On a beautiful sunny day, millionaires and other VIPs stood in line on Wednesday morning to be among the first visitors to Art Basel Paris. The massive steel and glass dome has seen these crowds at events like Fiac before, but never has the audience been so international at an art fair in the French capital. Expectations were high after two editions of Paris+ par Art Basel at the Grand Palais Éphémère, which were a success but didn’t fully convince due to limited space in the temporary architecture. Now, the grandeur of the Grand Palais, built for the World Exhibition in 1900, is on display. London and even Basel itself should be on alert.
Art Basel Paris delivers exactly what one would expect from an Art Basel event: a large Immendorff from 1990 at Michael Werner (New York, London, Berlin), a medium-sized „Abstract Painting“ by Gerhard Richter at Gagosian (10 locations), or a larger one at Vedovi (Brussels), a small square by Josef Albers at White Cube (London, Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Seoul), or a six-meter wide world map by Alighero Boetti at Tornabuoni (Italy, France, Switzerland) await collectors, museums, art advisers, and interior designers looking to invest. Impressive yet somewhat dull. Basel still has a slight edge, according to reports from galleries. Hauser & Wirth, for example, announced sales of nearly 13 million euros on the first day, just shortly after 4 pm, with four more hours left in the fair.
Below this top tier, there are also aesthetically impressive presentations in addition to the high-priced ones. Eva Presenhuber from Zurich and Vienna dedicated her entire, not exactly small, booth to Tschabalala Self for „My House,“ who also took care of the floor and wall design. The six paintings were sold on the first day for prices ranging between 230,000 and 350,000 US dollars, while the sculptures at 165,000 dollars were still available.
In the corridors behind the gallery on the upper floor, you will come across Layr from Vienna, a branch from Brussels, the local Mariane Ibrahim, or Max Mayer from Düsseldorf. During the late Fiac times, this area was mainly occupied by smaller French galleries that felt somewhat neglected. Now, a broader audience is finding its way here. The mix is key, as well as the guidance, which still has room for improvement.
The obligatory „Emergence“ section for young galleries and artists is prominently located in the corridor of the gallery with a magnificent view into the hall. Sophie Tappeiner from Vienna is presenting Sophie Thun here. The new section „Premise“ for curated projects, which can also include artworks created before 1900, is the talk of the fair. The Parisian gallery Dina Vierny, run by the third generation, dedicates its booth to art dealer Wilhelm Uhde, showcasing paintings by Henri Rousseau and Sonia Delaunay, among others. The Gallery of Everything allows for a (re)discovery with a small showcase of works by the surrealist Janet Sobel from the mid-1940s. Works on paper range from 20,000 to 60,000 dollars, while paintings start at 100,000. Sies and Höke from Düsseldorf present a juxtaposition and collaboration of photographs by Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke. Not all works are for sale, but those that are cost in the mid-five-figure range.
Whether the allure of something new has drawn the entire art world to Paris remains to be seen in the upcoming editions. However, the premiere of Art Basel Paris was a success.