© 2016 Your company
Paris is Back in the Game: Highlights from the Second Edition of Paris+ Art Basel
One of the most important art weeks has just ended in Paris. This event gained importance not only due to the major fair Paris+ by Art Basel and several parallel fairs but also because of the intensive cultural program that swept across every corner of the French capital. Galleries curated exceptional exhibitions, and contemporary art installations graced historical sites like Place Vendôme and the Tuileries Gardens. Additionally, numerous conferences took place, and museums offered compelling exhibitions, including Vincent van Gogh at the Musée d'Orsay, Mark Rothko at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Nicolas de Staël at the Modern Art Museum, and a captivating display of Mike Kelley's works at the Pinault Collection at La Bourse de Commerce. This was just a glimpse of the extensive cultural tapestry that unfolded during this week.
It's worth noting that this year holds a special significance for Paris, as it endeavors to regain its prominence on the global art stage. For centuries, Paris reigned as the epicenter of the art world, but its influence dwindled since 1964 when Robert Rauschenberg's victory at the Venice Biennale symbolized the shift of art dominance to the United States. Since then, the United States, China, and the United Kingdom have largely dictated the art market and artistic landscape, while Paris, though maintaining its importance in Europe, only claims a modest 7-8% share of the global art market.
It's worth noting that this year holds a special significance for Paris, as it endeavors to regain its prominence on the global art stage. For centuries, Paris reigned as the epicenter of the art world, but its influence dwindled since 1964 when Robert Rauschenberg's victory at the Venice Biennale symbolized the shift of art dominance to the United States. Since then, the United States, China, and the United Kingdom have largely dictated the art market and artistic landscape, while Paris, though maintaining its importance in Europe, only claims a modest 7-8% share of the global art market.
Urs Fischer, place Vendôme © My B, sortiraparis.com
However, in recent years, there have been promising changes for France, especially concerning its art market. The opening of private collections by Bernard Arnault (Foundation Louis Vuitton) and François Pinault (Bourse de la Commerce), which represent powerful curated exhibitions, as well as more internationally-oriented museum programs and the expansion of contemporary art galleries, played a pivotal role in this. Additionally, the impact of Brexit, a low VAT rate for art - 5.5%, and the launch of the Paris+ fair have given the French capital a new impetus. As a result, major art galleries have opened new spaces, including White Cube and Marian Ibrahim, and this year, during the art week, two satellite galleries were inaugurated - Hauser & Wirth and Mendes Wood. Together, all of this provides hope for Paris to regain its standing and expand its market.
As the international art community descended upon Paris, uncertainties loomed. Observers keenly watched how these changes would affect the art market and how the market would react to current global events. At this moment, the world is fraught with numerous challenges. Global tensions were palpable, exacerbated by escalating conflicts in Israel and Ukraine, casting a somber shadow and unsettling everyone. Even Paris was grappling with security concerns, with worrisome signals of potential attacks, and even temporary closures of the Louvre. The global economy felt the pinch of slowing growth and rising interest rates, introducing significant uncertainty in the years ahead. Amidst these complex issues, an unusual problem added to the art fair's challenges – a bedbug infestation. The overall picture seemed far from favorable for the art fair. Nevertheless, the art market exhibited its resilience and reaffirmed France's significant place on the global art stage.
As the international art community descended upon Paris, uncertainties loomed. Observers keenly watched how these changes would affect the art market and how the market would react to current global events. At this moment, the world is fraught with numerous challenges. Global tensions were palpable, exacerbated by escalating conflicts in Israel and Ukraine, casting a somber shadow and unsettling everyone. Even Paris was grappling with security concerns, with worrisome signals of potential attacks, and even temporary closures of the Louvre. The global economy felt the pinch of slowing growth and rising interest rates, introducing significant uncertainty in the years ahead. Amidst these complex issues, an unusual problem added to the art fair's challenges – a bedbug infestation. The overall picture seemed far from favorable for the art fair. Nevertheless, the art market exhibited its resilience and reaffirmed France's significant place on the global art stage.
From the very opening hours of Paris+, a strong presence of leading collectors, curators, and art market participants from around the world was apparent. The dynamic and stimulating energy was palpable. Numerous sales were concluded within the first few hours and continued throughout the fair.
Paris+ featured 154 galleries, with a noticeable international presence, while also paying attention to French galleries. The fair's organizers aimed to expand its influence to less active geographic regions, including galleries from Europe, Asia, and Africa. Each gallery meticulously designed its exhibition space, reflecting its uniqueness while presenting exceptional artworks. The offerings spanned a wide spectrum of artists, ranging from emerging talents to historical masters, with prices ranging from €3,000 to €40,000,000.
Here are the highlights of the remarkable booths:
Paris+ featured 154 galleries, with a noticeable international presence, while also paying attention to French galleries. The fair's organizers aimed to expand its influence to less active geographic regions, including galleries from Europe, Asia, and Africa. Each gallery meticulously designed its exhibition space, reflecting its uniqueness while presenting exceptional artworks. The offerings spanned a wide spectrum of artists, ranging from emerging talents to historical masters, with prices ranging from €3,000 to €40,000,000.
Here are the highlights of the remarkable booths:
Pace Gallery
With satellites in 7 cities worldwide from Tokyo to New York, presented a booth dedicated to the works of Mark Rothko, in line with an important retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. The centerpiece of this exhibit was Rothko's own painting, "Olive over Red" (1956), which was in fact the most expensive work at the fair, priced at €40,000,000. The booth also showcased works by various artists from the gallery's roster, who specifically created pieces demonstrating Rothko's influence on art. Among them were Robert Longo, Adam Pendleton, and Loie Hollowell, alongside secondary works by Rothko's contemporaries like Agnes Martin, Richard Pousette-Dart, Antoni Tàpies, and Adolph Gottlieb.
With satellites in 7 cities worldwide from Tokyo to New York, presented a booth dedicated to the works of Mark Rothko, in line with an important retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. The centerpiece of this exhibit was Rothko's own painting, "Olive over Red" (1956), which was in fact the most expensive work at the fair, priced at €40,000,000. The booth also showcased works by various artists from the gallery's roster, who specifically created pieces demonstrating Rothko's influence on art. Among them were Robert Longo, Adam Pendleton, and Loie Hollowell, alongside secondary works by Rothko's contemporaries like Agnes Martin, Richard Pousette-Dart, Antoni Tàpies, and Adolph Gottlieb.
Gladstone Gallery
With spaces in New York, Los Angeles, Brussels, and Seoul, presented a booth that can be described as the pinnacle of post-war art. Visitors could find works by some of the most sought-after contemporary and post-war artists. The booth featured works by Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha, Philippe Parreno, Elizabeth Peyton, Sarah Lucas, and Robert Rauschenberg, among others. The gallery not only selected artists currently exhibiting in international museums but also high-quality works, with prices ranging from €850,000 to several million euros.
With spaces in New York, Los Angeles, Brussels, and Seoul, presented a booth that can be described as the pinnacle of post-war art. Visitors could find works by some of the most sought-after contemporary and post-war artists. The booth featured works by Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha, Philippe Parreno, Elizabeth Peyton, Sarah Lucas, and Robert Rauschenberg, among others. The gallery not only selected artists currently exhibiting in international museums but also high-quality works, with prices ranging from €850,000 to several million euros.
Mennour Gallery
French gallery with a strong international approach, drew attention with its key artists with whom it has been collaborating for many years, such as Lee Ufan, Anish Kapoor, Ugo Rondinone, and Alicja Kwade, as well as newly signed artists, including the renowned British master Idris Khan. The booth also featured unique works from the secondary market, including pieces by Gerhard Richter and Giuseppe Penone. Each artwork on this stand symbolized a high-quality artistic practice, with prices starting at €30,000 and reaching over a million euros.
French gallery with a strong international approach, drew attention with its key artists with whom it has been collaborating for many years, such as Lee Ufan, Anish Kapoor, Ugo Rondinone, and Alicja Kwade, as well as newly signed artists, including the renowned British master Idris Khan. The booth also featured unique works from the secondary market, including pieces by Gerhard Richter and Giuseppe Penone. Each artwork on this stand symbolized a high-quality artistic practice, with prices starting at €30,000 and reaching over a million euros.
Karsten Greve Gallery
German gallery with locations in Cologne, Paris, and St. Moritz, presented a selection of works by several outstanding artists from the 20th and 21st centuries. The gallery focuses on artists such as Lucio Fontana, Pierrette Bloch, Cy Twombly, and Louise Bourgeois. Notably, the stand featured a section dedicated to the creative genius of Fontana. He was renowned not only for his "Concetto Spaziale" series, which explored the appropriation of space, but also for his "Crocifissi" and "Crocifissioni" series. These ceramic works, inspired by the Baroque era and created by Fontana, offered a new spatial vision of the artist. Prices for the works at this stand started at €120,000.
German gallery with locations in Cologne, Paris, and St. Moritz, presented a selection of works by several outstanding artists from the 20th and 21st centuries. The gallery focuses on artists such as Lucio Fontana, Pierrette Bloch, Cy Twombly, and Louise Bourgeois. Notably, the stand featured a section dedicated to the creative genius of Fontana. He was renowned not only for his "Concetto Spaziale" series, which explored the appropriation of space, but also for his "Crocifissi" and "Crocifissioni" series. These ceramic works, inspired by the Baroque era and created by Fontana, offered a new spatial vision of the artist. Prices for the works at this stand started at €120,000.
Blum Gallery
Formerly known as "Blum & Poe," with bases in the United States and Japan, presented a solo exhibition of paintings and sculptures created by Lonni Holley, an American self-taught multimedia artist. She extends her visual practice into the realm of memorialization, creating abstract works on canvas, paper, and even blankets, using her signature multilayered style. Inspired by African American cultural heritage, Holley often utilizes blankets as canvases to honor the labor of women and capture the charged aura of the civil rights movement's history. The booth also featured intricate sculptures made from materials resembling waste, serving as a domestic embodiment of significant civil rights moments. Prices for drawings started at $10,000, while oil on canvas and sculptures ranged from $40,000 to $100,000.
Formerly known as "Blum & Poe," with bases in the United States and Japan, presented a solo exhibition of paintings and sculptures created by Lonni Holley, an American self-taught multimedia artist. She extends her visual practice into the realm of memorialization, creating abstract works on canvas, paper, and even blankets, using her signature multilayered style. Inspired by African American cultural heritage, Holley often utilizes blankets as canvases to honor the labor of women and capture the charged aura of the civil rights movement's history. The booth also featured intricate sculptures made from materials resembling waste, serving as a domestic embodiment of significant civil rights moments. Prices for drawings started at $10,000, while oil on canvas and sculptures ranged from $40,000 to $100,000.
Magnin-A Gallery
Young Parisian gallery, presented works by two artists from different generations: Seyni Awa Kamara and Wura-Natasha Ogunji. Their duet constituted an extraordinary journey to the boundaries of unique worlds, where the clay sculptures of the Senegalese artist intertwined with delicately embroidered papers by the American-Nigerian artist. Kamara and Ogunji posed questions about intimacy and the body. By using techniques that go beyond classical formal art, they created poetic works in which beings aspired to metamorphosis and interweaving. Prices for paintings ranged from €14,000 to €45,000, while sculptures were offered from €200,000 and beyond.
Young Parisian gallery, presented works by two artists from different generations: Seyni Awa Kamara and Wura-Natasha Ogunji. Their duet constituted an extraordinary journey to the boundaries of unique worlds, where the clay sculptures of the Senegalese artist intertwined with delicately embroidered papers by the American-Nigerian artist. Kamara and Ogunji posed questions about intimacy and the body. By using techniques that go beyond classical formal art, they created poetic works in which beings aspired to metamorphosis and interweaving. Prices for paintings ranged from €14,000 to €45,000, while sculptures were offered from €200,000 and beyond.
Dvir Gallery
A contemporary art gallery with branches in Paris, Tel Aviv, and Brussels, presented an exhibition featuring the duo of Douglas Gordon and Bri Williams. These multifaceted artists, through their work, delved into human conditions related to memory, the passage of time, ambiguity, and the disruption of the mundane. They also explored the binary nature of things and the tendency to categorize them as opposites, such as black/white and good/evil. Within their artistic practice, they focused on the concept of burning, which is intertwined with memory, the past, traumas, and sociocultural aspects. This dialogue between their works created a profound coherence in their diverse artistic practices. The prices for their artworks ranged from €7,000 to €100,000.
A contemporary art gallery with branches in Paris, Tel Aviv, and Brussels, presented an exhibition featuring the duo of Douglas Gordon and Bri Williams. These multifaceted artists, through their work, delved into human conditions related to memory, the passage of time, ambiguity, and the disruption of the mundane. They also explored the binary nature of things and the tendency to categorize them as opposites, such as black/white and good/evil. Within their artistic practice, they focused on the concept of burning, which is intertwined with memory, the past, traumas, and sociocultural aspects. This dialogue between their works created a profound coherence in their diverse artistic practices. The prices for their artworks ranged from €7,000 to €100,000.
SMAC
African gallery based in Cape Town, dedicated its entire booth to Simphiwe Buthelezi. In her artistic practice, she honed in on South African forms of spirituality and the Zulu culture, employing natural materials in her work. She drew inspiration from traditional carpet-making and basket weaving techniques, incorporating materials like sand, seeds, beads, and sea shells. Her art revisited ancestral healing rituals and metallurgy. In her creations, she emphasized the necessity of destruction, finding beauty and new beginnings, drawing inspiration from the farming practice of burning land to make it more fertile. The artworks were priced from €2,000 to €20,000.
African gallery based in Cape Town, dedicated its entire booth to Simphiwe Buthelezi. In her artistic practice, she honed in on South African forms of spirituality and the Zulu culture, employing natural materials in her work. She drew inspiration from traditional carpet-making and basket weaving techniques, incorporating materials like sand, seeds, beads, and sea shells. Her art revisited ancestral healing rituals and metallurgy. In her creations, she emphasized the necessity of destruction, finding beauty and new beginnings, drawing inspiration from the farming practice of burning land to make it more fertile. The artworks were priced from €2,000 to €20,000.
15 November 2023 | Art Market
Latests Articles
From surrealism's centenary celebration to an exploration of Arte Povera, and from the masterpieces of the Borghese Gallery to modern reflections on intimacy, Parisian museums will offer art lovers a diverse and enriching experience. Here’s a curated list of must-see exhibitions that will captivate and inspire visitors in the latter half of 2024.
3 September 2024 | Exhibitions
3 September 2024 | Exhibitions
Over the past decades, companies worldwide have recognized the value of art collections within their workspaces. While some enterprises have the means for direct acquisitions, there are other avenues that lighten the financial load while offering additional fiscal advantages.
15 May 2024 | Art Market
15 May 2024 | Art Market
Words have the remarkable ability to shape our thoughts, emotions, and actions. They inform, persuade, inspire, provoke, and unite. Whether spoken or written, words carry profound meaning and significance that can leave a lasting impact on individuals and societies. But what happens when words are used in art?
20 February 2024 | Artists
20 February 2024 | Artists
From retrospectives on iconic artists to showcases of contemporary movements and historic artifacts, the city's museums present diverse exhibits that highlight the richness of art and history. Whether you are a fan of Impressionism, fascinated by ancient civilizations, or intrigued by modern artistic expressions, there is something for everyone.
7 January 2024 | Exhibitions
7 January 2024 | Exhibitions
Exploring the resurgence of Paris on the global art stage, this article delves into the highlights of the 2023 Paris+ Art Basel, reflecting the city's revitalized presence in the international art market.
15 November 2023 | Art Market
15 November 2023 | Art Market
Here is a curated list of museum exhibitions in Paris for the second half of the year, showcasing significant figures in modern art to contemporary pioneers. In this cultural tapestry, Paris stands as a focal point for artistic brilliance, providing an immersive experience that traverses masterpieces and avant-garde creations. Explore the profound impact of these exhibitions, solidifying Paris's enduring influence on the global art stage.
3 September 2023 | Exhibitions
3 September 2023 | Exhibitions
The art market is a complex and dynamic system, with an ever-evolving structure that can be difficult to navigate. Despite its exciting features, the art world's growth and changes over the past twenty years have been significant driven by several factors.
10 July 2023 | Art Market
10 July 2023 | Art Market
Exploring the French Riviera is like stepping into a realm where art and beauty intertwine seamlessly. This region has been an endless source of inspiration for artists across the ages. It not only boasts a rich history of impressionist masterpieces by renowned artists like Picasso, Matisse, and Chagall but also offers a contemporary art scene.
4 May 2023 | Exhibitions
4 May 2023 | Exhibitions
Jean Degottex was an important French painter who largely contributed to the abstraction movement during the latter half of the twentieth century. He was associated with the Tachisme and Art Informel movements in France during the 1950s and 1960s.
15 April 2023 | Artists
15 April 2023 | Artists
Paris is known for its vibrant art scene, and this year's lineup of museum exhibitions proves that the city is still at the forefront of the art world. From groundbreaking retrospectives to thought-provoking contemporary.
10 February 2023 | Exhibitions
10 February 2023 | Exhibitions
Here is the recap for the main aspects of the international art market in 2022. From overall mood, new records at auctions to trends and predictions for the upcoming year.
7 January 2023 | Art Market
7 January 2023 | Art Market
The autumn gets its splendor gradually in the city and the art season intensifies. With the upcoming new art fair Paris+ by Art Basel will even more energize Parisian art scene, and particularly its market.
2 September 2022 | Exhibitions
2 September 2022 | Exhibitions
The record sale of an NFT by Beeple, Everydays: The First 5000 Days, that made $69 million exactly a year ago – was definitely something never seen before. And yet, it was not the only impressive sale that made a buzz all over the world.
10 June 2022 | Art Market
10 June 2022 | Art Market
Even before the online publication of the detailed report by UBS & Art Basel, which covers most of the aspects of the global art market, we can see that 2021 was a successful year.
2 March 2022 | Art Market
2 March 2022 | Art Market