Art Basel Paris composes with reality

With a cultural offer boosted by private initiatives and an exceptional quality of life, Paris has never been more desirable. Its position in the global art market is consequently strengthened. Art Basel, by lending its label to the autumn fair, has in some ways contributed to that momentum. In 2022, its first Paris edition brought together 156 galleries at the temporary Grand Palais. This year, fifty more will exhibit in the restored Grand Palais. Visitors – particularly Americans and Asians who did not travel to Basel in June – are expected to attend in significant numbers. Among the 206 participants are around forty French galleries, representing less than a quarter of the selection. The proportion is higher, however, if one includes long-established Paris-based names such as Marian Goodman, Max Hetzler, Karsten Greve, Tornabuoni Art and Thaddaeus Ropac. It rises further when adding those that have opened a Paris space only in recent years – Esther Schipper, Mariane Ibrahim, Mendes Wood DM – as well as mega-galleries like Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth or David Zwirner. In total, 63 exhibitors are listed as “having a space in France”. With 41 countries represented, Art Basel Paris asserts its international dimension, marked by a strong European and North American presence (35 U.S. galleries). The mediterranean arc outlined in the previous edition – around Selma Feriani (Tunisia), Sfeir-Semler (Lebanon), and Marfa’ Projects (Lebanon) – has not expanded, and the Saudi gallery ATHR (Jeddah, AlUla, Riyadh) is absent from this year’s list. The renewal rate remains low. The fair is constrained by the venue’s layout, with the largest booths capped at 77 m² – except for four corner stands approaching 100 m² but limited by a large staircase. This restricted capacity helps maintain a high standard. Still, the fair welcomes 29 newcomers this year, 13 of which join the main “Galleries” sector. A month before opening, Art Basel Paris implemented final adjustments. To avoid early overcrowding and congested aisles, which discourage transactions, the fair will open with an “Avant-Première” on Tuesday, 21 October, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Several hundred happy few will discover the booths in a subdued atmosphere, with six invited guests per gallery. The aisles may be calmer, yet the atmosphere will need to remain lively enough to spark that fever conducive to sales. The Avant-Première is intended as a direct response to exhibitors’ expectations, granting them the role of “inviting hosts”. “A progressive pricing model” These demands are all the more justified as stand rental fees have risen – by around 10 % for spaces in the nave. The price per square metre now stands at €850 for small booths (20-35 m²) and €1,061 for larger ones. In a context of market slowdown, the fair has nonetheless sought to show solidarity with participants. In late September, exhibitors received a letter signed by CEO Noah Horowitz and Global Director Vincenzo de Bellis announcing the introduction of “a progressive pricing model for galleries participating in the fair’s main sector for their first or second year”. This will take the form of a retroactive discount of 20 % and 10 %, respectively, on the price per square metre. The measure, to be extended to other Art Basel fairs worldwide and renewed in 2026, shows that the organizers are not indifferent to the economic challenges faced by dealers. Twenty galleries are sharing booths in this edition – double last year’s figure. Nine of these joint presentations are in the main sector, and one in the “Premise” sector, introduced last year for curated projects. “These galleries belong to a new generation of dealers”, notes outgoing director Clément Delépine. Some, such as Christian Andersen (Copenhagen), Fanta (Milan) and Madragoa (Lisbon), had previously participated in the “Emergence” sector. Located in the upper galleries, this section offers more accessible conditions (around €10,500 for a 30 m² stand). It gathers 16 young galleries this year, half of them newcomers. Dealers are also joining forces to produce certain works displayed in the fair’s free public programme throughout the city. On the forecourt of the Institut de France, a monumental sculpture by Ugo Rondinone involves collaboration between galleries Eva Presenhuber (Zurich, Vienna), Gladstone (New York, Brussels, Seoul) and Mennour (Paris). Others have opted to make a statement in public space, such as Sadie Coles HQ (London), absent from the Grand Palais but presenting on place Vendôme a giant frog-green inflatable Kermit the Frog, Even (2018) by Venezuelan-American artist Alex Da Corte – half deflated, as a symbol of an era’s collapse.