Volta (art fair)
 Volta Basel at the Congress Center Basel in 2025 | |
| Industry | Art |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 in Basel, Switzerland |
Number of locations | 2 art fairs (Basel, Switzerland and New York City, New York) |
| Products | Art fairs |
Volta (stylized in all caps) is an international contemporary art fair. It has run both in Basel, Switzerland, as well as New York City. In the years when it has been hosted in Basel, it is considered one of the biggest satellite art fairs running concurrently with Art Basel. Lee Cavaliere has led its artistic direction since 2023.[1]
History
[edit]Volta was founded in 2005 by several gallerists to be a more casual contemporary arts space with a "kind of collegiate, collaborative, creative energy" in mind, as well as a specific attention paid to emerging talent.[2][3][4]
In 2008, Volta was moved to New York City.[5] In 2019, Volta in New York was canceled because of problems involving Pier 92 in Manhattan. The same year, Volta was acquired by Ramsay Fairs.[6] In the following year, Volta was moved to Metropolitan West.[7]
In 2021, Volta planned to launch a new art fair location in Miami. However, it was called off two months before its launch due to complications in organizing, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
In 2023, Volta returned to Basel in a new venue, Klybeck 610 in Klybeckplatz, but still had a New York showing.[9][10][11] In 2024, Volta in New York hosted a pavilion of Ukrainian artists, while Cavaliere tapped a new board to tackle a reimagination of Volta in Basel.[12][13]
In 2025, coinciding with its twentieth anniversary, showed at the Messeplatz in its founding city of Basel where it could accommodate 70 exhibitions, up from 47 the previous year.[14] Located in the Congress Center Basel, it featured a pavilion of work from Middle East and North Africa artists, as well as a corridor for Swiss galleries.[15][16] It also hosted Engage + Emerge talks to highlight discussions by underrepresented artists.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ Monaghan-Coombs, Sophie (2025-05-22). "A fair to remember: Highlights from the upcoming Art Basel in Basel". Monocle. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "Observer's 2025 June Art Fair Calendar". Observer. 2025-05-29. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "Liste and Volta, both stalwart Basel satellite fairs, celebrate major anniversaries". www.theartnewspaper.com. 2025-06-16. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Thaddeus-Johns, Josie (2025-06-13). "VOLTA Basel to mark its 20th edition with expanded programming during Art Basel 2025". Artsy. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Tonea, Cristian (2023-06-17). "VOLTA Art Fair, the concept of 'shift' applied to the arts". Lampoon Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Simantob, Eduardo (2024-07-19). "Art Basel keeps its lead as art fairs go corporate and scramble for markets". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Armstrong, Annie (2019-10-18). "Volta Art Fair, Whose New York Edition Was Scuttled Earlier This Year, Has Been Sold". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Greenberger, Alex (2021-10-20). "Volta Cancels Miami Fair, Citing Pandemic Restrictions: 'We Did Everything in Our Power'". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Plugged, Art (2023-06-09). "VOLTA Basel Returns With A New Location". Art Plugged. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Tonea, Cristian (2023-06-17). "VOLTA Art Fair, the concept of 'shift' applied to the arts". Lampoon Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Fair, VOLTA Art (2023-04-25). "VOLTA Art Fair Returns to New York With Cutting-Edge Contemporary Art". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Zhang, Lisa Yin (2024-09-05). "Volta's Ukraine Pavilion Brings the War to New York". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Media, Surface (2023-11-06). "VOLTA's New Artistic Director Shares His Vision, and Other News". SURFACE. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Westall, Mark (2025-06-11). "VOLTA Celebrates 20 Years at Its Basel Edition". FAD Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Plugged, Art (2025-06-02). "At 20, VOLTA Basel Examines the Shifting Terrain of the Art World". Art Plugged. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Westall, Mark (2024-12-12). "VOLTA moves to new 43,000+sqft space for Basel fair". FAD Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "Volta at 20. The fair announces its public programme". Meer. 2025-06-17. Retrieved 2025-06-20.