Art Basel Paris Goes Ahead Despite Riots, and Big Sales Follow
Big-ticket sales kept coming at Art Basel Paris this week, even as riots shook parts of France. Dealers reported deals worth millions of US dollars during the preview days of 20 and 21 October 2026, according to The Art Newspaper.
The unrest came first. Over the weekend of 17 and 18 October, large parts of France were set alight after student protests were joined by gangs of masked people. Reuters reported that anger over the cost of living and under-funded public services drove the trouble, which it called some of the worst in years. Looting and smash-and-grab damage was concentrated in the Bastille and République districts of Paris. The area around the Grand Palais, the glass-and-iron hall where the fair is held, appeared largely spared.
Organisers still tightened security. Art Basel Paris installed anti-ram barriers, heavy posts designed to stop vehicles being driven at a building, and brought in extra guards. Guards and dogs patrolled the perimeter during the preview days.
Not every collector made the trip. Some dealers said certain clients stayed away because of the unrest, but many still came. Andreas Gegner of the gallery Sprüth Magers said many of his clients had already booked and decided to travel to Paris anyway.
The sales reported so far are substantial. Sprüth Magers said it sold a George Condo work for US$2.2 million and a Jenny Holzer collaboration with Lady Pink for US$450,000. White Cube reported 16 early sales, including Julie Mehretu's Rise of the New Suprematists (2001), listed at US$7.8 million. Pilar Corrias placed almost its entire solo show of Christina Quarles paintings, including Aerial! (2026), which went to a museum in the American Midwest. That price has not been disclosed. At Amanda Wilkinson, two Derek Jarman works sold for £22,000 each.
The fair runs from 21 to 25 October at the Grand Palais, according to Art Basel's official guide. It has more than 200 exhibitors from 41 countries and territories, nearly 30 of them joining for the first time. Art Basel also held its Avant Première, a super-VIP preview on Tuesday 20 October from 3pm to 7pm. Galleries could invite six top clients each, plus one guest apiece.
The week is busier than the fair alone. At least 12 satellite fairs, smaller shows held alongside the main event, opened in the same period. A private contemporary art centre called Large also opened on the former Renault car factory site near Paris.
Art Basel has not published daily visitor numbers for this edition, so the size of the crowds is not yet known. Its own newsroom described strong sales across established, mid-market and emerging artists. Art Basel's market report, cited in its announcement of the Paris exhibitor list, says sales in France reached US$4.5 billion in 2025, a 9% rise on the year before.
The fair closes on 25 October.
