Basquiat. A retrospective

Basquiat – a retrospective on the occasion of a what would-have-been 50^th birthday

Foundation Beyeler, Basel

Live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful body of work. This slight twist on the phrase “live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse” seems to be a ground rule for membership in the “27 Club,” the morbidly popular term for a group of artists and musicians that died at the age of 27, mostly from drug overdoses. Like Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison before him, or artist Dash Snow after him, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s untimely death secured that history could never look at him the way it can look at those who didn’t check out quite so early; the height of his cultural relevance will remain forever unsoiled by possibly questionable later creative moves or the very simple and inevitable fate of growing old. Read the rest of this entry »

Art Basel. The Art Fair of Art Fairs

In just a few days Art Basel will open its doors for the 41st time to the public.  If you don’t already know about Art Basel, here’s a short run down.

Over 300 top international galleries have been accepted to participate this year from the 16 – 20th of June.  With more than 2,500 artists on display, the work ranges from great modern masters to emerging talents, shown in sections throughout the fair.  Painting, installations, photography, sculpture, and drawing are some of the mediums presented.  More than just an art fair, Art Basel is a global rendezvous for who’s who in the art world.  More than 61,000 spectators are expected to attend the 41st Art Basel, making many wonder – what financial crisis? Read the rest of this entry »

No Ball Games

Something’s going on this June. Oh yeah, that over-talked about World Cup thing.

Not all places are embracing the game because, believe it or not, it’s not everyone’s be all and end all. Life and travel does carry on around World Cup time for those who let it.

Want to escape it? Here’s how.

We’re offering you retreats and hideaways so you don’t have to put up with the bad behaviour, the tantrums, the tears, the injuries or the opinions.  Get on the ball and go and do something else, somewhere else.

The Greulich Hotel is setting the tone with their No-Goal dinners, while these other hotel gems have told us their places will be football free:

Aenea, Worthersee, Austria
Krafft Basel, Basel
Lesic Dimitri, Korcula, Croatia
Inis Meain, Arran Islands, Ireland
Hotel des Academies, Paris
Ca’pisani, Venice
Hotel J, Stockholm
Hotel Skeppsholmen, Stockholm
Town Hall Hotel & Apartments, London

The Greenwich, New York
New Majestic, Singapore
The Retreat, Tanzania

Go somewhere where football fever isn’t being forced fed to you.

Blickfang Basel

Blickfang Basel opens next Thursday, April 23rd, so there’s still time to plan your trip if you’re quick.  Blickfang Basel will bring together 120 up and coming designers from the triangle of Switzerland, Germany and France presenting international furniture, fashion and jewellery designers under the roof of Basel’s E Halle.   Although Blickfang has been taking place in Zurich for 13 years, the show in Basel will offer, for the first time, the chance to meet with designers directly to purchase showpieces.  The goal is to function as a temporary cutting edge fashion mall.

A special exhibition will feature the work of collective REH4. REH4 is a group located in Basel with the goal of advancing their district, which stands for progressive, independent and subversive spaces, such as galleries, progressive spaces, and shop owners.  It will come as no surprise that White Line member hotel Krafft Basel is located right in the middle of this creative district.  Be sure to get directions to the REH4 Black Market, which will showcase the new work of design creatives in a “market of uniques.”

With a fantastic line up of side events the fair is surely a weekend long event.  The opening party is on the 23rd, but the real fun is on the night of Saturday the 24th.  The evening starts out with Pecha Kucha, which is often as hilarious as it is informative.  Dim Out: A Room of Deceleration is the next event before the Absolut Blickfang Bar from dusk ’til dawn.

In celebration of the event Krafft is offering a complimentary entrance ticket for the fair with a stay.  Why not make a long weekend of it – come on Saturday, enjoy the fair, pick up a few designs, brunch and a city tour on Sunday, and take the long way home on Monday?

For Blickfang details visit the website at: www.blickfang.com.  For more information about REH4, and a map of the shops and studios involved in the project, visit http://reh4.ch.

Images courtesy of the Blickfang website.

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Categories: Basel, Design, Events, Fashion

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter

Easter offers in Basel & Vienna

Easter is just around the corner, so if you haven’t followed our suggestions yet, perhaps these might give you ideas for a last minute trip. Easter weekend 2 to 5 April.

The Krafft Hotel in Basel is offering a typical Swiss Easter tradition with your “Fährimaa”.

The package includes:

1 Overnight stay in a double room
1 Consum-Plättli – an assortment of sliced meats and cheese – with sparkling wine or red wine on a relaxing ferry ride
1 Victorinox Swiss army knife to make the “Plättli” consumption unforgettable
Buffet Breakfast
Surprise in your room
Free usage of public transportation

Double rooms facing the river Rhine cost CHF 320.00 for 2 people per night, excl. guest tax, or street facing double rooms for CHF 270.00 for 2 people per night, excl. guest tax.

Book here.

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Want a Viennese Easter?  Then try the Hollmann Beletage in Vienna.  Their Easter package includes:

3 nights in an XL double room
Easter brunch on Sunday
Daily 6 course gourmet breakfast
Disposable camers (including development & shipping of your pictures)
A guided Vienna tour

All for EUR 627 per room and stay (3 nights).

They are also laying on their own version of an Easter Egg hunt. Alongside their traditional easter eggs and chocolate bunnies, 3 iPods will be hidden in the hotel for you to find.

Book here.

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Categories: Basel, Vienna, SPECIALS – Easter