Art Basel ditches ‘empty’ VIP title as it looks to reach young rich
Swiss art fair group says term has lost ‘gravitas’ and distracts focus from core audience of individual and museum collectors
Art Basel, which draws billionaire collectors to its fairs from Miami Beach to Hong Kong, has “done away with the word ‘VIP’” because it has become “a little bit empty”, according to the head of the Swiss group.
VIP status at major art fairs can offer perks such as early entry, private views of exhibitions and a luxury car service, as well as access to an adviser to help collectors navigate what is on offer.
But Noah Horowitz, Art Basel chief executive, said the term had “lost its gravitas and specificity” and distracted focus from the fair’s core audience of individual and museum collectors, as it looks to draw a new generation of buyers. Some people could find it “off-putting”, he added.
Art Basel has instead renamed the VIP section of its business as the department for “collector and institutional relations”, headed by new hire Carly Murphy, who joined from the auction house Christie’s. Institutions include public and private museums, galleries and foundations.
Brooke Kanter, head of VIP for the Americas at rival group Frieze, whose London fairs begin on Wednesday, said she had not had discussions about changing her department’s name.
Kanter said there could be a “question” about the word, but added: “Perhaps the term VIP just means something different to each of us.”
Kristell Chadé, Frieze’s executive director of fairs, said VIP was about more than “special access”, reflecting “a broad community of collectors, patrons, artists, cultural leaders and high-profile names” who support the art world, and also had a “social dimension”.
Komal Shah, a collector whose foundation promotes female artists, said that regardless of the term used, VIP status meant the fairs were “supportive of what we do” as a foundation, such as hosting events when she launched a book. She added that the early access to fairs provided to VIPs meant she was not “fighting to look at art or have a conversation”.
The art market, which is in a multiyear slump, is struggling to work out how to engage younger rich people who might be less interested in fine art than their parents’ generation.
For these younger people, said Horowitz, “art collecting is less something that’s done in isolation and it’s more part of a holistic lifestyle experience”, adding that the cohort wanted to see friends, engage with luxury brands and network with businesses when attending fairs.
“Our audiences are coming to Art Basel not just for elements of collecting and connoisseurship but luxury and lifestyle,” he said.
Auction houses are increasing their sales of luxury goods, such as shoes, handbags, wine, cars and jewellery, seeing them as starting points from which they can encourage young buyers to progress to bigger-ticket artworks.
Luxury sales were up 29 per cent to $468mn at Christie’s in the first half of 2025, while 20th- and 21st-century art made $1.29bn, a fall of 2 per cent.
The fairs’ VIP departments are still offering access to museum shows and private collections in cities where their events are taking place, as well as parties and receptions. Frieze is hosting a cocktail party at Claridge’s principally for US collectors in London for its two fairs.
Frieze’s main art fairs take place in London, Seoul, New York and Los Angeles, while Art Basel’s are in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong and Paris, which begins next week. Art Basel is launching a new fair in Doha in February while Frieze is rebranding Abu Dhabi Art to Frieze Abu Dhabi in November 2026.
The global market for fine art is suffering from falling demand from high-spending Asian bidders and US turmoil. Sales fell 12 per cent to $57.5bn in 2024, according to a report by Art Basel and UBS, with a 39 per cent decline in auction lots fetching more than $10mn.