Bloomberg art market reporter James Tarmy spent the better part of a week swimming in the aisles of Art Basel in Switzerland, the world's premier art fair where many of the top galleries not only make important sales but set the tone for their client base and communicate their view of the art market and its opportunities.

Basel isn't only about sales, as Tarmy explains. The city's museums put on influential shows like the Sam Gilliam retrospective or the Beyeler Foundation's Francis Bacon-Alberto Giacometti show. Then, of course, there are the dinners.