VIP start of Art Basel Paris – New name, new location: Art Basel Paris art fair starts – culture

Paris (dpa) – The Art Basel Paris art fair has opened its doors in the French metropolis. “This is the strongest Paris trade fair to date,” sums up the international gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac at the VIP start of the art fair on Thursday in the newly renovated Grand Palais.

“The energy and response are excellent,” the Austrian continued to tell the German Press Agency. Important collectors, especially from America, came.

The crowds in the corridors of the magnificent Grand Palais were huge two days before the public opening. The list of sales announced by the galleries was correspondingly long right from the start.

Art Basel effect

The White Cube gallery sold, among other things, a work by Julie Mehretu for $9.5 million. At David Zwirner, works by Josef Albers and Dana Schutz changed hands for $900,000 each. Hauser & Wirth sold more than ten works, including those by Mark Bradford and Louise Bourgeois, for $3.5 million and $2 million, respectively.

“The quality of the works at the fair is good,” explained Ropac. That is the effect of the Art Basel label. Two years ago, Art Basel founded its third branch in Paris, after Miami Beach and Hong Kong. The Mutter trade fair, founded in Basel in 1970, is the largest industry event in the world.

When the gigantic Art Basel replaced the traditional FIAC trade fair, it will still appear in 2022 with the cumbersome name Paris+par Art Basel. A quiet expansion course.

Grand Palais effect

The Art Basel effect also includes the Grand Palais effect. The 19th-century building with its 40-meter-high glass dome not far from the Champs-Élysées was closed for renovation work in March 2021. An all-round lift that cost over 500 million euros.

The last two fairs took place in the Grand Palais Ephémère on the Champs-de-Mars. In 2023, 154 exhibitors from 33 countries took part. This year there are 195 gallery owners from 42 countries. At the same time, numerous high-quality exhibitions take place.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:241017-930-263021/1