Art Basel Paris opens ultra-VIP preview with €65,000 sale and star guests
Dealers called it good energy. The doors opened at 3 p.m. on 20 October at the Grand Palais in Paris for Avant Première, an ultra-VIP first look that comes before the regular VIP preview days at Art Basel Paris.
Dealers gave that verdict when asked how this year's edition felt, according to reporting by ARTnews. Sales started quickly. Paris-based gallery Templon sold Bilal Hamdad's L'envers du soir (2026) for €65,000.
"We're off to a great start — we're at home," Mathieu Templon said just over an hour into the event. Hamdad is familiar to Paris crowds. He held a solo show at the Petit Palais in Paris during last year's Art Basel Paris.
The room was crowded. Collectors Allison Berg, Glenn Fuhrman, Pamela Joyner, Nancy A. Nasher, Bob Clark, Jason and Michelle Rubell, Anne-Cecilie Speyer, Jessica Seinfeld and Adam Lindemann were spotted at the preview. Actresses Katie Holmes and Natalie Portman were also seen in attendance.
Museum leaders came too. Those spotted included Michael Govan of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, Massimiliano Gioni of the New Museum in New York, Ruba Katrib of MoMA PS1 in Queens, New York, Giampaolo Bianconi of the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, and Max Hollein and David Breslin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Met brought a large trustee group to Paris.
Not every trip went ahead. Some dealers and advisers told the outlet that reported the fair, ARTnews, that they knew of collectors who had cancelled trips to Paris amid ongoing protests. They declined to give specifics.
Adviser Ana Sokoloff told ARTnews she was impressed by what she had seen. She described booths as especially "curated and well thought out." Collector Will Paley described Frieze in London and Art Basel Paris as "complementary." Frieze is primarily for young galleries, young artists and young collectors, he said, while Art Basel Paris carries a higher price point.
What makes this stand out is the timing. The Avant Première is only the start of a long week. Preview days follow on 21 and 22 October, with a public Vernissage, or evening opening, on 22 October, according to Art Basel.
The main fair runs from 23 to 25 October at the Grand Palais. More than 200 galleries are exhibiting across its sectors. The programme includes an Art Basel Shop capsule with works by Beauford Delaney alongside artist-designed objects and collectible editions, and Pace gallery will spotlight a multigenerational group of artists.
