This week, Art Basel Paris opens the third edition of its famous art fair with an exciting array of firsts, including a new name, a new venue, and several new initiatives. The fair also coincides with the 100th anniversary of Surrealism, which got its start in Paris in 1924.
Newly Rebranded Fair Opens October 18–20
Art Basel Paris 2024 runs from October 18 to 20, following VIP days on October 16 and 17. This week marks the third edition of the fair—but the first edition with its new name and branding, after previously being known as Paris+ par Art Basel. The fair has also changed venues, upsizing from the Grand Palais Ephémère to the newly-renovated glass-domed Grand Palais, located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine. Art Basel Paris 2024 features a total of 195 exhibitors from 42 countries, including 53 first-time exhibitors. Parisian galleries account for 65 of the participating exhibitors.
What’s New at Art Basel Paris 2024
Paris’s distinctive glass-domed Grand Palais was built for the Universal Exposition of 1900 as the ultimate venue for showcasing art and culture. The venue underwent a three-year renovation ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, during which it housed fencing and taekwondo events. This week, Art Basel Paris made its Grand Palais debut. The new venue quickly became one of the most talked-about elements of this year’s edition of the fair. In a conversation with ARTnews on Wednesday’s VIP day, Galerie Templon CEO Matthieu Templon said, “It’s pretty amazing that the best fair in the world is now in the best exhibition center in the world. You can feel the energy today—the same place but injected with new energy.”
Also new this year at Art Basel Paris is the Premise section, which features “highly singular” artwork created before 1900. The fair is also introducing an initiative titled Oh La La! in which galleries are invited to display rarely-seen artwork in their booths on Friday and Saturday. In addition to all the goings-on at the Grand Palais, Art Basel Paris 2024 is accompanied by an extensive lineup of public programming, including free exhibitions, installations, and events at other venues around the city.
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100 Years Later, Surrealism Takes Center Stage
Currently, Paris’s Centre Pompidou is running a blockbuster exhibition titled Surréalisme. It celebrates the 100th anniversary of the titular movement with a showcase of over 500 paintings, drawings, film, photography, and literature—including a handwritten manuscript of the 1924 Surrealist Manifesto. Several exhibitors at Art Basel Paris 2024 have joined in on the centenary celebration of Surrealism. New York’s Di Donna Galleries curated a display of four Surrealist artists who worked in Paris: Yves Tanguy, Wifredo Lam, Agustin Cardenas, and Alicia Penalba. Hailing from Italy, Tornabuoni Art is offering two late paintings by Giorgio de Chirico, whose pre-World War I work directly influenced the Surrealist movement.
