History

The London collector Charles Asprey later recalled: “We presented artists who were the same age as us gallerists. In that sense, it was very appropriately named ‘The Young Art Fair in Basel’ because we really were so young and aspirational. And throughout those glorious factory spaces, with yellow and brown-glazed ceramic walls, we spent happy days with the faint odor of beer from the old brewery still lingering in the air and huge excited crowds making it all oddly glamorous! It is worth remembering that this Swiss art fair took place 4 years before the creation of Tate Modern, the first museum in my country dedicated to the contemporary."

As international attention grew, Liste’s structure also evolved. Within a decade, the fair established itself as one of the most important platforms for young galleries worldwide. Between 1996 and 2005, around 190 galleries from 28 countries presented their programmes in Basel – many of them using Liste as a springboard to the international art market.

At the same time, the fair’s profile began to expand beyond the traditional fair presentations. Performances, curated projects, publications and talks increasingly became part of the programme. The first performances took place as early as the late 1990s, and a standalone performance project was launched in 2005. Numerous international curators – including Maja Wismer, Burkhard Meltzer, Fabian Schöneich, Eva Birkenstock, Elise Lammer and Jakob Fabricius – shaped the programme over the years and developed new formats for exchange and discourse.

The spaces themselves also kept evolving. Expansions at Warteck – such as temporary extensions or newly developed areas of the former brewery – responded to the fair’s steady growth. Yet throughout these developments, the core idea remained unchanged: to create a concentrated fair where up-and-coming galleries could present their programmes through precise and often experimental displays.

‘Organising an art fair featuring the best but still little-known young galleries and the most important emerging artists, in a building that was fully rented out all year round, in a city where the most important international art fair is taking place at the same time, is actually an impossible task. But this was precisely the goal that the founders of Liste, led by Peter Bläuer, set themselves 10 years ago.’ (from: 10th Anniversary Publication of Liste 2005)

Over the years, Liste witnessed several changes in management. Peter Bläuer, co-founder and long-standing director, shaped the fair’s development and international profile for over 20 years.

In 2018, Joanna Kamm took over as director and continued to lead the fair for six years. During her tenure, the programming was expanded while new digital formats and international collaborations were launched.

A decisive turning point came in 2021: due to the pandemic, Liste did not take place at Werkraum Warteck pp, but in Hall 1.1 of Messe Basel for the first time – in the immediate vicinity of Art Basel. The move also coincided with a new architectural experience: the Belgian firm OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen collaborated with Richard Venlet to develop a custom exhibition architecture. They created an open circular system that conceived the fair as a communal space with a gathering place at its centre.

In 2022, Liste underwent organisational restructuring and has since been operated by Stiftung Liste Basel – a non-profit foundation that ensures long-term stability and development. A central pillar of this engagement is the Friends of Liste sponsor group, which works to support particularly ambitious fair projects, thereby strengthening the fair’s profile as a platform for new voices.

In 2024, Nikola Dietrich became director of the fair. Previously, she had worked as a curator at Portikus Frankfurt and Kunstmuseum Basel – Museum für Gegenwartskunst, and as director at Kölnischer Kunstverein, among others. Under her leadership, the fair has continued to develop its curatorial profile as well as its architecture.

For the first fair under her leadership, which also marked the 30th edition of Liste, Martina Kausch Architektinnen revised the spatial concept. The redesign introduced new sight lines, intimate spaces of encounter and an open plaza while creating more space for the curated programme of panels and talks. Some of the newly available spaces were used for the “Wall”-format, introduced in 2025, where project spaces and artist-run initiatives were invited to realise independently curated presentations, further underscoring the fair’s role as a site of discourse.

As the contemporary art landscape continues to evolve, Liste’s founding idea remains highly relevant: to provide a venue that helps the next generation achieve visibility and success, facilitates initial access to the international art market and creates space for mentoring, exchange and sustainable networks.

As a carefully curated platform, Liste highlights independent artistic approaches without compromising on quality or artistic standards. And in doing so, it has carved out a unique position within the international art scene. Liste stands for new beginnings, renewal and passing on the passion for collecting and exhibiting art, especially to a new generation of galleries, artists and art lovers.

The pillars of this development are the ongoing partnership with E. Gutzwiller & Cie, Banquiers, Basel – in 2026 they can look back on 30 years of collaboration – Stiftung Liste Basel and the Friends of Liste sponsor group.

Together, they ensure the long-term support of young galleries and artists – from experimental solo exhibitions to the expansive supporting programmes – and enable Liste to present a diverse spectrum of contemporary art practices while ensuring the fair’s development across generations.