Art Basel 2013! First details about the 44th edition of the world's most important art fair

Art Basel recently announced the details of its 44th edition in Basel, Switzerland, taking place June 13 to June 16, 2013. This year, 304 leading international galleries from 39 countries and territories across five continents will present a geographically diverse selection of art. This year’s edition will see the largest-ever number of exhibitors with spaces in the Asia-Pacific region at the show. For the first time in the show's history, galleries from the Philippines and Singapore will be present.

This year, many elements of the show will be housed within the new extension of Hall 1, designed by internationally renowned Basel architects Herzog & de Meuron and directly sited on Messeplatz. While the previously existing part of Hall 1 will be given completely over to Unlimited, the Statements and Magazines sectors, and the auditorium for the Conversations and Salon series, will be sited within the new state of the art exhibition hall.

The Feature sector presents galleries with precise curatorial projects, showing both historical and contemporary work. This year's edition will feature 24 galleries from 16 countries, the highest number of galleries since the sector's introduction in 2010.

Presented in the premier position within the new exhibition hall, the solo presentations of Statements will again offer visitors and collectors a prime opportunity to discover the work of emerging artists and galleries. This year, 13 of the 24 galleries exhibiting within Statements will be new to the show.

The Baloise Art Prize will be awarded to two artists exhibiting in Statements, with recipients being announced during the show in June. The Baloise Group also acquires works by the award-winning artists, which it donates to Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, and MUMOK, Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna. The institutions will hold solo exhibitions for the recipients of the award.

Unlimited, Art Basel's unique platform for projects that transcend the limitations of a traditional art-show stand will be curated by Gianni Jetzer, Director of the Swiss Institute in New York, for the second year running, with works ranging from large-scale sculptures and paintings to video projections, installations and live performances. Further details will be announced in the coming months.

Florence Derieux, Director of FRAC Champagne-Ardenne, will for the first time curate Parcours, a series of site-specific sculptures, interventions and performances by renowned international artists and emerging talents. Each year, Parcours seeks to engage with different areas of the city of Basel, and this year will be focused on Basel's Klingental district. Parcours is open to the public and visitor admission is free of charge. Further details will be announced in the coming months.

Design Miami/ Basel, the global forum for collecting, exhibiting, discussing, and creating design, runs June 11 to June 16, 2013, open daily from 11am to 7pm with a preview day on June 10 (by invitation). For its 8th edition, the show moves to Hall 1.1, within the new exhibition hall designed by Herzog & de Meuron, on Messeplatz.