Making It at Art Basel

The Jiří Švestka Gallery in Prague achieved something quite phenomenal at this year’s Art Basel. The gallery succeeded at attaining the closely observed Art Statements’ section. Out of 240 applying galleries only 27 were selected to present a project by a single young artist. Jiří Švestka presented Kateřina Vincourová’s massive installation Malibu Airways, which met with much interest and was sold in the end. The Spanish collector of German origin Helga de Alvear, who had previously bought work by Dan Graham from Jiří Švestka, acquired the piece. Malibu will become part of her collection, which includes Donald Judd, Carl Andre and other lesser-known artists. This sale represents the biggest acquisition of a work in contemporary Czech art. Encouraged by the success, the Jiří Švestka Gallery has decided to adjust the list of artists for the upcoming art forum berlin, presenting works by younger Czech artists: Jiří Černický, Milena Dopitová, Markéta Othová, and Kateřina Vincourová.

01.04.2000