After Frieze London last week, the excitement now shifts to the French capital for the third edition of Art Basel Paris, which is fast becoming one of the most sought-after art fairs in Europe.
Joining its established counterparts in SuisseHong Kong and Miami Beach, the Paris edition will feature everything from painting and sculpture to video installations and performance art, from leading international galleries and artists, all by organizing conferences, performances and site-specific installations in the “city of light”.
“A new name, a change in size and space, the inauguration of the renovated Grand Palais, everything is new,” says Clément Delépine, director of Art Basel Paris.
There’s so much to see this year, so here’s a quick guide to everything you need to know, plus some highlights you won’t want to miss.
Where does Art Basel Paris take place?
While the last two editions of Art Basel Paris took place at the Grand Palais Éphémère, this year the fair has decided to change location.
This year’s art fair is being held at the historic Grand Palais, an architectural gem custom-built 124 years ago for the 1900 World’s Fair. Following a three-year renovation in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics , the site has never been so splendid.
While most events take place at the Grand Palais, Art Basel Paris also offers a “public program”, completely free and open to everyone, throughout the city.
How many galleries are participating?
The third edition of the fair counts 195 top galleries from 42 countries and territories, including 65 with spaces in France and 53 new arrivals – a notable increase of 27% compared to last year’s edition.
You will definitely not be harmed if you attend the fair…
When does Art Basel Paris take place?
The fair is open to the public from October 18 to 20after two days of VIP previews.
What are the highlights of the Grand Palais?
Visitors to Art Basel Paris can expect to see masterpieces from renowned artists and rising stars. Here are some particularly notable stands:
Gallery Continues
Galleria Continua presents recent works by French-Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed, British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor and the Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou. The presentation also includes Ai Wei Wei’s large-scale toy brick rendition of The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus (1618) by Peter Paul Rubens. Hopefully it won’t be broken…
Galerie Vedovi
This Brussels gallery brings real star power to the fair, presenting a striking 1965 painting by the Belgian surrealist legend Rene Magritte, The Devil’s Smilealongside the Space concept (1960), Lucio Fontana’s emblematic slashed canvas. The exhibition is enriched with a painting from the “Smoker” series by American artist Tom Wesselmann, before his major retrospective at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in the fall.
Landau Fine Art
Landau Fine Art makes a splash with an impressive selection of 20th century masterpieces, spanning surrealism, cubism, outsider art and pop art. Expect to see works by big names like René Magritte, Joan Miró, Pablo PicassoJean Dubuffet and Roy Lichtenstein. Not to be missed!
Galerie 1900-2000
To celebrate the centenary of the surrealist movementthe 1900-2000 Gallery focuses on the pioneers of Dada and surrealism. The exhibition includes works by French protean artist Francis Picabia, German pioneer Hannah Höch and Spanish master Joan Miró. Particularly noteworthy is a four-handed ink drawing by Gala and Salvador Dalí, Valentine Hugo and the founder of the surrealist movement André Breton (the so-called “exquisite corpse”). A beautiful skewer!
Hauser & Wirth
Hauser & Wirth presents a selection of key pieces from its contemporary and modern gallery program, including the vibrant abstract works of British artist Frank Bowling and the hauntingly beautiful sculptures of American artist Barbara Chase-Riboud.
Christian Andersen + Sophie Tappeiner
In the Emergence sector of Art Basel Paris, dedicated to the work of emerging talents, the Danish gallery Christian Andersen, new exhibitor, presents the fictional series “Black Masters” by Zimbabwean artist Shaun Motsi. Motsi’s film installation uses “edutainment” to examine the complexity of defining black identity and how traditional knowledge production reinforces racial hierarchies by linking identity to skills and knowledge specific.
Another rising star to watch is German artist Sophie Thun, whose studio is recreated with a selection of her works on view by the Vienna-based Sophie Tappeiner Gallery. The exhibition includes large black and white analogue prints magnetically attached to the walls, showing his unique exploration of self-representation through photography.
What are the strong points of the public program?
There are lots of things to see for free outside of the Grand Palais! Several iconic locations in Paris host exhibitions, installations, sculptures and curatorial projects by artists such as Ghada Amer, Jesse Darling, Niki de Saint Phalle and Thomas Schütte.
L’avenue Winston-Churchillwhere the Grand Palais is located, became pedestrianized for the fair and presents three monumental works: BALMYWISECRACK (2010) by John Chamberlain, PUMPKIN (L) (2014) by Yayoi Kusama, a 2-meter bronze sculpture, and Demountable house 6×9 (1944) by Jean Prouvé, a modular house dating from the Second World War.
Furthermore, the Chapelle des Petits-Augustins – Beaux-Arts de Paris, which dates from the 17th century, welcomes A Real Boya bold exhibition by French artist Jean-Charles de Quillacq. Mixing the idea of softness (softness) inspired by the Renaissance with eccentric modern materials, de Quillacq presents his weird and wonderful explorations of body shapes and materials.
Also be sure to visit the magnificent gardens of the Domaine national du Palais-Royal, where a remarkable collective exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Center des monuments nationaux. The outdoor exhibition presents the series Paravent Girls by Ghada Amer, the emblematic Thumb of Caesar (a bronze thumb of 3.5 meters) and Gold Rush by Richard Long, an installation of rocks from the Sierra Nevada, as well as other works. This exhibition takes place from October 15 to 26.
Art Basel Paris takes place from October 18 to 20, 2024.
