Art Basel will cut stand fees by 20 per cent for every gallery that took part in Art Basel Paris. The fair closed two days early in October because of planned protests. Chief executive Noah Horowitz confirmed the discount, calling it a recognition of the closure on 24 and 25 October.
Tickets bought for that weekend have already been refunded to fairgoers. Galleries usually pay most of their costs up front, with final invoices due within 30 days of a fair’s close. The new discount will show on those invoices.
There is, however, a catch. The reduction covers stand fees only. It does not apply to special orders such as lighting and stand customisation, since those are third-party costs that Art Basel does not control. A gallery with a $10,000 booth fee and $10,000 in extras, for a total of $20,000, would receive $2,000 off.
Smaller and emerging galleries had been waiting anxiously for news. The fair opened on Tuesday 20 October with the Avant Première for VVIP guests. Wednesday and Thursday were also limited to invited visitors. The public got a single day, Friday, instead of the weekend that had been planned.
Horowitz admitted the answer took about two and a half weeks. He said the team wanted to pull everything together properly and talk to the gallery community first. A letter went to all participants on Wednesday, signed by Paris director Karim Crippa. It describes the approach as fair and considered, and as a sign of the partnership between fair and galleries.
Not everyone is satisfied. Philippe Charpentier, president of the CPGA, the French galleries’ committee, told Art Newspaper France last month that the group backed the Saturday closure. After the security failure of the previous weekend and the serious unrest that followed, he said, caution made sense. But the CPGA would have liked to argue for reopening on Sunday.
Horowitz says the situation was moving fast. Many conversations were held with galleries during and after the fair, and lessons were learned. Processes will keep improving, he said. On Sunday specifically, he said nobody could be sure how long the demonstrations would last or whether the Grand Palais would be accessible. Some exhibitors also worried about leaving works unattended on Saturday. Closing early and starting the dismantling on Friday evening seemed the most responsible course of action. It protected the artworks, dealers, their teams, workers, and visitors.
A meeting is planned for 14 December between Art Basel Paris and the CPGA. Horowitz says such meetings happen regularly, but this one follows the CPGA’s request to discuss redress for the shortened fair. It will cover the wider relationship between the parties. Representatives of the French Ministry of Culture and the Grand Palais RMN are expected. Both told ARTnews they have had no part in the discount question. Horowitz would not comment on the venue contract, French authorities or insurance. A Culture Ministry spokesperson said its role is to offer a space for constructive dialogue and to learn from what happened.
The CPGA is not alone in asking for compensation. ARTnews contacted dozens of smaller galleries outside France. All said some reimbursement was fair. Their ideas varied. Some wanted smaller galleries prioritised. One proposal was to refund a third of the booth price, matching the share of the fair that was lost. Others suggested vouchers towards next year’s application and booth fees.
Art Basel is now preparing its Miami Beach edition, which runs from 2 to 6 December. Whether 20 per cent satisfies the galleries that felt the loss most is a question the December meeting may begin to answer.
Top Photo: Art Basel Paris Photo Clayton Calvert