This October, the city of light becomes the centre of the art universe as Art Basel Paris returns to the Grand Palais for its fourth edition. From October 24-26, the historic venue will host 203 galleries from 40 countries, including 25 newcomers making their Paris debut. The VIP doors swing open on October 22, giving collectors a first look at what promises to be the season’s most talked-about event.
“Paris breathes art in a way no other city does,” says Clément Delépine, the fair’s Paris director. He points to the mix of legendary galleries and fresh faces as proof of the city’s enduring pull. “Where else would you find seventy-year-old establishments rubbing shoulders with experimental spaces barely out of their first year?”
The lineup reads like a who’s who of the Paris art scene. Heavyweights like Mennour share walls with rising stars like Crèvecœur, while nearly one in three exhibitors calls the city home. The selection tells a story of Paris’ artistic legacy – from postwar pioneers to today’s rule-breakers. The fair will strongly reflect the French capital’s role as the ultimate nexus of artistic, intellectual, and creative avant-gardes. A large number of galleries and artists featured in this year’s show have strong and longstanding ties with the city and its vanguard spirit. More than a third of all exhibitors operate spaces in Paris, contributing to its flourishing art ecosystem, from established protagonists such as Mennour and new joiner Crèvecœur to recent additions including Modern Art and Petrine. Dozens of visionary creatives showing at the fair live and work in Paris or have spent formative years in the city. They include prominent established figures such as Simone Fattal, Bertrand Lavier, and Sheila Hicks; 20th-century pioneers like Bob Thompson, Simon Hantaï, and Sonia Delaunay; and rapidly rising emerging talents, including Nathanaëlle Herbelin, Ethan Assouline, and Xie Lei. The influence of Paris, as well as the artistic and philosophical movements that arose in the city over the past 150 years – from Impressionism to French post-colonial thought – will be evident across all three show sectors: Galeries, in which exhibitors present the full breadth of their program; Emergence, dedicated to emerging galleries and artists; and Premise, introduced in 2024 and focusing on highly singular curatorial proposals that may include work made before 1900.
But the real action might happen outside the main halls:
The Tuileries Gardens transform into an open-air museum, with Mouna Mekouar curating surprising dialogues between contemporary works and their historic surroundings
Over at the Petit Palais, artists and thinkers clash in the fair’s signature Conversations series
Miu Miu backs after-hours happenings that spill into the Marais’ cobblestone streets
The wildcard? Oh La La! – the fair’s Friday night shake-up, where dealers completely reimagine their booths around a secret theme. Last year’s surprise prompt (“Everything Must Change”) saw Picassos hung upside down and performance artists taking over entire stands.
With previews starting October 22 and the big public opening on the 23rd, the art world’s calendar officially revolves around Paris this autumn. As one veteran curator put it: “The Grand Palais becomes our temporary temple – equal parts marketplace, salon, and spectacle.”
Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world’s premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, Paris, and Qatar. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition. Art Basel’s engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through new digital platforms, including the Art Basel App and initiatives such as the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report, the