Basel

Art Basel, founded in 1970 by three gallerists, made a city of 175,000 the centre of the international art market each June, and the museums came with it: the Kunstmuseum has held a public collection since 1661, the oldest anywhere, and the Fondation Beyeler sits in a Renzo Piano building outside town. The Rhine runs through the middle and the city swims in it, floating downstream with clothes in a waterproof bag.