It isn’t just what’s taking place within the Grand Palais that’s due to draw a global collector audience, though. Much like Frieze London, which took place last week, Art Basel Paris is expected to light up la ville lumière, with a panoply of events, parties and parallel activations taking place alongside the fair.
Here’s all you need to know about Art Basel Paris, which runs from 18 to 20 October.
Causes for optimism
As with last week’s Frieze London, Art Basel Paris takes place amid a dulled market climate. A report produced by Art Basel and UBS documents a 4 per cent fall in the value of the global art market in 2023 versus the year prior, with sluggish auction sales reported by European auction houses in Q1 and Q2 of 2024. It should be noted, however, that despite the general unease, encouraging signs of recovery have appeared in recent months. “Mid-season auctions in New York marked an improvement from last year,” notes Kabir Jhala, art market editor for The Art Newspaper. “Gallerists who attended the Armory Show last month also expressed that an appetite has returned in New York. And like much in culture, what America starts, the rest of the world often follows.”
Jhala’s hypothesis seems to have been vindicated by reports from the opening days of Frieze London, where sales were more brisk than anticipated — particularly among the fair’s emerging galleries, who benefited from a redesign of the tent that placed them close to the entrance. Ginny on Frederick, an independent gallery located in London’s Clerkenwell, had sold out its solo presentation of works by rising artist Charlotte Edey hours before the fair’s VIP preview began.
The knock-on effect for galleries presenting at Art Basel Paris remains to be seen, of course, but it bodes well, particularly given the buzz around the French fair that had been building long before its opening. “Art Basel Paris is this year’s most-hyped fair, due to two previous successful editions — so successful that it is threatening to overshadow the fair brand’s original namesake event,” Jhala says. “Equally important is its shift to the Grand Palais, which increases gallery numbers and stand sizes, and provides a resplendent setting. The crème of the collecting class is expected to show up and spend.”
The Grand Palais
Indeed, Art Basel Paris’s setting is being touted as a key draw, with the ornate, glass-roofed landmark — sat square in one of the city’s toniest neighbourhoods — offering an air of elevation and occasion that’s difficult to match. Following on from the Olympics (the fencing and taekwondo competitions were hosted in the space) and Chanel (which staged its most recent fashion show here), Art Basel will be the third party to take up temporary residence in the space since its renovation, adding to the sense of novelty for gallerists, collectors and casual visitors alike.
