Art Basel Paris preview draws interest under shadow of protests

Published Wed, Oct 21, 2026 · 02:23 PM

[PARIS] It’s an art world golden ticket: The annual invitation to mix and mingle for hours in a magnificent venue with the planet’s wealthiest collectors at the Avant-Premiere preview of the Art Basel Paris fair.

But Tuesday’s (Oct 20) ultra-exclusive private viewing in the Belle Epoque splendour of the Grand Palais was at risk of losing its appeal for international visitors.

Protests, riots and looting have been gathering momentum across Paris and other French cities recently, prompting authorities to impose curfews this week at some flash points.

The violence is the culmination of weeks of mostly peaceful anti-government protests across the country, set off by students aggrieved by the conditions at their high schools.

The numbers swelled as the protesters were joined by other disaffected groups upset about the rising cost of living and other grievances, as well as some bent on causing criminal damage.

By Monday, the violence had largely abated, though the scent of burned-out cars, shops and electric bikes still lingered faintly in the drizzly Paris air. Still, art students showed their solidarity by blocking the entrance to the Louvre museum, forcing it to shut down.

On Tuesday, the Avant-Premiere preview went on as planned, with a healthy turnout.

For days leading up to the event, international collectors were on their smartphones seeking reassurance that it was safe to travel to Paris. On Sunday, Art Basel reassured invitees that the Grand Palais was surrounded by anti-ram barriers and 24-hour security patrols.

“The pictures of the riots were so scary,” said Saloni Doshi, an Indian collector of contemporary art based in Mumbai, who was one of the early arrivals at Avant-Premiere. “My collector friends asked me if it was safe to come on this trip. I had to say ‘yes’ to at least three of them.”

Art Basel Paris this year features 211 international dealers, each of whom is allocated six “plus one” Avant-Premiere invitations for prized clients. It has become Europe’s pre-eminent fair devoted to high-value modern and contemporary artworks.

The event is a particular favourite with wealthy American collectors and their advisers, lured by the glamour of the Grand Palais and by the quality of the French capital’s public and private museums, hotels, restaurants and shops.

As a result, Art Basel exhibitors bring their most valuable works to the Paris edition.

Last year, two paintings sold for more than US$20 million each. This year, Pace Di Donna Schrader Galleries of New York brought the rare Amedeo Modigliani painting of a nude, Nu Etendu (Lolotte) from 1917, priced at more than US$100 million.

“The media have blown this out of all proportion,” New York-based exhibitor Fergus McCaffrey said of the jitters over civil unrest. “Headlines like ‘France in Flames’ were a complete misrepresentation,” he added, saying that he had seen the key American clients he had expected. “Everyone came.”

As Avant-Premiere closed at 7 pm and visitors headed out for dinner, Jon Shirley and Kim Richter, Komal Shah, Don and Mera Rubell, Pamela Joyner, Marguerite Hoffman and Glenn Fuhrman emerged among the major American private collectors spotted at the preview.

Nonetheless, the Paris preview seemed less frenetic and less dominated by Americans than the last conclave of top collectors in this city in 2025.

“Saturday wasn’t fun,” New York art adviser Candace Worth said at the preview. “I had tear gas going off under my window,” she added, recalling disturbances near her hotel over the weekend.

“I was speaking to Americans online before the fair. I wasn’t aware that any of them cancelled, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t.” NYTIMES