Collectors taking their time to buy at Art Basel

No change: The artwork Interieur a La Fougere Noire (1948) by French artist Henri Matisse on display at Art Basel. Some collectors have no intention of holding back, regardless of whether or not the market is down. — AP

BASEL: People don’t trek to Art Basel in Switzerland just for fun. Famed for being the highest-quality art fair in the world, the O.G. Swiss fair is a place where people tend to stay exactly as long as they need to and no longer.

“It’s not a fair like New York or Miami where there’s more going on in the city,” said Malik Al-Mahrouky, a partner at Kurimanzutto gallery, standing in his booth during the opening VIP day.