Noah Horowitz on Art Basel as a Cultural Force

As the CEO of Art Basel, Noah Horowitz has made it his mission to ensure that the international art platform is seen, valued, and experienced—far beyond its art-fair roots—as a cultural catalyst and “opportunity accelerator.” Over the past 55 years, beginning with its tight-knit origins in Basel, Switzerland, in 1970, Art Basel has evolved into an international juggernaut, with best-in-class fairs also in Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Paris—and soon, under Horowitz’s leadership, Qatar, with an edition debuting there in February 2026. With more than two decades of experience, and as a tireless advocate and enthusiast for all things art, from artists and galleries to collectors and institutions, Horowitz is exactly the right person for the job. On this episode of Time Sensitive, Horowitz details his ambitious agenda to stretch Art Basel’s reach into realms far beyond what would traditionally be considered the art world; shares his long-view perspective on the economics of art; and considers the centuries-old history that, in a roundabout way, helped lead to—and continues to inform and shape—today’s art market. Show notes:  [05:13] Art Basel Paris [05:13] Art Basel Qatar [05:13] Art Basel Miami Beach [05:13] Art Basel Hong Kong [07:54] Frida Escobedo [10:41] The Art Basel and UBS 2025 Survey of Global Collecting [10:41] Art Basel Awards [21:27] Rei Naito [23:51] Art of the Deal: Contemporary Art in a Global Financial Market (2011) [27:42] Rirkrit Tiravanija [41:18] High Art Lite: The Rise and Fall of Young British Art (2020) [32:42] KAWS [39:04] Princeton Record Exchange [42:18] Frieze [42:52] Hans Ulrich Obrist [42:52] Okwui Enwezor [45:00] Rem Koolhaas [45:57] Kirk Varnedoe [45:57] Pictures of Nothing: Abstract Art Since Pollock (2006) [50:05] Talking Prices: Symbolic Meanings of Prices on the Market for Contemporary Art (2005) [51:49] Clare McAndrew [54:42] The Experience Economy (2019) [58:43] Vincenzo de Bellis [1:03:04] Pérez Art Museum