2024-10-17 14:06:00
Last year it was called Paris+par Art Basel. Like Art Basel Paris, the international art fair now opens its doors for the first time in the renovated Grand Palais. High-impact changes.
Paris.
The Art Basel Paris art fair has opened its doors in the French metropolis. “This is the strongest Parisian fair to date,” is how international gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac sums up 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 came, especially Americans.
The crowds in the corridors of the magnificent Grand Palais were enormous two days before it opened to the public. The list of sales announced by galleries has been equally long since the beginning.
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 has 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 work at the fair is good,” explained Ropac. This is the effect of the Art Basel brand. Two years ago Art Basel founded its third branch in Paris, after Miami Beach and Hong Kong. The Mutter fair, founded in Basel in 1970, is the largest industry event in the world.
When the giant Art Basel replaced the traditional FIAC fair, it still presented itself in 2022 with the cumbersome name Paris+par Art Basel. A peaceful expansion path.
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 renovations in March 2021. An all-round elevator cost over 500 million euros.
The last two fairs took place at the Grand Palais Ephémère on the Champs-de-Mars. In 2023, 154 exhibitors from 33 countries participated. This year there are 195 gallery owners from 42 countries present. At the same time, numerous high-quality exhibitions take place. (dpa)
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