Cover Art Basel may be cancelled this June, but it will still be displaying over 4,000 pieces of art in virtual viewing rooms (Photo: Art Basel/Instagram)

The 2020 edition of the Swiss fair will no longer take place in person, but Art Basel will be displaying a range of art works online

Art Basel’s Swiss flagship fair might be cancelled this year, but the international art organisation remains busy arranging the June edition of its Online Viewing Room, a virtual platform that aims to connect and globalise the world’s leading galleries.

“Art Basel regrets to announce that the 2020 edition in Basel has been cancelled. While there are signs of hope as individual countries are coming out of lockdown, the global situation remains precarious, and, unfortunately, too many uncertainties remain to go ahead with the fair,” the international art organisation said in an earlier press release.

“Given these uncertainties, we believe that the best option concerning the Basel show is to focus on next year’s edition and delivering a fair of the exceptional international quality that the artworld expects.”

While the next edition of the Swiss fair as we know it will take place until next year, the Swiss flagship fair hopes the Online Viewing Rooms will still serve as a well-needed dose of art and culture in its place.

Art Basel had launched its first virtual art fair in March in attempts to replace its annual Hong Kong-based exhibit, which had been postponed in response to COVID-19.

The second edition will go live on Friday, June 19, 2020 at 7pm HKT and will include over 4,000 pieces of art across 281 galleries in 35 different countries around the world. Noteworthy events include a video walkthrough of the David Hockney Exhibition at the Annely Juda Fine Art, an online viewing walkthrough with Márcia Fortes, and more.

In the meantime, members will be able to preview the participating galleries, studio visits, and virtual walk-throughs as of this week.

See also: 10 Hong Kong Art Exhibitions To See In June 2020