Pablo Picasso, Le peintre et son modèle dans un paysage, 1963
Art Basel opened on Tuesday with early sales pointing to strong broad-based demand across categories, generations, and price points – from museum-quality historical works to emerging names. Prices ranged from a few thousand dollars to an asking price of USD 35 million for Pablo Picasso’s Le peintre et son modèle dans un paysage (1963), offered by Hauser & Wirth. Early activity reflected the international ecosystem that converges each year at Basel, including placements with major institutions and foundations across Europe, Asia, and North America. Here is a snapshot of Basel’s first-day sales.
New York gallery Berry Campbell’s debut Art Basel also opened strongly, with sales of works by the American Abstract Expressionist painters Mary Abbott (USD 500,000), Judith Godwin (USD 375,000), and Pat Passlof (USD 75,000). ‘Our first Art Basel in Basel has opened on a high note,’ said Christine Berry, the gallery’s cofounder. ‘With the Kunstmuseum Basel exhibition of Helen Frankenthaler currently on view, attention has extended to 20th-century women artists undergoing critical reassessment.
–Toby Skeggs, Art Basel
June 17, 2026
