From October 24-26, 2025, Art Basel Paris was held for the second time under the iconic glass roof and characteristic green hue of the Grand Palais, marking its fourth edition in Paris. Despite the nippy air during the week, sunlight poured into the hall where exhibited artworks bathed in a luminous glow.
206 galleries from 41 countries and territories participated in this year’s fair. Including the VIP and public days, the total attendance rose to more than 73,000, around 12% more than the previous year.
Art Basel Paris 2025 at the Grand Palais
Photo: Courtesy of Art Basel
Visitors at Art Basel Paris 2025
Photo: Courtesy of Art Basel
The fair was categorised into 3 sectors — the main Galeries with 180 galleries, Emergence for 16 solo presentations, and Premise with 9 curated historical booths. The 206 exhibitions came from 41 countries and territories, including 29 newcomers.
One of the newcomers was from Hong Kong. Blindspot Gallery made its Art Basel Paris debut with a solo exhibition of radical Chinese papercut artist Xiyadie in the Emergence Sector. Meanwhile, Kiang Malingue Gallery returned to the Galeries sector, bringing the works by Cho Yong-Ik, Tiffany Chung, Brook Hsu, Kyung-Me, Hiroka Yamashita, and Yuan Yuan.
“It has been a successful fair for us over the past two years in Paris. The setting of the Grand Palais is also a special experience for us and its visitors,” Lorraine Kiang, co-founder of Kiang Malingue, commented.
Installation view of Alex Da Corte’s performance Kermit The Frog, Place Vendôme, Paris, 2025 Presented by Sadie Coles HQ, London.
Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London
Installation view of Objets trouvés by Harry Nuriev at the Beaux-Arts de Paris, Chapelle des Petits-Augustins, Paris.
Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (1987) which sold for USD 23 million Hauser & Wirth
Photo: Courtesy of Art Basel
This year’s Art Basel Paris sales were led by Hauser & Wirth with Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (1987) selling for USD 23 million during the Avant-Première preview (before the VIP preview). Other notable sales include White Cube selling Julie Mehretu’s Charioteer (2007) during the VIP Preview for USD 11.5 million, and a recent gunpowder work by Cai Guo-Qiang for USD 1.2 million. Pace placed Amadeo Modigliani’s Jenue fille aux macarons (Young Woman with Hair in Side Buns) (1918) for just under USD 10 million with a private European institution.
An ambitious Public Program accompanied the fair with activations across nine storied venues in Paris. This included a giant deflated Kermit the Frog by Alex Da Corte at Place Vendôme and rows of supermarket boxes by Harry Nuriev at Chapelle des Petits-Augustins, both transforming these historic sites into spaces of exchange and renewal.
Fashion house Miu Miu was the Public Program Official Partner for a second year, occupying the Palais d’Iéna with a project titled “30 Blizzards.” by Helen Marten, which included a performance piece and insightful panel talks, marking the Turner-Prize-winning multidisciplinary artist’s first performance piece. Art Basel’s flagship talks programme returned to the Petit Palais, with panels gathering thought leaders from the worlds of art and culture, including American photographer Tyler Mitchell and acclaimed editor Edward Enninful.
“This second year at the Grand Palais has truly felt like coming home — the show has found its rhythm here, and its connection with the city has never felt stronger. It’s been a privilege to help shape this journey alongside an extraordinary team and global community,” Clément Delépine, Director of Art Basel Paris, said.
Art Basel announced the appointment of Karim Crippa as Director of Art Basel Paris, taking up the role from November 1, 2025. He was previously the Head of Communications for Art Basel Paris and Senior Editor at Art Basel globally.
Editor
Karrie Lam
