social media and check auction results. "If a work appreciates within six months, that’s a good sign," adds Morel.
08The future of fairs: fewer stands, more experiences
Art fairs are undergoing a transformation. After the boom of the 2010s, marked by a proliferation of events, the trend is now toward rationalization. "Collectors are overwhelmed: they want fewer fairs, but of better quality," explains Marc Spiegler, former director of Art Basel.
The "slow fair" model. Inspired by the slow food movement, some fairs are betting on quality over quantity. Independent Brussels, for example, limits the number of galleries to 40 and eliminates VIP stands. "We want to recreate the intimacy of old galleries," explains Liv Vaisberg, co-founder of the fair. The result: in 2023, 60% of the works presented were sold, compared to an average of 30% at major fairs.
The hybridization of art and design. The boundaries between art and design are blurring. At 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, galleries present hybrid pieces, like Mette Schelde’s vases or furniture by Ferm Living signed by artists. "Young collectors want objects that have a double life: aesthetic and functional," explains Christian Rasmussen, Ferm Living’s director.
Sustainability. Fairs are also becoming more eco-friendly. Art Brussels banned single-use plastics in 2022, and Artissima uses recycled materials for its stands. "Collectors are increasingly sensitive to the carbon footprint of their purchases," explains Stefano Raimondi, director of Artissima.
Digital, but not only. Fairs are investing in digital tools, with virtual tours and online catalogues. But the physical experience remains irreplaceable. "Collectors want to touch the works, feel the atmosphere," explains Marc Spiegler. In 2023, Art Basel launched "Art Basel Live," a streaming platform for conferences, but kept its physical stands.
09Why these fairs are the future of contemporary art
Basel and Frieze will always be must-visits for wealthy collectors. But for those who want to discover tomorrow’s trends, understand the geopolitical stakes of art, or simply buy a work without breaking the bank, regional fairs have become indispensable. They are the laboratories where new forms of creation are invented, careers are negotiated, and contemporary art is reinvented off the beaten path.
In 2024, don’t just follow the crowds to Basel or London. Take a flight to Turin, Brussels, or Vilnius. You might find the next Julie Mehretu or Marlene Dumas before her price explodes. And above all, you’ll understand that contemporary art isn’t limited to Christie’s auction rooms or Gagosian’s stands. It’s also made in converted industrial halls, over coffee with a passionate gallerist, and under the spotlights of a fair where no one knows you yet. It’s in these interstices that the future of art is being shaped.
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