Art Basel’s ‘Meet the artists’ series presents contemporary creatives shaping today’s cultural landscape.

Sculptor, novelist, and poet Barbara Chase-Riboud has lived the extraordinary life of a trailblazer. Best known for her monumental bronze sculptures and her literary works, her oeuvre often reflects on forgotten histories and overlooked figures. As she says in this episode of ‘Meet the artists’, ‘I didn’t start thinking about monumentality – monumentality chose me.’

Born in 1939 in Philadelphia, Chase-Riboud made an early mark on the art world when a woodcut she created as a teenager was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art. In 1960, she became first woman of color to earn an MFA from Yale’s School of Architecture and Design. After her studies, Chase-Riboud moved to Paris, where she has lived and worked ever since.

Chase-Riboud’s work has been informed by her encounters with some of the most notable cultural figures of her time. She met Josephine Baker just days before her death, knew Alberto Giacometti, and counted James Baldwin as a friend. These relationships, along with her extensive travels, have shaped her understanding of history and memory. As she explains in the film, ‘There existed a whole population of invisible heroes that deserved monuments.’

The exhibition Everytime a Knot is Undone, A God is Released will unite eight Parisian museums for the first time to honor Barbara Chase-Riboud’s seven-decade career. Specific installations, sculptures, drawings, and poetry by the artist will be on view at Centre Pompidou, Musée d’Orsay, Musée du Louvre, Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Musée Guimet, Palais de la Porte Dorée, Palais de Tokyo, and Philharmonie de Paris. More information available here.

Barbara Chase-Riboud is represented by Hauser & Wirth (Zurich, Basel, Gstaad, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, Menorca, Monaco, Paris, Somerset, St. Moritz).