English
Art Basel Paris opened its exclusive Avant Première preview on Tuesday afternoon at the Grand Palais, drawing a strong turnout of serious collectors, museum directors, and celebrities despite an unsettled backdrop of weekend protests across the French capital. Sales moved quickly, with one gallery unveiling a Amedeo Modigliani painting valued at more than $100 million — believed to be the most expensive artwork on offer at the fair.
The mood inside the Grand Palais was focused and energetic. Aisles were busy but manageable, and blue-chip booths attracted steady buyer interest throughout the four-hour preview window. Dealers and advisers noted that galleries appeared to have tightened their invitation lists, admitting only the most committed collectors to the Avant Première session.
Stay connected to every major update — subscribe and follow us on the PhoenixQ website and across our social media platforms.
High-Profile Attendance Despite Protest Concerns
Some dealers acknowledged that a small number of collectors had canceled their Paris trips because of the protests. However, concerns about low American attendance quickly proved unfounded. Among those spotted on the fair floor were collectors Allison Berg, Glenn Fuhrman, Pamela Joyner, Nancy A. Nasher, Bob Clark, and Jason and Michelle Rubell.
Museum leaders also attended in force. Michael Govan of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Massimiliano Gioni of the New Museum, Ruba Katrib of MoMA PS1, and Max Hollein and David Breslin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art were all present. The Met brought a large trustee group to Paris for the occasion. Actresses Katie Holmes and Natalie Portman also attended the preview.
Art adviser Ana Sokoloff told ARTnews she was impressed by what she had seen. She described the booths as especially “curated and well thought out” this year, and added that the Grand Palais itself remains a powerful draw. “This place is magical,” she said.
Strong Sales Across Major Galleries
Hauser and Wirth recorded several significant sales during the preview. The gallery sold Gerhard Richter’s 1965 painting Rokokotisch (Rococo Table) for around $10 million. That work had not appeared in advance previews and came as a surprise addition to the booth. The gallery also sold Georg Baselitz’s Der Hirte (The Shepherd) from 1965 for approximately $10 million, George Condo’s Woman with Designer Shirt (2026) for $2.9 million, Lucio Fontana’s 1961 Concetto spaziale for €1.7 million, Philip Guston’s Untitled (1969) for $1.5 million, and Alexander Calder’s Four Dots and Brass Tail (circa 1953) for just under $1 million.
Hauser and Wirth president Marc Payot noted that top-tier collector attendance remains “the strength of this fair.” However, he acknowledged that buyers now take longer to commit than they did five years ago. “It’s definitely a slower pace,” he said, “but great things do find great homes.”
Thaddaeus Ropac reported 15 sales during the preview. These included four Picassos dating from 1906 to 1938, a 1953 Lucio Fontana mixed-media work for €1.8 million, and a 2019 Georg Baselitz for €800,000. Ropac noted that collectors in Paris tend to make decisions quickly because the fair competes with the city’s many other attractions. “We’re doing very well — but it was expected, to be honest,” he said.
Gagosian reported selling a 1987 Willem de Kooning for an eight-figure sum, along with a work by Peter Doig. White Cube recorded 16 sales, including two Julie Mehretu paintings — one from 2001 and one from 2018 — each selling for $7.85 million. The gallery’s booth also featured works on paper, including a Picasso that sold for €150,000 and a Léger for €65,000.
Among other confirmed sales, Gladstone sold a Victor Man painting for $1.3 million and two Wangechi Mutu collage works for $325,000 each. Kurimanzutto sold a Haegue Yang sculpture for $110,000. Brussels-based dealer Xavier Hufkens reported 10 sales, with the top price being $475,000 for a Charline von Heyl painting. “Despite a rather turbulent weekend, we’ve felt a genuine enthusiasm for art from the very start of the fair,” Hufkens said.
A $100 Million Modigliani Takes Center Stage
The most talked-about work at the fair came from Pace Di Donna Schrader. The gallery presented Nu étendu (Lolotte), a 1917 reclining nude by Amedeo Modigliani, valued at more than $100 million. The gallery said the painting had not been seen publicly for approximately a century. It originally featured in Modigliani’s 1917 exhibition at Galerie Berthe Weill in Paris — his only solo show during his lifetime — which caused a public scandal over indecency.
Emmanuel Di Donna described the opening as hugely successful overall, though he noted the Modigliani would take time to place with the right buyer. As for the broader sales activity, he said it had been “like drinking from a fire hose.”
Galleries Collaborate and Collectors Grow More Cautious
This year’s fair featured 12 shared booths representing 24 galleries — more than any previous edition. One notable example brought together Layr from Vienna and Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler from Berlin and Munich. Both galleries reported multiple sales from their joint presentation, placing works with collectors in Europe and the United States.
Their shared booth paired historic and contemporary works. Franz West’s Passstück (1983/1984), a sculptural object designed to alter how a person moves, appeared alongside Anna Uddenberg’s 2026 sculpture White Noise (Soft Skills), which features a life-size faceless mannequin contorted by futuristic ergonomic furniture forms.
Emanuel Layr reflected on the value of collaboration. “Now you have to be super open about how you operate — how you present yourself, and how you join forces,” he said.
Art adviser Nicolas Nahab, cofounder of NG Partners, agreed that galleries are finding more creative ways to work together. He also pointed to a broader shift in collector behavior. “Collectors today don’t trust prices like they used to,” Nahab said. “This lack of trust makes them doubt and interrogate information given to them. They need reassurance, research, and a global understanding of an artist’s practice and market before making a decision.” He added simply: “If trust is there, then the decision is easy for collectors.”
Meanwhile, David Kordansky Gallery partner Mike Homer confirmed that several holds converted into firm sales during the preview. One was a rare Sam Gilliam hard-edge abstraction, Mycenaean Ode (1965), which sold for $300,000. Homer described the result as “a nice return,” reflecting a broader desire among buyers to see works in person before committing.
