{"id":2209173,"date":"2026-10-20T21:04:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T18:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2209173"},"modified":"2026-10-20T21:04:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T18:04:49","slug":"art-basel-paris-avant-premiere-2026-a-handful-of-sales-and-a-100-m-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2209173","title":{"rendered":"Art Basel Paris Avant Premi\u00e8re 2026: A Handful of Sales, and a $100 M. Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_5726.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n

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\n\tWhat\u2019s the vibe in Paris, you may be asking? While the detritus of the weekend\u2019s protests marks many of the city\u2019s arrondissements, the art world is proceeding with business as usual, with events and openings going on as planned Monday night and Tuesday, culminating in the opening of Art Basel Paris\u2019s Avant Premi\u00e8re preview at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n

\n\tAround 10 minutes before opening, only a short line had formed to enter the Grand Palais, the architectural marvel that is home to Art Basel\u2019s French fair. It was an indication that this year\u2019s affair seemed a bit less busy than last year\u2019s debut of Avant Premi\u00e8re, the ultra-VIP event that now precedes the fair\u2019s regular VIP opening days. That early observation proved all too true throughout the following four hours: aisles were full but navigable, and the blue-chip booths were brimming with buyers. The fair and the galleries had seemingly edited down their lists of VVIPs to only the most serious of collectors.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile some dealers and advisers told ARTnews<\/em> that they knew of collectors who had canceled their trips to Paris amid the ongoing protests\u2014though they declined to give specifics\u2014any concerns that American collectors wouldn\u2019t show up proved unfounded as well. Around the floor, ARTnews<\/em> spotted Top 200 Collectors like Allison Berg, Glenn Fuhrman, Pamela Joyner, Nancy A. Nasher, Bob Clark<\/strong>, and Jason<\/strong> and Michelle Rubell<\/strong>, as well as Anne-Cecilie Speyer, Jessica Seinfeld,<\/strong> and Adam Lindemann<\/strong>. US museum directors and curators were also spotted, including Michael Govan <\/strong>(Los Angeles County Museum of Art), Massimiliano Gioni <\/strong>(New Museum), Ruba Katrib <\/strong>(MoMA PS1), Giampaolo Bianconi <\/strong>(Art Institute of Chicago), and Max Hollein<\/strong> and David Breslin <\/strong>(Metropolitan Museum of Art), with the Met hosting a large trustee group in Paris. Actresses Katie Holmes<\/strong> and Natalie Portman<\/strong> were also spotted in attendance.<\/p>\n

\n\tAdviser Ana Sokoloff <\/strong>told ARTnews<\/em> that she had been impressed by what she had seen so far and that she felt the booths were especially \u201ccurated and well thought out\u201d this year, adding that it\u2019s hard not to be seduced by the Grand Palais: \u201cThis place is magical.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen asked how this year\u2019s edition of Avant Premi\u00e8re was, dealers resoundingly reported \u201cgood energy\u201d all around. \u201cWe\u2019re off to a great start\u2014we\u2019re at home,\u201d Mathieu Templon<\/strong> of Paris-based Templon said just over an hour into the event. The gallery confirmed at least one sale: Bilal Hamdad\u2019s L\u2019envers du soir<\/em> (2026), which sold for \u20ac65,000. Hamdad had a solo show at the Petit Palais during last year\u2019s Art Basel Paris, and Templon described heavy demand for the artist\u2019s work, with his upcoming March show being hotly anticipated.<\/p>\n

\n\tBecause of Avant Premi\u00e8re\u2019s shortened timeline, most galleries were only able to report a sale or two, far from the lengthy reports that typically accompany the close of business on the opening day of Art Basel\u2019s other fairs and those put on by its competitor Frieze, which just hosted its hometown London fairs last week.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile much has been written about the London-versus-Paris debate, collector Will Paley<\/strong>, who splits his time between New York and S\u00e3o Paulo, described the two fairs as \u201ccomplementary,\u201d adding, \u201cFrieze is primarily for young galleries, young artists, and young collectors with a more adventurous tone [while] Art Basel Paris has a higher price point.\u201d<\/p>\n

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An installation view of Hauser & Wirth\u2019s presentation at Art Basel Paris 2026. On the left is Gerhard Richter\u2019s 1965 work Rokokotisch (Rococo Table), which sold for a price in the region of $10 million. <\/span>Courtesy Hauser & Wirth<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tHauser & Wirth president Marc Payot<\/strong> similarly told ARTnews<\/em> that top-tier attendance is \u201cthe strength of this fair\u201d; however, \u201cthe problematic side is that you get distracted by the city. People come here to see a thousand things.\u201d The fair is just one, albeit important, part of the mix.<\/p>\n

Thaddaeus Ropac<\/strong> agreed, telling ARTnews<\/em> that he has found that \u201ccollectors make decisions fast in Paris\u201d because the fair is competing for attention. While some clients had said they would be back Wednesday morning for the official VIP opening, others said they would skip it to see the bevy of museum and gallery shows on offer, or even do some shopping. Even so, that hasn\u2019t stopped dealers like Ropac from bringing choice and pricey works to Paris, once the sole domain of Art Basel\u2019s Swiss fair, where the \u201cfocus is on the fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Georg Baselitz, Per mano \u2013 an der Hand<\/em>, 2019<\/span>Courtesy Thaddaeus Ropac<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tAmong the 15 sales the gallery reported Tuesday were four Picassos (for undisclosed prices) dating from 1906 to 1938, a 1953 mixed-media Lucio Fontana for \u20ac1.8 million, and a 2019 Georg Baselitz for \u20ac800,000. \u201cWe\u2019re doing very well\u2014but it was expected, to be honest,\u201d Ropac said.<\/p>\n

\n\tPayot echoed that sales tend to happen more quickly at fairs than in the gallery, but he noted that collectors continue to take more time to close deals. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a slower pace than about five years ago, but great things do find great homes.\u201d Indeed, in just the short span of Tuesday afternoon, Hauser & Wirth sold Gerhard Richter\u2019s 1965 work Rokokotisch (Rococo Table)<\/em> for a price in the region of $10 million. (The rare early work had been an unexpected addition to the booth and was not in previews.) The gallery also sold Georg Baselitz\u2019s Der Hirte (The Shepherd)<\/em> (1965) for a price in the region of $10 million, George Condo\u2019s Woman with Designer Shirt<\/em> (2026) for $2.9 million, Lucio Fontana\u2019s 1961 work Concetto spaziale (Spatial Concept)<\/em> for \u20ac1.7 million ($1.9 million), Philip Guston\u2019s Untitled<\/em> (1969) for $1.5 million, and Alexander Calder\u2019s Four Dots and Brass Tail<\/em> (ca. 1953) for just under $1 million, to name a few.<\/p>\n

\n\tPace Di Donna Schrader unveiled what is believed to be the most expensive artwork at the fair: a rare, striking painting of a reclining nude woman by Amedeo Modigliani, titled Nu \u00e9tendu (Lolotte), <\/em>from 1917, valued in excess of $100 million. The gallery said the painting has not been seen in about a century and was part of Modigliani\u2019s 1917 exhibition at Galerie Berthe Weill, which caused a scandal for indecency and would be his only solo show in his lifetime.<\/p>\n

Emmanuel Di Donna<\/strong> said the start of the fair was hugely successful, though the Modigliani would take time to place. Otherwise, \u201cit\u2019s been like drinking from a fire hose,\u201d he said of overall sales activity.<\/p>\n

\n\tDeclining to provide specific prices, Gagosian said it had sold a 1987 Willem de Kooning for eight figures, as well as a Peter Doig. White Cube reported 16 sales, including two Julie Mehretu paintings (one from 2001, the other 2018) for $7.85 million each. Its booth featured historical works on paper, including a Picasso that sold for \u20ac150,000 and a L\u00e9ger for \u20ac65,000.<\/p>\n

\n\tOther sales that ARTnews<\/em> learned of include a Victor Man painting for $1.3 million and two Wangechi Mutu collage works for $325,000 each, sold by Gladstone, and a Haegue Yang sculpture sold by Kurimanzutto for $110,000.<\/p>\n

\n\tBrussels-based dealer Xavier Hufkens<\/strong> reported 10 sales, the priciest being a Charline von Heyl painting for $475,000. \u201cDespite a rather turbulent weekend, we\u2019ve felt a genuine enthusiasm for art from the very start of the fair,\u201d Hufkens said in an email. \u201cThere\u2019s something about Paris: its contradictions, its restless energy, its ability to surprise you at every turn. Fluctuat nec mergitur<\/em>, as the city\u2019s motto goes. It feels particularly fitting this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mike Homer<\/strong>, a partner at David Kordansky Gallery, said that several holds had converted into sales, confirming that there is \u201ca desire to see works in person, in the round\u2014it\u2019s a nice return.\u201d One of those sales was a rare Sam Gilliam hard-edge abstraction, Mycenaean Ode<\/em> (1965), for $300,000.<\/p>\n

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Layr and Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler\u2019s shared booth at Art Basel Paris 2026.<\/span>CHOREO<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThis year, the fair had 12 shared booths representing 24 galleries, more than any previous edition. One standout example is the one shared between Layr (Vienna) and Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler (Berlin, Munich) on the fair\u2019s second floor, where both galleries said they had sold several works. \u201cWe sold a lot of things that we were very keen on placing in very prominent collections, so we\u2019re very happy,\u201d said Amadeo Kraupa-Tuskany<\/strong>, who specified that the collections were located in Europe. Emanuel Layr<\/strong> added that the gallery had placed works with American collectors as well.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe booth featured historic and contemporary pairings from both their programs. There was Franz West\u2019s Passst\u00fcck<\/em> (1983\/1984), a sculpture meant to be used like a strange crutch that would modify how a person moves about. Alongside it was Anna Uddenberg\u2019s 2026 sculpture White Noise (Soft Skills)<\/em>, featuring a life-size, faceless mannequin whose body is contorted by a futuristic interpretation of ergonomic office-style furniture contraptions.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSomething that really matters to us is staying excited ourselves, but also exciting other people, and asking new questions,\u201d said Layr. \u201cNow you have to be super open about how you operate\u2014how you present yourself, and how you join forces.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tArt adviser Nicolas Nahab<\/strong>, cofounder of NG Partners, agreed that galleries are increasingly finding creative ways to collaborate in light of a continued \u201cperiod of adjustment\u201d in the art market, particularly related to skepticism over pricing for ultra-contemporary artworks.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCollectors today don\u2019t trust prices like they used to, and don\u2019t take them at face value,\u201d said Nahab. \u201cThis lack of trust makes them doubt and interrogate information given to them. They need reassurance, research, and a global understanding of an artist\u2019s practice and market before making a decision, which is why the decision-making is so slow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf trust is there,\u201d he added, \u201cthen the decision is easy for collectors.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_5726.jpg?w=1024″] What\u2019s the vibe in Paris, you may be asking? While the detritus of the weekend\u2019s protests marks many of the city\u2019s arrondissements, the art world is proceeding with business as usual, with events and openings going on as planned Monday night and Tuesday, culminating in the opening of Art Basel Paris\u2019s Avant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,226],"class_list":["post-2209173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-artnews-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2209173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2209173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2209173\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2209173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2209173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2209173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}