Affected by the economic situation, the newly installed fair at the Grand Palais did not multiply millionaire sales. But she signed a good vintage for Parisian galleries and highlighted a series of women artists.
An Art fair is, of course, made to meet people and to show beautiful pieces, but above all to sell… Drawing an assessment is always just as risky, the announcements of transactions depending on the goodwill of the galleries – some among the most powerful being notoriously discreet like Gagosian, Nahmad, Acquavella, and this club having this time been enriched by entities like Lévy Gorvy, Ropac or Goodman. It seems undoubted that the crisis – which was notably embodied in a series of gallery closures – has led to a decline in performance. This, for once, is especially visible in the exceptional pieces segment.
A Spider by Louise Bourgeois at 20 million
If Hauser & Wirth, one of the key indicators of the market, managed to stay above the impressive figure of 75 million dollars during the last three Art Basels (in Basel), it was in fact due to the anthology of historical pieces placed: in June 2024, there were around ten, signed Gorky, Calder, Louise Bourgeois or Picabia, over 3 million. In Paris, for the international brand with 21 addresses on three continents, it was once again Louise Bourgeois who made the show (with a “small” spider at 20 million) and Mark…
