Art Basel ends a successful 2023 edition in Hong Kong with reports of strong sales and strong attendance. This shows how Hong Kong's cultural scene is still improving and how important it is as the gateway to the Asian art market.

 

▲Way to Exhibition Hall, Art Basel Hong Kong 2023, Photo by Luha Lee.

Art Basel Hong Kong 2023 closed on March 25, 2023, after a week of strong sales to collectors from Asia and other parts of the world and the discovery of new artists. In its five show days, 86,000 people from all over the world came to the fair, which was the biggest one since 2019. Visitors also got to see Hong Kong's lively cultural scene and the exciting things going on in its cultural institutions, like the recently opened M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum.

For the first time since 2019, the show was held on two floors of the HKCEC. It brought together 177 galleries from all over the world, which is a big jump from the 130 galleries that were there in 2022. All of the special sectors, such as Encounters, Film, Kabinett, and Conversations, also returned.

▲Exhibition Hall, Art Basel Hong Kong 2023, Photo by Luha Lee.

Leading private collectors from over 70 countries and territories, as well as museum directors, curators, and patrons from over 100 international museums and institutions, came to the fair and learned about the city's many cultural offerings.

In order to show more of the great art from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, more than two-thirds of the galleries that took part in the fair had exhibition spaces in the region. For example, 33 galleries had exhibition spaces in Hong Kong. Galleries in mainland China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan continued to have a

At the show, galleries from India and Southeast Asia also had booths that were interesting and drew people in. ‘This week marked Hong Kong's grand reopening after three years of pandemic-related challenges, with our show reaffirming its position as the apex cultural moment in the region,’ says Noah Horowitz, CEO, Art Basel. "Collectors from Hong Kong, mainland China, Asia, and other parts of the world came out in force, and it is really exciting to see how the local art scene has grown and become so vibrant, thanks to a new generation of collectors and the opening of world-class institutions." Once again, Hong Kong proved that it is the best place in Asia to buy and sell art and that it is a key part of the global trade.

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