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# Art Basel Week in Paris was so packed that only now am I taking stock
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/nedelia-art-bazelia-v-parizhe-byla-ochen-nasyshchennoi-poetomu-tolko-seichas-podvozhu-itogi/
- Published: 2025-10-27T15:19:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T05:28:16.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Art, Observations, Paris, Reportage

Art Basel Week in Paris was so packed that only now am I taking stock. The fair ran from 24 to 26 October at the Grand Palais and neighbouring venues, gathering more than 200 galleries from 41 countries, with a fairly extensive parallel programme. Among the participants were the leading international players: Pace, Hauser & Wirth, Thaddaeus Ropac, Almine Rech, as well as pioneers of the French scene such as Galerie Perrotin and Kamel Mennour.

Hauser & Wirth's stand showed Richter's recent works, including large abstract canvases from the Cage Paintings series. Collectors showed particular interest in the medium-format canvases, which went within the first hours of the fair. Galerie Perrotin showed a series of sculptures by Jean-Michel Basquiat, including the bronze work "Untitled (Head)", made in 1982\. At the Pace stand one could see early abstractions by Frank Stella and minimalist works by Donald Judd, arranged so as to emphasise the spatial relations between the objects.

Helen Marten's installation "30 Blizzards" at the Palais d'Iéna used light and sound effects to create a sequence of spatial images. The curators noted that this work became one of the most discussed among critics thanks to its ability to combine physical sculpture with sensory effects.

The Bourse de Commerce exhibition was devoted entirely to minimalism and conceptual art. Lee Ufan presented several works from the Relatum series, in which metal and stone are arranged in strict geometric compositions. Agnes Martin showed linear watercolours on canvas, creating a contrast with the abstract forms of Judd and Stella.

The most conspicuous commercial deal was the acquisition of Amedeo Modigliani's portrait Jeune fille aux macarons by a new private collector. Sales of several Picasso paintings of the 1930s were also recorded at the Almine Rech gallery. Gallerists noted that collector activity was higher than usual, but attention was concentrated on rare and significant works rather than on mass-market products.

To be honest, the first-day sales figures, which I believe were given as 90 million euros, surprised me, considering that a single so-so Richter costs around 28 million. What is this, then: did the whole of Art Basel turn over its preview-day takings on three Richter canvases alone?

The experimental projects included Fashion Sensorium by Viscose Journal, where art installations were intertwined with performances and fashion. This zone drew a young audience and curators interested in interdisciplinary projects.

This year the fair was distinguished by a concentration of rare historical works and strong contemporaries on a single stand, which I did not quite understand: why hang Picasso and Rubens next to the same Richter at all? That is a question for Gagosian. Although, why, indeed? Trade, trade and once more trade. One could equally speak of the widening of formats, from classical exhibition halls to urban installations; let us recall the talentless inflatable figure of Kermit, in a thoroughly Macronian spirit. As for the rather dense parallel programme, it is worth mentioning the attention to interdisciplinary experiments, which was precisely what was done jointly with Miu Miu. According to several curators, it is this balance between history, the present and experiment that makes Art Basel Paris 2025 an event of world standing. In my view, the fair does, of course, show the best works on the world market; the forces of the most significant galleries are engaged, everything is organised to a high standard and, incidentally, unlike the Louvre, there was a cloakroom here, and it worked faultlessly.

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