Fresh off New York’s September art fair blitz and Seoul Art Week, art industry insiders are gearing up for London and Paris. Thankfully, this year’s Art Basel in the French capital has a simpler name—Art Basel Paris—after two years of trying to figure out exactly how to say “Paris+ par Art Basel” in conversation, sparing artsy globetrotters from pronunciation corrections proffered by irritated French art professionals. The Art Basel Paris organizers have just revealed more details about its robust October program that will showcase works brought by 195 leading galleries at the Grand Palais and includes thousands of events and special projects citywide.
“The dynamic evolution, for the second year in a row, of Art Basel Paris’ public program reflects our enduring commitment to the city and bringing thought-provoking art to some of its most iconic public spaces,” said Clément Delépine, the art fair’s director, in a statement.
What to expect from Art Basel Paris 2024
Hosted in the Grand Palais, recently restored to its full grandeur after three years of renovations, the fair’s third edition will gather galleries from forty-two countries and territories, including sixty-four with spaces in France and fifty-three newcomers. Last year, the temporary venue felt cramped, but the new location allows for a 27 percent increase in exhibitors. Among the new entries, Fergus McCaffrey (Tokyo, New York, Saint Barthélémy) will honor French art dealer Rodolphe Stadler, who shared the gallery’s dedication to Japanese avant-garde. Their presentation includes works by Japanese masters Kazuo Shiraga and Jiro Yoshihara, alongside an installation by video art pioneer Shigeko Kubota. Meanwhile, Sfeir-Semler (Beirut, Hamburg) will showcase art from the Middle East, North Africa and their diasporas, featuring well-known artists like Walid Raad, Wael Shawky, Mounira Al Solh, Tarik Kiswanson and Yto Barrada.
Mega galleries are also stepping up with more curated, engaging booths, like Pace Gallery’s “Mystical Sugar,” curated by painter Paulina Olowska, who will explore themes of witchcraft with works by Louise Nevelson, Kiki Smith and Lucas Samaras. Taka Ishii Gallery (Tokyo, Kyoto, Maebashi, Hong Kong) will juxtapose ukiyo-e artists with contemporary voices like Rosalind Nashashibi, Frieda Toranzo Jaeger and Hiroka Yamashita, delving into the fascination with yokai—spirits and gods believed to inhabit objects and nature in Japan.
This year, the fair introduces a new section, “Premise,” showcasing singular projects that challenge the traditional art historical canon by highlighting compelling but lesser-known artistic practices. Among the nine selected presentations, Sies + Höke (Düsseldorf) will juxtapose photographs by Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke, illustrating their creative exchange since meeting in 1962 as students. Pauline Palec will feature rare works by avant-garde pioneer Juliette Roche (1884–1980), while Parker Gallery (Los Angeles) highlights Wally Hedrick, a key figure of the postwar San Francisco Beat Generation. Bombon (Barcelona) will show erotically charged drawings by Spanish underground cartoonist Nazario created during Spain’s transition to democracy. THE PILL® (Istanbul) will showcase the work of the seminal Turkish-born, Paris-based artist Nil Yalter, who won the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2024 Venice Biennale, while Loft Art Gallery (Casablanca, Marrakesh) will display vibrant abstractions by Moroccan painter Mohamed Melehi of the 1960s Casablanca School. Gallery of Everything (London) will spotlight Ukrainian-born, New York-based Janet Sobel (1893–1968), who blended outsider art and abstract expressionism, and Galerie Dina Vierny (Paris) will pay tribute to Wilhelm Uhde, a German-born collector instrumental in the early development of Cubism.
In the “Emergence” sector, which features younger galleries, highlights include Paris’ Exo Exo with a 3D installation by Lou Fauroux that envisions a post-internet future and Tokyo-based Kayokoyuki presenting intimate sculptures by Kenji Ide that in their essential forms turn into subtle poems on perception and human interactions. Jakarta’s ROH Projects will feature the fascinating work of Bali-based artist Kei Imazu, whose pieces explore the fluid existence of art in and beyond the stable form of an image, reflecting the constant flux of the internet environment.
A new experimental section “Oh La La!” will showcase rarely exhibited, provocative works in the show’s second half, encouraging creative rehanging. And as art fairs have increasingly become lifestyle experiences, Art Basel Paris will have its gift shops, including the Art Basel Shop, the novel concept store first introduced in Basel showcasing a selection of custom products that celebrate and extend the Art Basel experience. The shop is curated for the second time by Sarah Andelman, co-founder and former creative director of the Parisian concept store Colette and founder of Just An Idea.
Highlights of the art fair’s public programming
As the French capital fully embraces the fair, Art Basel Paris is deepening its ties to the city’s cultural scene with nine iconic Parisian sites hosting exhibitions, installations, monumental sculptures and curatorial projects. With Miuccia Prada’s luxury brand Miu Miu as the official Public Program Partner, Art Basel is collaborating with the City of Paris and major cultural institutions, including the Musée du Louvre, the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, the Petit Palais, Paris Musées and the Palais d’Iéna on programming.
Among the must-sees are artist Jesse Darling’s takeover of the Petit Palais along with sculptures by John Chamberlain, Yayoi Kusama and Jean Prouvé lining Avenue Winston-Churchill, which will become a pedestrian zone during the fair to showcase the monumental works. British sculptor Lynn Chadwick will have a solo exhibition, curated by Matthieu Poirier, simultaneously at Hôtel de Sully and Galerie Perrotin. The Parvis de l’Institut de France will feature the fantastical universe of Niki de Saint Phalle, while a kinetic sculpture by Greek artist Takis will grace the Cour de l’Hôtel de la Marine. A promising film-based program, “Tales & Tellers,” conceived by Goshka Macuga and convened by Elvira Dyangani Ose, will be presented by Miu Miu at Palais d’Iéna, blending filmmaking, art and fashion to explore evolving ideas of femininity. The Domaine National du Palais-Royal will host a group exhibition featuring works like Franco-Egyptian artist Ghada Amer’s “Paravent Girls” series, César’s iconic 3.5-meter-high thumb and Heinz Mack’s Silver Stele (2015). Richard Long’s Gold Rush (2006), composed of rocks from California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, will lay dozens of rocks directly onto the ground in stark contrast with the Palais-Royal’s gilded architecture.
Other notable shows around Paris include a presentation of Colombian artist Olga de Amaral at Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, unexpected dialogues between Pop art master Tom Wesselmann and new stars at Fondation Louis Vuitton and a comprehensive survey of the Arte Povera movement at the Pinault Collection in the Bourse de Commerce.
Art Basel Paris opens for VIP Preview on October 16 and 17 and to the public on October 18.
