Art Basel Paris runs at the Grand Palais with about 200 galleries, public access from Friday, 23 October to Sunday, 25 October, and VIP access since Tuesday, 20 October.
The Quai d'Orsay exhibition Passages, pas sages was called off, the Jeu de Paume cancelled the Parallax opening, and Guerlain cancelled its Tuesday night opening after its rue Tronchet boutique was devastated.
A group of students forced the Louvre to close temporarily on Monday, 19 October, during the wave of protests in Paris.
An 800-guest gala dinner took place at the Musée d'Art Moderne on Tuesday night, 20 October, and a Modigliani painting was offered for almost 100 million euros at the Avant-Première.
A protest on Saturday, 24 October, is organised by the yellow vests, student groups, unions and radical left parties, and the Paris prefecture will decide on the fair's viability that day.
Art Basel Paris is running at the Grand Palais despite protests in the French capital, and organisers have kept the programme on schedule. Some 200 galleries are registered for this edition. Security includes vehicle barriers, private guards and strict entry checks. VIP pass holders have been admitted since Tuesday, 20 October, and no incidents were reported at the Grand Palais in the first days. Karim Crippa, director of Art Basel Paris, said the priority is the safety of exhibitors, staff, visitors and the artworks, and that the fair is being managed with optimism, realism and precision.
Protests have forced the cancellation or closure of several cultural events. The Passages, pas sages exhibition on designers Thierry Lemaire and Harry Nuriev, which was to be shown in the reception rooms of the Quai d'Orsay, was called off. The Jeu de Paume cancelled the opening of Stan Douglas's Parallax. Guerlain cancelled the Tuesday night opening of L'heure des possibles by Hervé Mikaeloff after its boutique on rue Tronchet was devastated. On Monday, 19 October, a group of students forced the Louvre to close its doors temporarily. The Jeu de Paume and a Hauser & Wirth space also closed temporarily over the weekend of 17 and 18 October.
The gala dinner on Tuesday night, 20 October, brought 800 guests to the Musée d'Art Moderne and passed without disorder. Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, a Socialist, used the occasion to thank the organisers and to affirm his support for the fair. On the Tuesday Avant-Première, PDS-Pace Di Donna Schrader Galleries offered a Modigliani painting for almost 100 million euros. Crippa said the number of guests who have confirmed attendance is similar to or higher than last year's.
Despite the disturbances shown on television and online, most participants chose to attend, and international collectors have turned out in force. According to Le Figaro, as cited by La Vanguardia, few exhibitors have pulled out, although some large American collectors have been reported as cautious. A new protest is planned for Saturday, 24 October, called by the yellow vest movement, student organisations, unions and parties of the radical left. Police have deployed in large numbers across the capital, and the Paris prefecture will decide whether the fair can remain open that day.
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Organisers have kept the fair open at the Grand Palais despite social unrest in Paris, with a few cultural events cancelled or closed. Public access runs from Friday, 23 October to Sunday, 25 October.
AI text based on reports by Le Monde.fr, LesEchos.fr, LaVanguardia and other publishers. Published .