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Culture & Industry3h 8m ago
The Baloise Art Prize, which has supported emerging artists at Art Basel's Statements section since 1999, was quietly canceled just days before the fair opened.
Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Who
Dealers, Art Basel, Baloise, Helvetia, Silke Lindner, Sylvie Hayes-Wallace, Ryan Gander, Haegue Yang, Rhea Dillon, Joyce Joumaa, Soft Opening, Eli Kerr gallery, Aziza Kadyri, Carla Gueye, Diego Marcon, Precious Okoyomon, Tiffany Sia and Farah Al Qasimi
What
The Baloise Art Prize, which has supported emerging artists at Art Basel's Statements section since 1999, was quietly canceled just days before the fair opened.
When
Tue, 16 Jun 2026 19:55:55 GMT · 3h 8m ago
Where
Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland ·
Why
The cancellation follows Baloise's $10.8bn merger with Helvetia, forming Helvetia Baloise Holdings, which aims to save SFr350m annually and cut 2,600 jobs.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
The discontinuing of this long-running prize, which previously awarded SFr30,000 to two artists and donated works to major European museums, removes a significant funding and recognition opportunity for emerging artists and galleries in the Statements section of Art Basel. Dealers expressed surprise and frustration at the last-minute notification, highlighting the financial and reputational implications for their participation.
Story chain
5 events in this thread- Currently Reading3h 8m agoThe Baloise Art Prize, which has supported emerging artists at Art Basel's Statements section since 1999, was quietly canceled just days before the fair opened.
- Culture & Industry3h 8m agoThe Baloise Art Prize, which annually awarded two emerging artists SFr30,000 and donated their works to European museums, has been discontinued, surprising dealers participating in Art Basel’s Statements section.Open article
- Culture & Industry3h 8m agoDealers participating in Art Basel’s Statements section for emerging galleries discovered just days before the fair opened that the long-running Baloise Art Prize has been discontinued.Open article
- Culture & Industry3h 8m agoDealers participating in Art Basel’s Statements section were informed days before the fair opened that the Baloise Art Prize, providing two SFr30,000 awards to emerging artists and donating their works to European museums, has been discontinued.Open article
- Culture & Industry3h 8m agoThe Baloise Art Prize, which supported emerging artists in Art Basel's Statements section since 1999, has been quietly discontinued.Open article
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