Art Basel’s Vincenzo de Bellis on Neutrality, Risk and Evolution

According to chief artistic director Vincenzo de Bellis, Art Basel is a “neutral platform” for artists and galleries – yet, under his leadership, the world’s most historic and influential art fair is actively restructuring its offering in ways that may have a profound influence on the art market as a whole.

In an interview on the opening day of Art Basel Miami Beach, de Bellis said the organisation “does not take any political position”, while also arguing that it has a responsibility to “evolve and lead”.

Those claims come as Art Basel introduces structural sector changes, launches a new technology-focused platform and expands into new markets. De Bellis frames the fair as neutral in position but proactive in design. He describes such changes as core “to our evolution as a cultural institution”.

"Art Basel should not only mirror the artworld but actively help shape its present and its future,” he says.

The interview was conducted in a private meeting room tucked away on the upper levels of the Miami Beach Convention Center on the first morning of the fair’s opening. De Bellis, quiet and gracious, and wearing a dark suit and tie, placed his phone on the table and apologised in advance in case he needed to answer it. Days later, he appeared on stage before a crowd of hundreds to co-present the first Art Basel Awards, showing a flair for the more public-facing aspects of the role.

James Fuentes, New York at Art Basel Miami Beach 2025. All images courtesy Art Basel

Miami Beach, he says, is the primary global entry point for first-time buyers: “We have data telling us that this is the fair where we have the largest number of new VIP card-holders coming through the doors. It’s a gateway for new collectors."

Ascending to such a role has been almost 20 years in the making. Raised in Italy and educated in Rome, he completed an MA at New York’s Bard College’s Center for Curatorial Studies in 2008 and went on to work as a curator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, US, after serving as artistic director of MiArt art fair in Milan. He joined Art Basel in 2022, initially as director of fairs and exhibition platforms. Promoted less than a year ago, he now directs each fair in Basel, Paris, Miami, Hong Kong and the newly minted Doha. In his expanded role, he describes himself as responsible for “shaping the organisation’s artistic and creative vision” and defining how Art Basel expresses itself “on the global stage”.

Each fair must exist in a different political context. Staging such an event in Trump-era Miami (just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago), in Xi-era Hong Kong, or in Doha under the gaze of the ruling emirates requires bespoke approaches of enormous diplomatic tact. Asked how the organisation navigates such complex geopolitics in a period of unrelenting global instability, de Bellis stresses that Art Basel does not take official stances. “The one thing that [we] should do and keep doing is just let the artist have a platform to speak for themselves,” he says. “That’s how we’ve always operated, without taking any position.” Artists, rather than fairs, should carry messages, he argues, with the organisation providing visibility rather than endorsement. “It’s our responsibility to give them a platform for whatever they want to say, regardless of what it is.”

Art Basel Miami Beach 2025

Describing how fairs differ from slower institutional formats, he says they provide “a more immediate snapshot” and operate as “agile, high-frequency stage, the place where new ideas surface”.

“We would not be successful without evolving," he says. “That doesn’t mean what we’ve done for 55 years is wrong. You absolutely need to keep your soul, who you are; but you also need to keep evolving.” This requires experimentation: “Innovation means you need to take some risks. Some things that you do will stay, others might not, but we don’t want to be afraid of trying.” He describes this as part of a broader duty: “We must lead – not just follow – change.”

This year’s Miami Beach edition includes a reconfiguration that concentrates the focus on younger galleries and emerging practices. A new technology-focused section, Zero10 is also being introduced. “Zero10 is definitely the largest, biggest change," he says. "It’s new, completely new; 12 positions all devoted to art and technology. It’s a pure presentation of art in the digital era, so we're seeing in real time how artists engage with emerging technology.” He says the section is intended to engage both new artists and “a different kind of public”.

Beeple Studios at Art Basel Miami Beach 2025

Speaking about the forthcoming Qatar edition, de Bellis describes a multi-year planning process rather than an opportunistic expansion. “It’s been a long journey," he says. "Since my arrival in the second part of the 2022, we have been talking about it. The first meetings were at the beginning of 2023.”

He characterises Art Basel’s broader role as extending beyond event management, calling it “a catalyst for the entire spectrum of the art world”.

“Our directors have an open line with all the museum directors, and we know their programmes much more in advance. Everything else needs to sit within the ecosystem of that city. And if it doesn’t, people will tell,” he says.

“We need to mirror the time we’re living it,” he says. In practice, the model he describes is one that claims neutrality while actively shaping how artists, galleries and collectors meet. “To evolve, we need to keep being very nimble.”

His phone rings. He must take the call. Soon, he is escorted from the convention centre's bowels and into the bleached sunlight of Miami and off to more business. The world keeps turning, and Art Basel will continue to move with it.