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Art Basel Paris has closed its doors ahead of planned protests scheduled for Saturday, but several satellite fairs across the city are choosing to remain open, at least in part, as organizers monitor the evolving situation closely.
As of Thursday night, Asia NOW and Paris Internationale confirmed they would stay open as planned through October 24. Exhibitors at OFFSCREEN also received official word that the fair would continue through Sunday, October 25. Outsider Paris similarly announced it would remain open through the weekend while responding to circumstances as they develop.
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Post-Fair Adjusts Hours Amid Uncertainty
Post-Fair, which occupies two neighboring buildings in the Marais district, announced it would open an hour earlier than planned on Saturday, at 10 a.m., but close at 1 p.m. rather than in the evening. The adjusted schedule reflects caution without a full closure.
Robert Heald, of the eponymous Wellington, New Zealand gallery showing at Post-Fair, supported the decision. “I think that closing a few hours early is the right decision given the uncertainty,” he said. “I am very happy with how the fair has gone, and safety must come first.” Heald is presenting contemporary and historic works on paper by outsider artist Susan Te Kahurangi King. The New Yorker recently described King, now 75, as possibly New Zealand’s greatest living artist. Works range in price from $8,000 to $16,000.
Post-Fair is holding its inaugural Paris edition this year. Chris Sharp founded the fair in Los Angeles in 2025, and it features 35 galleries from 15 countries. The format is deliberately intimate. Galleries do not use separate booths. Instead, they present one or two artists in open-plan spaces, sometimes occupying as little as a single wall. The two venues include a 17th-century mansion with vaulted stone ceilings and an Art Deco building across Rue du Temple.
Sharp told ARTnews that the opening preview day on Monday drew nearly 1,000 visitors. “It totally exceeded my expectations,” he said, noting the enthusiasm despite protests the previous weekend. He also observed that Paris collectors tend to engage more carefully with the work. “They want to learn more about the work, the CV, no matter what the price point,” he said. “Take it slower, be more deliberate.”
Among the standout presentations at Post-Fair, Los Angeles gallery Nonaka-Hill showed works by Japanese artist Sawako Goda (1940–2016), including airbrushed Pop paintings and delicate Xerox photocopy prints. These appeared alongside ceramic hanging sculptures by Japanese artist Kentaro Kawabata, born in 1976, which carry a marine or alien-life quality rendered in intricate, colorful clay. “We met amazing people who don’t regularly pass through Los Angeles and Kyoto, so it was beautifully connective,” said Rodney Nonaka-Hill. “Sales were sufficient, and the spirit was good, despite the distraction. Art people proved intrepid.”
Paris Internationale Reports Strong Sales
At Paris Internationale, some dealers noted that clients had intended to visit the fair’s new northeast Paris venue but found it difficult to make time. Nevertheless, most galleries reported solid sales during the first part of the fair.
Parker Gallery offered a compelling pairing of assembled paintings by Thornton Dial (1928–2016) alongside ceramic and collage crown sculptures by Bay Area artist Sahar Khoury. Prices range from $8,000 to $75,000. Also drawing attention were new works by UK artist Aimée Parrot at Kate MacGarry gallery. Parrot paints onto glass or metal, transfers the prints onto cotton canvas, and often stitches and paints over the surface. Her prices range from £4,500 to £12,500.
However, not all galleries at Paris Internationale chose to stay open for the full weekend. Galerie Derouillon decided to close early on Friday night to protect staff and artworks as people traveled home ahead of Saturday’s protests. Gallery director Marion Coindeau said the fair had gone well overall, with sales of paintings and sculptures by Alex Foxton and Mathilde Albouy. “We feel the majority of collectors that we’d have seen have already come by,” she said. Coindeau also noted that last Saturday she found herself trapped inside the gallery due to nearby tear gas and clashes with police. She expressed concern that staff traveling from outside the area could face similar difficulties.
Paris Internationale features 54 international galleries this year, with a notably strong Hispanic and South Korean contingent. Fair director Silvia Ammon said the smaller scale is a deliberate choice. “We intentionally condensed this year,” she said. “We think a tighter format is best — it’s not for lack of demand. It’s a choice.”
OFFSCREEN Honors Ana Mendieta at Historic Venue
OFFSCREEN is again located at the 17th-century Chapelle Saint-Louis de la Salpêtrière on the Left Bank, not far from the Seine. The venue sits within a large hospital complex, set back from the street and well removed from the planned protest routes.
This year, the fair — dedicated to fixed and moving images — is honoring artist Ana Mendieta with a special presentation of her films beneath the chapel’s grand cupola. Galerie Max Hetzler is also presenting a notable work: a fictional autobiographical film titled A Life in a Day (2021–23) by Belgian artist Rinus Van de Velde, accompanied by a handmade mask. In the film, Van de Velde imagines himself traveling the world to meet artistic heroes. Van de Velde currently has his largest US institutional exhibition to date, The Dinner, on view in Marfa, Texas, through December 6.
On Thursday evening, Galerie Max Hetzler received the Cultish x OFFSCREEN prize for best artistic presentation. “It’s been really exciting being in such an incredible setting, and having this more tightly curated focus,” said a gallery representative. The representative also noted that many international curators and museum professionals had already visited the fair during the week.
