‘Art Basel Hong Kong 2020 Needs to Be Put Out of Its Misery’: Exhibitors Demand Answers as Coronavirus Fears Mount

Is it just a matter of time before organizers of the Art Basel
Hong Kong fair pull the plug on this year’s edition?

The continued spread of the deadly coronavirus, which has
already claimed an estimated 170 lives, has dealers demanding a
definitive answer from organizers of the fair sooner rather than
later. At the moment, the event is still scheduled to open on March
17 and run through March 21. But pressure is rising as deadlines
for art-shipping approach and major airlines have begun cancelling
or reducing flights to Hong Kong through the end of March.

“Art Basel and MCH leadership are taking the situation in Asia
extremely seriously and we share many of the concerns expressed to
us by our gallerists,” a representative for the fair said in a
statement. “At this time, we do not have an update to share. We
recognize the urgency, and we are working hard to explore all
possible options.”

Tension over the fair was elevated even before the coronavirus
outbreak, as dealers grappled with attending
as pro-democracy protests are ongoing in the city. Two weeks after
24 galleries sent a pointed
letter to the fair demanding concessions due to the
uncertain political situation, London dealer Richard Nagy issued
his own even more heated message to organizers and colleagues,
which was shared with Bloomberg.

“Regretfully, we believe this situation needs decisive
leadership and the fatally wounded Art Basel Hong Kong 2020 needs
to be put out of its misery and quickly,” he wrote. “Having taken
soundings and we can tell you, not one of our foreign clients will
be attending and they are surprised the fair is still on.”

In the past few weeks, galleries including Luxembourg &
Dayan of New York and London, Tyler Rollins Fine Art of New York,
and SCAI The Bathhouse from Tokyo have all pulled out of the
fair, taking advantage of organizers’ offer of a reduced
withdrawal fee, allowing them to pay 75 percent of the booth cost
rather than the full amount. Around that time, the fair said that
if it were forced to close due to ongoing civil tension in Hong
Kong, they would refund 75 percent of galleries’ fees. A
spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry about
whether the same offer would be extended under the new
circumstances.

Few dealers were willing to comment on the record about their
heightened concerns over the fair, but according to the industry
newsletter the Canvas, organizers held a
meeting in Basel with dealers and other stakeholders yesterday to
discuss the issue. The fair’s leadership may be waiting, the
newsletter reports, to announce a cancellation until the World
Health Organization declares a public health emergency, an expected
outcome that may increase the chance that the fair’s insurance
provider could offset costs.

For some industry figures, the writing already appears to be on
the wall. “I love Art Basel but this is a real pandemic and I am
just guessing they know already it’s canceled and are figuring out
how to deal with it,” art advisor Lisa Schiff told Artnet News.

Following China’s decision to
close state museums last week, Hong Kong has shuttered its own
public art institutions indefinitely. The National Art
Museum of China in Beijing, the Guangdong Art Museum in Guangzhou,
and the Union Art Museum in Wuhan are among those that have closed.
Other tourist destinations, such as the Great Wall of China and
Disneyland’s Shanghai and Hong Kong locations, are also
shuttered.

Other major art initiatives have been impacted as well. The
opening of the CAFAM Techne Triennial, a contemporary art
exhibition featuring work by 130 artists that had been scheduled to
open on February 20 at the CAFA Art Museum in Beijing, has been
called off; no new opening date has been set. The X Museum,
a new private contemporary
art museum founded by collectors Michael Xufu Huang
and Theresa Tse, also announced it would delay its grand
opening festivities, originally scheduled for March 17.

Meanwhile, several airlines including Delta, American, and
United, have suspended or reduced the number of flights to China
during the fair’s run. And major corporations, including Art
Basel’s lead sponsor UBS, have imposed travel restrictions on
employees, asking them to work from home if they have returned from the mainland
in the past two weeks.

“Given the proximity to the place where the disease broke out
and the fact that a number of cases have been confirmed in Hong
Kong, it would be wise for the organizers of Art Basel Hong Kong to
cancel the show,” Ronn Torossian, CEO of 5WPR and a crisis
management expert, told Artnet News. “With potential exhibitors and
attendees already panicking, the show would likely have the threat
of the virus looming over it and would not go off as planned.
Additionally, the fact that people would be flying in for the show
could cause fears about additional spread to other parts of the
world, increasing the panic even more. Canceling the show would be
in the best interest for both the public and the organizers.”

The threat of the virus comes at an already tense moment for
Art Basel and its Swiss owner, MCH Group. The corporation is
suffering from financial strain and shareholder dissidence
from an investor group known as AMG, led by Erhard Lee. In a
special shareholder meeting in Basel yesterday, MCH addressed
several issues, though it said the Art Basel fair was not part of
the discussion.

In a statement, a spokesman for MCH said AMG Group’s efforts to
compel the business to disclose its records and to initiate a
thorough review of its strategy “were rejected by a clear
majority.” Erhard Lee did not respond to a request for comment.

The post ‘Art Basel Hong Kong 2020 Needs to Be Put Out of
Its Misery’: Exhibitors Demand Answers as Coronavirus Fears
Mount appeared first on artnet News.