Paris+ has been greeted with great anticipation since its announcement in March this year. While the French capital offers an impressive array of museum exhibitions, galleries and parties, the fair, organised by Art Basel, lived up to the hype, with dealers and collectors praising both the standard of exhibitors and the works on display.
The most eagerly awaited fair of the year finally opened its doors, and the doors of the Grand Palais Éphémère immediately saw the major players in the art world come through. With major international collectors — Maja Hoffmann, Alain Servais, Xavier Niel, Patrizia Sandretto re Rebaudengo, to name but a few — immediately heading for the stands of the top galleries: everyone from Hauser & Wirth to Thaddaeus Ropac was present.
With Munch at the Musée d’Orsay, Monet-Mitchell at the Fondation Louis-Vuitton and Alice Neel at the Centre Pompidou, as well as the return of Cyprien Gaillard to the Palais de Tokyo and Anticipations at Lafayette, this first edition of Paris+ saw the city demonstrate a great deal of dynamism, drawing on its unrivalled art history, powerful mega-galleries and burgeoning emerging scene.
Art Basel has been called upon to enchant after the controversial move by which it ousted the historic Parisian fair Fiac to establish itself as the flagship event of the City of Light. So far, the impression is that it has succeeded. The level of collectors is extremely high: more numerous and of better quality. The atmosphere, certainly also fuelled by the novelty, is electric. The whole art world has converged on the fair, which heats up the atmosphere even more. The mix of powerful and emerging realities, both in terms of galleries and artists, is perfectly balanced. The lack of restrictions has made travel easier and the Brexit has led to the whole city of Paris rediscovering itself as a potential European art capital. Although London, as expected, is not letting go.
Hauser & Wirth has made a strong start, selling at least nine works: including George Condo’s The Dream (2022) for $2.65m, Rashid Johnson’s Bruise Paintings Sanctuary (2022) for $1m and Avery Singer’s Free Fall (2022) for $800,000. David Zwirner announced sales worth $11 million. Notable works included Joan Mitchell’s Border (1989), which sold for $4.5m, Robert Ryman’s Untitled (1963), which sold for $3m, and Luc Tuymans’ Bouhouche (2007), which sold for $1.35m.
Lelong and Gagosian were satisfied. Sadie Coles sold an Alex Da Corte painting for $100,000, a Jonathan Lyndon Chase work for $55,000 and two large-scale works by Alvaro Barrington for $150,000 each. Perrotin sold a work by Tavares Strachan for $150,000, a work by Emma Webster for $100,000 and a work by Susumu Kamijo for $130,000.
Perrotin sold works by Tavares Strachan for $150,000, Emma Webster for $100,000-$150,000 and a work by Susumu Kamijo for $130,000.
Among the top prices at the fair were a Matisse and a Picasso. Both offered by Acquavella. Both with a price tag of around $45 million.
