Noah Horowitz has been named CEO of Art Basel, effective November 7. Horowitz, who previously worked for the organization as director of the Americas from 2015 to 2021, will take the reins from global director Marc Spiegler, who is stepping down to pursue other opportunities in the art world. Spiegler, who notably launched Art Basel Hong Kong and oversaw the event organizer’s recent entry into Paris with the closely watched Paris+ art fair, will help Horowitz get settled in his new role by year-end; he will remain with Art Basel in an advisory capacity through June 2023.
“We are especially pleased that Noah is returning to Art Basel as the new CEO, further strengthening the MCH Group Management Team as a colleague in future,” said Florian Faber, CEO of Art Basel’s parent company, MCH, in a statement. “I already had the opportunity to work with Noah in the past and am confident that with his outstanding expertise in the global world of art, he will successfully lead Art Basel into its next phase.”
Horowitz returns to Art Basel from Sotheby’s, where for the past year he has been worldwide head of gallery and private dealer services. Before beginning his earlier tenure at Art Basel, he served for four years as executive director of New York’s Armory Show; prior to that, he oversaw the world’s first online-only art fair, VIP Art Fair, which took place in 2010–11. Horowitz in a statement expressed his “delight” at being chosen for the role, and thanked both Faber and Spiegler, noting: “The Art Basel team is incredibly committed, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and all the stakeholders of the Art Basel community to lead and evolve the business as we collectively embark upon a new chapter.”
Spiegler, who joined Art Basel in 2007 as co-director before rising to become global director in 2012, in his farewell statement pointed to his oversight of forty-three shows, his launch of two new fairs, and his shepherding of the organization through the Covid-19 crisis. “It has come time to pass the baton,” he wrote. “Fortunately, my friend Noah Horowitz—the perfect person to carry Art Basel forward—will be leading that development.”
Art Basel’s next fair is the twentieth iteration of Art Basel Miami Beach, taking place December 1–3.