Spear’s Review

Art Basel chief Noah Horowitz presides over one of the international art world’s pre-eminent fairs, first held in Basel over 50 years ago before spreading to outposts in Paris, Hong Kong and Miami Beach. 

His appointment as CEO came after a one-year hiatus when Horowitz served as the global head of private dealer services for Sotheby’s – a move taken by some commentators as evidence that the art world's separation between auctioneers and dealers was crumbling. 

From 2015 to 2021, Horowitz was the Americas director of the fair, before which he oversaw New York’s Armory Show and the VIP Art Fair – the world’s first ever online-only art fair. Under his leadership, the third annual Art Basel Paris took place in the French capital’s iconic Grand Palais in 2025.

He has a PhD from London’s Courtauld Institute of Art and authored Art of the Deal – no relation to the Donald Trump tome of the same name – exploring the relationship between art and global finance in the modern world.

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