Art Basel Paris preview draws collectors despite protests

Art Basel Paris held its invitation-only Avant-Première preview at the Grand Palais on Tuesday, Oct. 20, under heavy security after a weekend of protests, riots and looting across France. Wealthy collectors still came, though the crowd looked smaller than last year. A Modigliani nude valued at more than $100 million drew the most attention among a limited set of reported sales.artnews.com+1

For days before the opening, international collectors had asked whether it was safe to travel to Paris. On Sunday, Art Basel told invitees that anti-ram barriers surrounded the Grand Palais and that security staff would patrol it around the clock. In an email, fair director Karim Crippa told VIPs the event would go ahead "as planned." Visitors were to be screened "thoroughly" at the entrance, and Paris police and private guards would patrol 24 hours a day.ocula.com+1

A weekend of unrest

The protests began with high school students angry about conditions in their schools. Other groups later joined them over the rising cost of living. Around 550,000 people marched on Saturday, Oct. 17, about 110,000 of them in Paris, and violent fringe groups clashed with police and looted shops. Police closed the Grand Palais that evening as a precaution, and it reopened Sunday with no damage reported. On Monday, students blocked the entrance to the Louvre, and curfews were imposed in parts of the city.yahoo.com+1

"The pictures of the riots were so scary," Mumbai-based collector Saloni Doshi told the Times. New York dealer Fergus McCaffrey said the media had "blown this out of all proportion," adding, "Everyone came." The preview still felt less hectic, and less dominated by Americans, than in 2025.nytimes.com

Sales and the Modigliani

ARTnews reported that only a short line had formed before the 3 p.m. opening. Aisles were "full but navigable," and some advisers said they knew of collectors who had canceled their trips. Because the preview was short, most galleries reported only one or two sales.artnews.com

Pace Di Donna Schrader showed Amedeo Modigliani's "Nu étendu (Lolotte)" (1917), valued at more than $100 million. The painting had not been seen publicly in about a century. Emmanuel Di Donna said it would take time to sell. Hauser & Wirth sold Gerhard Richter's "Rokokotisch" (1965) and Georg Baselitz's "Der Hirte" (1965) for about $10 million each. White Cube sold two Julie Mehretu paintings for $7.85 million each, and Thaddaeus Ropac reported 15 sales.artnews.com

Fair continues this week

The fair has 211 exhibitors. VIP days run Oct. 21 and 22, followed by public days from Oct. 23 to 25. More protests are reportedly planned for the coming weekend. "Despite a rather turbulent weekend, we've felt a genuine enthusiasm for art from the very start of the fair," Brussels dealer Xavier Hufkens said.exibart.com+2