As the art world’s fall calendar continues to shift amid restrictions put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic, yet another major fair’s 2020 edition has been called off. Liste, an art fair in Switzerland that focuses on younger galleries and typically coincides with the city’s Art Basel in June, has canceled its 2020 edition, which had been re-dated for September.
Liste’s cancelation comes after Art Basel nixed its 2020 fair, which had also been moved to September. Like Art Basel, Liste plans to take its offerings digital, with a set of online viewing rooms titled Liste Showtime due to launch on September 11 with a VIP preview.
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In a letter sent out via email on Tuesday morning, Joanna Kamm, Liste’s director, said that the fair’s cancelation arose from health concerns and an air of uncertainty surrounding the travel restrictions currently placed on citizens in high-risk countries. ARTnews has reached out to a spokesperson for Liste for comment on whether the fair plans to refund exhibitors for their booth fees.
“We would like to take a moment to thank our galleries and their artists who, despite the adverse circumstances, took the risk of planning a fair in the times of Covid-19 with unparalleled levels of courage and enthusiasm, exemplifying their commitment to once again present art physically,” Kamm wrote. “During the many months in which we and the participating gallerists discussed the postponement of the fair and potential alternative models, the implementation of a fair without Art Basel and finally the cancellation, a special community has been created. We are more than grateful for this experience.”
Liste now joins a host of other fairs that have canceled their 2020 editions, including Art Basel’s Hong Kong and Swiss fairs, Frieze’s New York and London fairs, and TEFAF’s fall New York fair. Paris’s FIAC, one of the biggest fairs in Europe, has still not made a decision about hosting its 2020 edition, which is scheduled for October 22–25.
Source: artnews.com