Art Basel returns to Paris with a packed fair featuring some of the most iconic works of modern and contemporary art, hidden gems, and rising stars of today! Set to ignite a vibrant week in France’s capital, Art Basel Paris will hold VIP Preview Days on October 16-17, followed by the main event from October 18-20, 2024. This year, the fair welcomes 195 galleries, representing 42 regions, including 65 from France and 53 making their debut at the fair.
Earlier this year, after reaching an agreement with the French Ministry of Culture and the City of Paris, the fair changed its name from “Paris+ par Art Basel” to “Art Basel Paris.” After three years of extensive renovations, the event will once again take place in the historic Grand Palais, offering a program filled with celebrated masterpieces and undiscovered treasures of modern and contemporary art.
The core of the Art Basel Paris program is shaped by three main sections: Galleries, Emergence, and Premise. While Galleries encompass the full scope of all participating galleries’ programs, Emergence—officially partnered with Galeries Lafayette—offers a platform for developing galleries and artists, and Premise showcases distinctive curatorial selections from nine galleries.
Led by Director Clément Delépine, this year’s edition sees a 27% increase in participating galleries compared to last year’s edition at Grand Palais Éphémère, while also opening up space for brand-new initiatives. Among these, the debut of Oh La La!, featuring unconventional and provocative works, is expected to garner particular attention.
Galeries
The Galleries sector, the core of Art Basel Paris, hosts 170 galleries from around the world, representing modern, post-war, and contemporary art. Here, masterpieces by iconic artists who have shaped 20th-century art movements will be on display. In parallel with the major Surrealism exhibition at the Centre Pompidou, celebrating the centenary of the movement, many participating galleries will showcase works by important surrealist artists. Italian Arte Povera will also feature prominently, with a dedicated exhibition curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev at the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection.
With 65 participants from regions across France, Art Basel Paris presents a remarkable panorama of the country’s vibrant art scene and rich gallery landscape. This year, the fair not only introduces new spaces but also continues to unite renowned galleries from around the world. Standout presentations include works by Etel Adnan, showcased by Galerie Lelong & Co. (Paris, New York); a new mural by Julian Charrière at Perrotin; and pieces by Igshaan Adams, Kevin Beasley, Caroline Kent, and Hannah Levy from Casey Kaplan (New York).
Art Basel Paris continues to host the leading figures of contemporary art worldwide. Galleria Continua will showcase large-scale works by Ai Weiwei, alongside new works by Anish Kapoor and Adel Abdessemed. Galerie Buchholz is set to present key works by Wolfgang Tillmans and Isa Genzken. Additionally, Capitain Petzel will feature a selection of works by Maria Lassnig and Martin Kippenberger, while Hauser & Wirth will participate with presentations of recent works by Frank Bowling and Barbara Chase-Riboud.
Premise
Premise, making its debut this year, seeks to spotlight captivating yet underappreciated artistic practices. Featuring artists whose works stretch back to the pre-1900s, Premise expands its boundaries in terms of both geography and artistic expression. All galleries featured in Premise are participating in Art Basel Paris for the first time.
From Turkey, THE PILL® (Istanbul) will present Nil Yalter’s installation The AmbassaDRESS (1978), which addresses the collaboration of a World War II ambassador’s wife with the Nazis, bringing the artist’s current worldwide acclaim to Paris. Other standout presentations include Sies + Höke (Düsseldorf), offering a selection comparing works by Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke as they experiment with photography, and Gallery of Everything (London), showcasing paintings by Ukrainian-born Janet Sobel, linked to both outsider art and Abstract Expressionism.
Emergence
Emerging talents and radical new voices take centre stage in Emergence, previously known as Galeries Émergentes. With 16 striking solo booths, Emergence returns in partnership with the Galeries Lafayette group. Fourteen of the participating galleries are making their first appearance at Art Basel Paris.
The Emergence booths are located on the striking balconies surrounding the central nave of the Grand Palais, which have been inaccessible for nearly two decades. This symbolic setting bridges past and present. One of the artists featured in Lafayette Anticipations – Fondation Galeries Lafayette will receive an international jury award, and the winner will be commissioned to create a piece for next year’s exhibition at Lafayette Anticipations.
Artists to watch in this section include Shaun Motsi, represented by Christian Andersen (Copenhagen), Lou Fauroux, presented by Exo Exo (Paris), and Lungiswa Gqunta, brought by Whatiftheworld (Cape Town).
Oh La La! – A Brand-New Initiative
For its third edition in Paris, Art Basel introduces a new initiative called Oh La La!. This event highlights the fair’s dynamic and ever-evolving structure. Held at the Grand Palais on Friday, October 18, and Saturday, October 19, participating galleries will have the opportunity to showcase rarely exhibited, unconventional, and groundbreaking works for the first time. Spread across 33 booths, Oh La La! offers an exciting path throughout the fair.
Must-see booths include Galerie Anne Barrault (Paris), featuring a drawing by French illustrator and filmmaker Roland Topor titled Oh La La; P420 (Bologna) with works by Italian painter Merlin James (b. 1960), Shafei Xia (b. 1989) inspired by 19th-century Chinese erotic art, and Victor Fotso Nyie (b. 1990) exploring sub-Saharan cultural heritage through figurative ceramics; and Casey Kaplan (New York) presenting a new work specially created for the fair by American artist Kevin Beasley (b. 1985).
Public Program
As part of this year’s expanded Art Basel Paris Public Program, various historical sites across Paris will host works by modern and contemporary artists such as Ghada Amer, Jesse Darling, Niki de Saint Phalle, Ali Cherri, and Thomas Schütte. In addition to installations, monumental sculptures, and curatorial projects, a series of talks and discussions will be open to the public. Participation and visits to all Public Program projects are free of charge!
Among the must-see projects of this edition, which adds five new locations, are the Tales & Tellers project at Palais d’Iéna, designed by Goshka Macuga and curated by Elvira Dyangani Ose, in collaboration with Miu Miu; and presentations of works by John Chamberlain, Jean Prouvé, and Yayoi Kusama along the Winston-Churchill Boulevard, in partnership with the City of Paris.
- Palais d’Iéna: “Tales & Tellers”, presented by Miu Miu
- Place Vendôme: Carsten Höller.
- Cour de l’Hôtel de la Marine: Takis.
- Petit Palais: Jesse Darling ve Art Basel Conversations.
- Avenue Winston-Churchill: John Chamberlain, Yayoi Kusama ve Jean Prouvé.
- Hôtel de Sully: Lynn Chadwick, curated by Matthieu Poirier
- Domaine national du Palais-Royal: Sculpture garden
- Parvis de l’Institut de France: Niki de Saint Phalle.
- Musée national Eugène-Delacroix: Ali Cherri.
- Chapelle des Petits-Augustins des Beaux-Arts de Paris: Jean-Charles de Quillacq.
Cultural events in Paris during the Show
Art Basel Paris will once again power a bustling week of world-class exhibitions and events taking place across the French capital. They include:
- Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection: “Arte Povera”
- Musée National d’Art Moderne – Centre Pompidou: “Sürrealizm”
- Musée d’Orsay: “Elmgreen & Dragset, l’Addition” – “Caillebotte: Painting Men” – “Harriet Backer (1845-1932): The Music of Color” – “Céline Laguarde (1873-1961): Photographer”
- Fondation Louis Vuitton: “Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann &…”
- Musée de l’Orangerie: “Heinz Berggruen: A Dealer and His Collection” – “Amélie Bertrand: Hyper Nuit”
- Palais de Tokyo: “Malala Andrialavidrazana: Figures”
- Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris: “L’Age Atomique” – “Hans Josephsohn”
- Jeu de Paume: “Tina Barney: Family Ties” – “Chantal Ackerman: Travelling”
- Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain: “Olga de Amaral”
- Lafayette Anticipations: “Martine Syms: Total”
- Musée du Louvre: “Masterpieces from the Torlonia Collection”
- Maison Européenne de la Photographie: “Science/Fiction – A Non-History of Plants”
- Institut du Monde Arabe: “ARABOFUTURS: Science-fiction and New Imaginaries”
- Musée du Luxembourg: “Tarsila do Amaral”
- Reiffers Art Initiatives: “Ugo Rondinone ve Tarek Lakhrissi: Who is Afraid of Red, Blue, and Yellow?” – 2024 Mentorship Exhibition
- Musée des Arts Décoratifs: “Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media”
Cover Image: Art Basel Paris 2024 at the Grand Palais / artbasel.com