The organizers of Art Basel Paris 2024 could not have dreamed of better weather as the fair unveiled its first edition at the Grand Palais yesterday in a balmy, almost summery climate. As a winding queue of VIPs streamed into the complex at 10 a.m. for the fair’s preview, the venue was replete with its Beaux-Arts glory, and perfect sunlight poured in from the newly restored glass roof onto the booths below. The venue was used for tae kwon do during the Paris Olympics this summer, yet the only grappling performed at the Grand Palais yesterday was in the line for the collector’s lounge.
The location change (its previous two editions took place at the temporary Grand Palais Éphémère) isn’t the only difference seen at the fair, Art Basel’s third in the French capital. This year is also the first under the new title of Art Basel Paris (the fair was formerly named Paris+ par Art Basel). And in the grandeur of its location, the strength of inventory and caliber of clientele and exhibitors, this year’s fair felt more like a typical “Art Basel” occasion than ever before—with the touch of Parisian flair a most welcome addition.
“The enormous energy, bonhomie, and internationalism of the fair’s first day, along with the magnificent architecture and atmosphere of the Grand Palais, confirm that Paris truly is a 21st-century art world capital,” said Hauser & Wirth president Marc Payot.
Art Basel Paris 2024 features 195 galleries from 42 countries in this year’s edition, up from 154 from the year before and featuring some 53 first-time exhibitors. In addition to unveiling a glamorous new partnership with Miu Miu, Art Basel has also beefed up its program of events and exhibitions across town, adding five new venues to its citywide program, including the Domaine National du Palais-Royal and the Petit Palais. Yet in addition to the various events across town, Art Basel is also enticing repeat visits to the Grand Palais with “Oh La La!,” where 33 galleries at the fair will rehang their booths to celebrate “unexpected or unusual artworks” on Friday.
In addition to the main Galeries section, Art Basel Paris includes Emergence, focused on galleries presenting solo presentations of young and emerging artists. New to the fair this year is Premise, where nine galleries present “highly singular curatorial proposals.” Those looking for tote bags, selfie sticks, and other Art Basel–branded merchandise, meanwhile, will also be delighted to learn that the Art Basel Shop—launched at Art Basel’s flagship Swiss fair earlier this year—also has a stand at the Grand Palais (the store was busier than some booths in the early hours of the VIP opening).
From the outset of the fair, it was clear that any signs of fair fatigue that some VIPs may have had from last week’s Frieze London had been all but abated. Featuring quite possibly the longest art fair queue that this writer has encountered on a VIP morning, Art Basel Paris carried a relentless energy throughout the day, with several booths packed to capacity within the opening minutes. As early as midday, it was clear that the strong spirits among the international crowd in attendance were being matched with similarly robust transactions. Sales on the opening day were led by a $9.5 million work by Julie Mehretu at White Cube’s booth.
See our full roundup of day-one sales from the fair here and check back for the full sales report on Monday. Below, we present the 10 best booths from Art Basel Paris 2024.
P·P·O·W
Booth B52
With works by Hunter Reynolds, Martha Wilson, David Wojnarowicz, Martin Wong, Ann Agee, Grace Carney, Gerald Lovell, and Betty Tompkins.
New York stalwart P·P·O·W draws parallels between its past, present, and future in a booth that underscores the Tribeca tastemaker’s enduring art world influence.
“We try in every booth to sort of reflect the diversity of the gallery in terms of estates and then new artists, in terms of generations,” said co-founder Wendy Olsoff. “When you’re putting together a booth, you’re trying to make it visually dynamic, but we always try to keep some content as well.”
The booth is foregrounded by a delightful table of ceramic vases by Ann Agee (the artist also painted the tablecloth underneath). These works, deceptively straightforward, reveal themselves on approach as nimble exercises in formal experimentation: Some of the works appear to contort in angular juts, while others bear an almost liquid-like sense of motion. Each vase has a twin—speaking to the tradition of presenting vessels in pairs in historical homes—yet each one is clearly unique, bearing its own character.
Agee sits on the more established side of P·P·O·W’s program, along with works by artists such as Martha Wilson and Betty Tompkins. Also featured are works by three of the gallery’s most prominent estates, including Hunter Reynolds, David Wojnarowicz, and Martin Wong. Wong’s outstanding painting Our Lady of the Lower East Side (1989–90), depicting a skateboarder leaping off a brick-built Statue of Liberty, is an outstanding example of the artist’s uniquely textural style.
On the gallery’s more emerging side of the roster, paintings by Grace Carney are a fine example of the artist’s sinuous, gauzy approach to abstraction, while Gerald Lovell’s tender portrait of a man and two children is another highlight. Works at the booth range from $14,000 to more than $1 million.