Come June, and the world of furniture and design, having crossed the ocean from Milan to New York, now swings back to Europe, in the direction of Basel in Switzerland, there to unpack and display its precious goods once more. This year, the city was in full flight: Design Miami had accompanied Art Basel Miami Beach back to the place of its birth, where the first week of June now brought a whole gaggle of art fairs to the city. Alongside Art Basel and Design Miami/Basel, Basel also played host to Liste (the “Young Art Fair”), the Volta Show, SCOPE Basel and Bâlelatina. But the elephant in the room was the impending European soccer tournament, EURO 2008 – hosted this year by Switzerland and Austria – which shared time and space on its first day with Basel’s Art week. Could the worlds of art, design and soccer mix without causing a logistical disaster?
