Lorenzo Rudolf

Lorenzo Rudolf (born in Bern in 1959) is a Swiss art dealer, curator, art fair organiser and director of Art Stage Singapore, which he founded in 2010.

Life Born in Bern, Switzerland on 20 May 1959, Rudolf studied law at the University of Bern, before launching a career in International Public Relations at SIX Financial Information, a telecommunications company in Zurich, as PR Manager in 1988. In 1991, Rudolf was appointed Director of Art Basel. Recruited to invigorate the fair and drive the long-term growth strategy, he initiated a global expansion of the fair, developing a waiting list of over 700 galleries by the time he left in 2000. By introducing a strict selection process for exhibitors corporate sponsorships, VIP privileges and educational fringe events, Rudolf adopted bold tactics together with his commercial experience to evolve and grow the fair into the world-class cultural and social event that it is today, making it one of the first fairs with such an extensive and engaging programme. Rudolf quickly became known for his global outlook and commitment to broadening artistic horizons, examples of this include introducing the critically lauded Art Statements and Art Unlimited platforms to the fair. Under his tenure at Art Basel, Rudolf also created and initiated Art Basel Miami Beach, which launched in 2002. The fair was considered by some to be controversial as it did not take place in New York – known by many to be America’s art capital.

Between 2000 and 2003, Rudolf ran the Frankfurt Book Fair. In 2007, he went on to launch ShContemporary in Shanghai – a Fair specialising in contemporary art. In 2010 he founded Art Stage Singapore, a key international event with a particular focus on promoting and fostering Asian art.

Rudolf currently lives and works in Lugano and Singapore. He is fluent in German, English, Spanish, French and Italian.