Art Basel Preps Long-Delayed Swiss Fair, Ancient Military Ship Remains Found in Egypt, and More: Morning Links for July 20, 2021

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The Headlines
AS EGYPT WORKS TO REJUVENATE ITS TOURISM INDUSTRY, it has been announcing archaeological discoveries at a vigorous pace. The latest: 4th-century BCE Greek funeral grounds and remains of an ancient military vessel were found during underwater excavations of the port of Thonis-Heracleion, according to the Agence France-Presse . Cyprus is also getting in on the ancient-tourism act, according the Associated Press, readying the 2,400-year-old harbor of Amathus for snorkelers. Its fortifications sit just below the water’s surface. “The sustainability of the mass market is being questioned,” Haris Loizides, who heads the nation’s Hotels Association, told the AP, of the focus on niche tourism areas like archaeology. “I dare say massive gatherings will gradually become things of the past.”

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THE LONG WAIT IS ALMOST OVER. On September 21, Art Basel will open to VIPs in Switzerland for the first time since June of 2019. Today it released its exhibitor list, which includes 273 galleries—24 of whom are appearing for the first time, including Bridget Donahue of New York, High Art of Paris, and Walden Gallery of Buenos Aires. ARTnews has the full list. As with Art Basel’s Hong Kong outing in May, some booths will be staffed by locals, with pandemic travel restrictions preventing some dealers from making it to the Messeplatz. Coronavirus infection numbers are low in Switzerland, but they have been climbing in recent weeks.
The Digest
Following criticism, the Di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in Napa, California, said it will pull back its efforts to sell work in its collection to make ends meet, and instead pursue new revenue sources and cut staff. “We’ve only sold 15 pieces and I don’t think we are going to sell many more at all,” its director, Kate Eilertsen, said. [Artnet News]
The cofounder of Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum, Rebecca Alban Hoffberger, is retiring after 26 years as its director and chief curator. “I consider myself the luckiest woman I know,” she said. [Baltimore Fishbowl]
Architect Kengo Kuma, whose Japan National Stadium will host many events for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, said that “people all over the world are paying more attention to conserving and nurturing the environment than ever before. I am moving towards a softer, or more feminine, design in a way, and the new stadium represents that trend.” [Fast Company]

Real-estate developer and collector Jorge Pérez has listed his Venetian Palazzo-style mansion in Miami’s Coconut Grove area for a cool $33 million. Villa Cristina, as it’s called, has 10,000 square feet across on three floors and enjoys 482 feet of frontage on Biscayne Bay. [Wall Street Journal]
An upcoming exhibition at Sotheby’s gallery in East Hampton, New York, highlights jewelry made by artists, including Man Ray, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jeff Koons, and Anish Kapoor. Featuring 80 pieces by more than two dozen artists, it is a collaboration with London’s Louisa Guinness Gallery. [Robb Report]
Artist Kenny Scharf has created a towering mural, gratis, for the Los Angeles Mission, which provides shelter and other social services in the city’s Skid Row area. The piece is “inspiring people to come volunteer, which is the best part,” according to Eli Graham, who chairs the L.A. Mission Arts Council. [Los Angeles Daily News]
The Kicker
WHERE WILL HAUSER & WIRTH HEAD NEXT? Hot on the heels of opening in Monaco and Menorca, Spain, cofounder Iwan Wirth told the New York Times that expansions in Paris and Asia may be on the agenda . It seems that the mega-gallery has no shortage of proposals for new outposts. “We are now approached monthly, or weekly sometimes, by a company or someone that has a building or mountain hut, or whatever,” Wirth said, emphasizing that he and his wife, cofounder Manuela Wirth, instead like to find spaces themselves. Also, the couple’s hospitality concern, Artfarm, is turning the Audley pub in London into a club and restaurant. [The New York Times]
Thank you for reading. We’ll see you tomorrow.

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