Emerging art, a precious – and rare – commodity

Located upstairs, on the balconies overlooking the nave, Art Basel Paris’s “Emergence” sector brings together 16 young galleries, offering them more accessible participation fees – and, for some, a first opportunity to exhibit their artists in France. That’s the case for London’s Vardaxoglou Gallery, which intends to make a statement: erected in its space like a stele, a nearly five-meter-high sculpture by Tanoa Sasraku made of newspaper and mineral pigments “summons personal and historical narratives” (Mascot, 2025). Another newcomer, Blindspot Gallery (Hong Kong), presents paper-cut works by Xiyadie [see ill.], a self-taught Chinese artist who transforms a traditional craft into an erotic means of expression. Each booth is conceived as a solo show, facilitating the discovery of individual artists– though not all are complete unknowns. For instance, visitors may already have seen Ethan Assouline’s fragile, minimalist sculptures at Marcelle Alix in Paris; here, they are showcased by Gauli Zitter (Brussels). Sweetwater (Berlin) presents an installation by Alexandre Khondji, whose “Triple Insert” series is currently featured in the inaugural exihbition of the New Programme of the Fondation Pernod Ricard, “Sorry Sun” curated by Liberty Adrien. Although Galerie Molitor (Berlin) is making its debut at Art Basel Paris, Dora Budor – whose video sculptures and ready-mades it shows – was already noticed at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, and in group shows in France, notably at Mo.Co (Montpellier, 2020). Promising talents to watch. This section also serves as a bridge to the main sector, already taken by several galleries (Anne Barrault, Édouard Montassut, Sans titre…). Paris-based Exo Exo, which invested heavily in its 2024 presentation with Lou Fauroux’s video carousel, is taking a second (and final) chance with paintings by Ash Love. The Pill (Istanbul, Paris), selected last year in the “Premise” section (devoted to special presentations including works pre-1900), now promotes textile architectures by Nefeli Papadimouli – an artist previously represented by Paris gallery Dohyang Lee, absent this year. Synonymous with novelty, emerging creation brings much-needed fresh air to the market. Yet outside the dedicated section, few examples appear at Art Basel Paris. Here, between an imposing Wang Keping and a conceptual painting by Martin Barré, stands a ceramic sculpture by Antoine Renard at Nathalie Obadia (Paris, Brussels). There, a glass-and-metal sculpture by Hannah Levy – also noticed at the 59th Venice Biennale – hangs on the walls of Casey Kaplan (New York). Works by up-and-coming artists are rare, even if their prices are already quite high. At 303 Gallery (New York), a medium-format canvas by young painter Tanya Merrill, The Pet (2025), is priced above $30,000 (€25,500). “For a fair, it’s essential to provide access to art as it’s being made, but that represents a real risk for galleries, notes Isabelle Alfonsi, co-founder of Marcelle Alix Gallery and emerging-art expert on the selection committee. Few galleries, for instance, will show video art, because it’s very hard to sell in this context. And paying €10,500 for booth rental – plus travel costs for foreign exhibitor – weighs heavily on a young, self-funded structure.”In the main sector, one can hardly hope to break even selling works below €20,000. The organizers are aware of the problem: the discount policy introduced retroactively this year will rise in 2026 to 25 % (for first-time exhibitors) and 15 % (for second-year participants). “It seems to me that auteur galleries, economically fragile, are becoming fewer and fewer, laments Marcelle Alix. They need to be encouraged.”Yet there’s no doubt that the showcase of an international event like Art Basel Paris can act as a springboard in an artist’s career. Painters such as Nathanaëlle Herbelin or Pol Taburet, whose canvases were shown early at fairs, now rank among the most searched names on Artnet’s online marketplace. “It’s very important to give our young artists visibility quickly, adds Philippe Charpentier, cofounder of Mor Charpentier Gallery (and president of the French Professional Committee of Art Galleries). This year we’re showing paintings by Malo Chapuy and Sacha Cambier de Montravel.” Two emerging painters whose canvases and techniques draw inspiration from the masters of the past.