French galleries in the spotlight

This indecision is partly due to the slowdown in the market. In this uncertain context, many galleries are opting for works by established artists, while leaving room for emerging talent. It’s no surprise that the classics will be highly sought after. expect to pay between €500,000 and €1 million for a fine piece by Arman or Niki de Saint Phalle at Georges-Philippe et Nathalie Vallois. Buoyed by the revival of interest in the Supports/Surfaces artists, to which it has made a major contribution, Ceysson & Bénétière continues to explore this area, focusing on Pierre Buraglio and Claude Viallat, with one of his canvas paintings (€40,000). Thaddaeus Ropac will also highlight historic works by Georg Baselitz, Simon Hantaï, Sigmar Polke and Joan Snyder (prices to be announced). Galerie Dvir has curated an exhibition inspired by Marc Chagall, featuring four of its artists - Aysha E Arar, Sigalit Landau, Latifa Echakhch and Simon Fujiwara (from €10,000 to €130,000). Significant price differences are common within the same stand, as is the case at Galerie Frank Elbaz: a small work by Kenjiro Okazaki can be bought there for 12,000 dollars, while a large textile work by Sheila Hicks fetches 300,000 dollars, as can a graphic painting by Julije Knifer. For those with ample space, caution does not rule out originality. Perrotin has come up with a group show of recent works (by Jean-Marie Appriou, Bernard Frize, Takashi Murakami, Emily Mae Smith and Emma Webster), a new mural by Julian Charrière (whose exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo opens on 17 October), and works designed by Iván Argote, Daniel Arsham and Laurent Grasso, interspersed with paintings by Hans Hartung and Pierre Soulages. Meanwhile, as part of the fair’s public programme, the exhibition “Hypercycle, Chapter I: Scalène (1947-1962)” at the Hôtel de Sully honours the British sculptor Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003), whose estate the gallery now represents and which it will showcase at the same time in the Marais district. Galerie Templon will feature new works by artists based in France, including Abdelkader Benchamma (finalist in the 2024 Marcel Duchamp Prize), Philippe Cognée, Prune Nourry and Jeanne Vicérial. A large canvas by François Rouan (Innocent-Soir-Grigio, (1983-1984), priced at between €200,000 and €250,000, will sit alongside a triptych by Jim Dine (€350,000 to €400,000). While the incandescent portrait of Dalida (head, 2023) by Nina Childress (galerie Art : Concept, €25,000 - 35,000) is the star attraction at Art Basel Paris, the presence of artists from France continues to be patchy, with the exception of a few stands. “What better way to illustrate French conceptual art than with a free-form canvas by Michel Parmentier (15 February 1984, €350,000)?, ” asks Hervé Loevenbruck, whose eponymous gallery will also be showing paintings by Gilles Aillaud and Philippe Mayaux, as well as a carved oak sideboard by Dewar & Gicquel (€45,000). In a nod to the French art scene, mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth will be bringing Numéro d’or (2021) out of storage, a bronze by Barbara Chase-Riboud ($1.9 million). On the balcony level, the Jousse Entreprise stand features an installation by Jennifer Caubet. Sultana has already featured the work of Matthias Garcia, who graduated from the Beaux-Arts in Paris in 2020, at art fairs on several occasions. His large-scale pieces sell for between €15,000 and €20,000. That’s about the price of a painting by Julien Des Monstiers (in a solo show at the Château de Chambord until 3 November) at Christophe Gaillard. More unexpectedly, mid-career artists such as Xavier Veilhan remain below €50,000 (La Roulotte, 2018, between €25,000 and €30,000 at the Andréhn Schiptjenko gallery). The same goes for Boris Achour’s set of six framed photographs and an embroidered jacket presented by the Allen gallery (Les femmes riches sont belles, 1996), which showcases paintings by the recently deceased Jacqueline de Jong (between €70,000 and €100,000) with works by Tarek Lakhrissi, Trevor Yeung and Scott Covert (from €6,000 to €15,000). Galerie Sans titre, which is part of the main sector, is dedicating its stand to three international artists: Tanja Nis-Hansen (born in 1988 in Denmark), Jessy Razafimandimby (born in 1995 in Madagascar) and Agnes Scherer (born in 1985 in Germany). The influence of current institutional events in Paris will be particularly evident at modern art galleries, such as that of Galerie Applicat-Prazan, which is joining in the celebration of Surrealism with «a selection of masterpieces by Óscar Dominguez, Wifredo Lam, Roberto Matta and André Masson (from €180,000 to €2 million). Galerie 1900-2000’s stand also features a cadavre exquis, ink on paper by four hands - Gala, Valentine Hugo, André Breton and Salvador Dalí (between €50,000 and €100,000) and a panel by Francis Picabia (Surimpression - Madone, 1936-38, between €500,000 and €1 million). As for the Tornabuoni Art gallery, its selection (including a large Mappa by Alighiero Boetti) will echo the exhibition that the Bourse de Commerce is dedicating to arte povera this autumn. Solos are rare, but Cécile Fakhoury is dedicating her stand to textile works by Marie-Claire Messouma Manlanbien. Christian Berst presents an exhibition of works by Carlo Zinelli, whose prices have not yet skyrocketed, asserting the modest but real presence of outsider art at Art Basel Paris. Lastly, your impression of the fair might vary depending on whether you’re browsing during the opening or over the weekend, with the “Oh La La!” program designed to inspire new connections. Florence Bonnefous from the Air de Paris gallery explains: “We’ve planned distinctly different hangings for the opening, featuring a sculpture by Flint Jamison, a large Conversation Piece by Joseph Grigely, and a 1960s painting by Dorothy Iannone... The weekend will be joyfully packed with three small paintings by rising star Emma McIntyre and attention-grabbing pieces like a neon sign by Shimabuku or a giant phallus made of glass beads by Bruno Pélassy”.