Joanna Kamm Exits as Artistic Director of Liste Art Fair Basel

Joanna Kamm, who since 2018 hadledBasel’s Liste Art Fair, is departing the role “following a longer period of illness to pursue other goals,” according to a press release. Kamm leaves as the organization undergoes restructuring in the wake of the appointment last October of Reto Nussbaum as commercial director of fair management.

Liste Basel Foundation president Urs Gloor in a statement noted that Kamm had shepherded the fair through the Covid-19 crisis. “She was able to create an incomparable atmosphere at the new venue by means of extraordinary fair architecture and special art interventions,” Gloor said. “Moreover, by introducing two new digital formats and strong contacts, she reacted flexibly and swiftly to current challenges while continuing to develop Liste’s program.”

Further details regarding Kamm’s plans have not been made public. Prior to her arrival at Liste, she ran her own gallery for more than a decade before working on a variety of cultural events. Cofounder Peter Bläuer, whom Kamm had succeeded in the role of artistic director, will fill the position on a temporary basis, overseeing this year’s event, which is slated to take place June 10–16. A search for a permanent replacement is underway.