Visitors landing at the airport in Basel, once they complete the immigration and customs formalities, need to make a decision at the exit: turn left for France and Germany or right for Switzerland.  I can’t immediately think of another airport that offers you a choice of three countries when you arrive.  On the two occasions I’ve been to Basel, commitments forced me to turn right and head to Switzerland and the city center, but I’ve often wondered about that other door …

The center of Basel is a pretty, refined place with medieval buildings, small shops and cafés.  The vibe, as in so much of Switzerland, is unhurried, affluent, conservative, and downright civilized.  Rushing feels vulgar. Immediately after checking in at my hotel, I took the tram (free to visitors!) to Fondation Beyeler to see what I think was one of the most impressive exhibitions I can remember of two of my favorite artists: Francis Bacon and Alberto Giacometti.

A great exhibition makes you think about art, artists, and experience in a new way.  I hadn’t previously thought about connections between the two artists and wasn’t aware how closely each followed the career of the other.  Their shared interest in exploring extremes of abstraction as they represented the human form came across so clearly in the hundred or so masterpieces displayed here.  And have any 20th century artists spoken so powerfully about the painful solitude of humanity and the strange dignity it confers?