The 2021 edition of Art Basel’s Hong Kong fair will be pushed back several weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swiss-based organization said Tuesday.
The fair, originally scheduled for March 25 to March 27, will instead be held from May 21 to May 23, with two preview days on May 19 and May 20, the Hong Kong fair said. Organizers blamed travel restrictions stemming from the pandemic.
The Hong Kong fair was canceled last year after being initially postponed because of the spreading coronavirus pandemic. Art Basel’s signature June fair in Switzerland also was canceled. Later in the year, uncertainty over the course of the pandemic forced cancellation of Art Basel’s Miami Beach show for 2020. The Beach show would have been held in early December.
In its place, the city of Miami Beach and local cultural organizations have announced a series of virtual and in-person exhibitions and shows in December. Art Basel will hold a series of online gallery exhibits and sales.
The fair cancellations deeped longstanding fiscal woes for Art Basel parent MCH Group. In August, MCH announced a restructuring and a cash infusion from media scion James Murdoch that corporate leaders say would ensure the company’s survival.