Three focused historic presentations of Polish women artists—Ewa Partum, Erna Rosenstein, and Maria Pinińska-Bereś—encouraged slow looking amidst the hustle and bustle of the famous Swiss art fair.

Art fairs are not usually conducive to slow, careful, and considered viewing of art. At these events—the most important of which is undeniably Art Basel’s flagship fair in Switzerland in June—thousands of artworks are presented by hundreds of galleries, typically without context, in characterless convention centers for just a few days. There is simply no way to see everything on offer, let alone to have a meaningful, extended experience with the art on view.

For the visitor looking for Polish art at an international art fair, there are certain names that almost always recur: Wilhelm Sasnal; Mirosław Bałka; Monika Sosnowska. With international gallery representation, works by these artists are instantly recognizable and ever-present, be it at Art Basel in Miami or the Armory in New York. While works by these artists were of course on view