To celebrate the opening of “Fable and Form”—an encounter between sculptures by Barry Flanagan and paintings and drawings by Ursula Reuter Christiansen—you are warmly invited to the reopening of our newly renovated gallery spaces.

To mark this special moment, following weeks of transformation and to kick off Art Basel week, we invite you to join us for an evening of art, guest performances, the unveiling of our new archives, and access to our extended open storage.

9 am to 9 pm:

“Fable and Form” brings together works by Barry Flanagan and Ursula Reuter Christiansen across the newly renovated exhibition spaces. In this dialogue, both artists present key works from their careers.

Irish-Welsh artist Barry Flanagan (1941–2009), best known for his bronze sculptures, is represented by a selection ranging from his iconic, larger-than-life hare to smaller castings of animals and human figures. Ursula Reuter Christiansen (b. 1943), a German-born Danish artist, presents large-scale paintings and drawings spanning decades of her practice. Together, their works create a lively and animated exhibition filled with stories and imagination.

6 to 9 pm:

Reading of Annabell von Finckenstein by Ursula Reuter Christiansen. Listen to the audiobook, written and recorded by the artist, and enter an autobiographical narrative set in a ruined castle in medieval southern Germany. Through the character of Annabell von Finckenstein, Reuter Christiansen reflects on her life as an artist, mother, and wife. Both humorous and dark, the story traces a life shaped by solitude, memory, and the challenges of aging and coming to terms with the world.

6 to 9 pm:

“Büsi – A Not So Guilty Pleasure” by Ado & Comenius. Visitors to Fable and Form by Barry Flanagan and Ursula Reuter Christiansen are invited to take part in a collaborative art project by creating their own small clay cats. Started ten years ago, Not So Guilty Pleasure has grown into an ever-expanding installation of around 80 miniature sculptures, collected through past iterations of the project—accompanying the Basel-based duo like a loyal companion. Join the artists on this special Tuesday evening during Art Basel and become part of this evolving social sculpture at von Bartha.

From 6 pm:

Refreshments and Danish Hot Dogs by Astro Fries! To celebrate the reopening of the gallery, drinks and Danish hot dogs will be served throughout the evening on a first-come, first-served basis.

From 6 pm:

And finally, no reopening would be complete without balloons in all kinds of shapes and colors. If you’d like to take a balloon animal home as a souvenir, just ask the von Bartha team.

From 9 pm:

Public Viewing at the Adjacent Sports Bar. France takes on Senegal in the FIFA World Cup 2026, and the neighboring sports bar at Kannenfeldplatz will host a public viewing throughout the evening.