The Grand Palais… It was one of the stars of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games with the fencing competitions. A few weeks later, it became the sublime setting to host the Art Basel contemporary art fair. Clément Delépine, director of the event, did not hide his pride: “We have been working for more than two years to organize the 2024 edition of Art Basel Paris at the Grand Palais. It is a strong, solemn moment to see this project come to life in the heart of Paris. Our galleries, partners, collectors and visitors have all contributed to the general enthusiasm seen across the city, and I am extremely grateful to them”.
Let’s first do a little history. The International Contemporary Art Fair was born in 1974 and took place every November in Paris. It has occurred in different places over time: Bastille exhibition pavilion, at the Grand Palais, at the Porte de Versaille exhibition center… In 2022, the Fiac will stop to make way for a renamed event Paris+ by Art Basel on the same dates and organized by the MCH group based in Switzerland. Art Basel organizes four major fairs in the world, the first is that of Basel which was born in 1970, then arrived in 2002 Miami Beach, Hong Kong in 2013 and finally Paris in 2022 which took place at the ephemeral Grand Palais, on the Champ-de-Mars. This year, the Parisian event has once again changed its name to Art Basel Paris and has therefore returned to the Grand Palais. It is one of the most important contemporary art fairs in the world.
This edition took place from October 18 to 20, bringing together nearly 200 galleries (195 to be precise, or 41 more than last year) from 42 countries and 53 first-time exhibitors. Art Basel Paris welcomed a record attendance with 65,000 visitors, compared to 40,000 last year, who were not put off by the entrance fee (44 euros and 105 euros for opening admission)… The public did not hide his pleasure at finding the Parisian monument located on the edge of the Champs-Élysées and was also able to discover new spaces, such as the balconies surrounding the large nave which were occupied by the galleries of the “Emergence” sector. Two other poles were offered by the program: “Galleries” which brought together international galleries and the newcomer “Premise” which offered atypical or pre-contemporary art proposals.
We wondered what assessment the galleries would draw while the art market is under pressure with a drop in sales for several months after two years of madness… The uncertain global context and the crises invite buyers to be cautious… No extravagant proposition nor exceptional sales to report, but this 2024 edition was still a good vintage, particularly for French galleries and women artists. Among the sales announced by Art Basel, a monochrome work mixing architectural drawing and abstraction by Julie Mehretu entitled Insile at the White Cube Gallery sold for $9.5 million. On the Lisson Gallery stand, several textile works by Olga de Amaral (currently exhibited at the Fondation Cartier, editor’s note) were acquired by a private American collection. Three tapestries by the artist Marie-Claire Messouma Manlanbien found buyers between 22,000 and 60,000 euros at Cécile Fakhoury. At the Ortuzar Projects stand, a series of six new paintings by Takako Yamaguchi was sold for $300,000 each. At Kamel Mennour, Boulevard Haussmann, N°3 (2013) by Bertrand Lavier was sold for 130,000 euros.
This edition of Art Basel Paris confirms France’s fourth place in the global art market and its central place in creation.
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