Highlights from Paris+ by Art Basel 2023

After a successful inaugural edition in 2022, the modern and contemporary art fair, Paris+ by Art Basel, returned to the Grand Palais Éphémère from October 18th to the 22nd, 2023. This year, the event featured a curated lineup of 154 galleries representing 33 countries and territories. These galleries were divided into two distinct sectors: the established Galeries and the emerging talents in the juror-selected Galeries Émergentes.

Going beyond the confines of the art fair, a vibrant public program was in place, open to all with no admission fee. This program took art enthusiasts on a journey across six iconic locations within the city. It offered a rich array of exhibitions, striking monumental outdoor installations, and a series of enlightening talks. The entire initiative was a collaborative effort between Art Basel, the City of Paris and local cultural institutions, emphasizing the intersection of art and community. Prominent among the projects currently running is the “The Fifth Season” exhibition, curated by Annabelle Ténèze, featuring 25 outdoor installations by artists spanning different generations in the Tuileries Garden. Meanwhile, Place Vendôme hosts a striking, five-meter-high aluminum sculpture by Urs Fischer, presented by Gagosian, offering a captivating visual contrast. For those seeking an unprecedented dialogue between artists with remarkable careers, the duo show by Daniel Buren and Michelangelo Pistoletto, curated by art historian Matthieu Poirier at Palais d’Iéna, provides a profound exploration of space and architecture.

A Global Gathering of Art and Culture

Leading art patrons, collectors, and representatives from over 170 prestigious museums worldwide converged for Paris+ by Art Basel 2023. Galleries reported robust sales, spanning from 20th-century masters to emerging talents. Clément Delépine, Director of Paris+ by Art Basel, expressed his gratitude, saying, “I am deeply thankful to all the galleries, artists, patrons, institutional representatives, and partners who joined us for this second edition and made it such a success. Together, we were able to present art of the highest quality, from the show floor to the Jardin des Tuileries, and the fair’s impact on the city’s cultural life is palpable. We already look forward to our arrival at the renovated Grand Palais in 2024, a move that we believe will anchor this event even more firmly in the city’s creative landscape and amplify its resonance in the global art ecosystem.”

This global event celebrated art, culture, and community, leaving a lasting impact in Paris and on the world stage.

Exploring the Finest Exhibits in the Emerging and Established Sectors

Now that this prestigious art fair has drawn to a close, let’s delve into the standout gallery presentations that encapsulated the very essence of creativity and artistic excellence. At the same time, acknowledging some of the collaborative projects by the fair’s partners, such as Diptyque and Ruinart, for their meaningful contributions to the event:

Kurimanzutto (Mexico, New York)

Kurimanzutto’s showcase of Mexican-American artist Roberto Gil de Montes marked his European debut, offering a comprehensive glimpse into his artistic journey. Featuring both paintings and works on paper, his art weaves irreverence with deep introspection as he explores hidden Mexican narratives. With meticulous attention and playful experimentation, his works form a tapestry of influences, from Marsden Hartley to pre-Hispanic traditions. At Paris+, the gallery presented a journey through time, spanning from the artist’s recent pieces to a historic work representing his past in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Born in Guadalajara in 1950, Gil de Montes’ artistic journey crossed borders, from the U.S. to Mexico, eventually settling in La Peñita de Jaltemba. His art is a profound exploration of reality and imagination, a heartfelt tribute to his cultural heritage.

BLUM (Los Angeles, Tokyo, New York)

BLUM gallery, representing over sixty artists and estates from sixteen countries, featured a solo booth at the 2023 Paris+ par Art Basel. The exhibit spotlighted Lonnie Bradley Holley, also known as the Sand Man, an American artist, art educator, and musician renowned for his assemblages and immersive environments crafted from found materials.

Born on February 10, 1950, in Birmingham, Alabama, Holley’s early life was marked by challenges as he worked various jobs from a very young age. He experienced a tumultuous childhood, never having the opportunity to enjoy a conventional upbringing. Holley’s presentation dazzled with abstract paintings and sculptures, characterized by layered facial profiles that reverberate with tributes to Black American ancestral history and culture. The exhibit also featured intricate readymade sculptures, born from discarded materials, transformed into memorials to loved ones and pivotal moments in the Civil Rights movement. A rich array of art objects was on display, spanning from works as early as 1989 to those freshly conceived this year.

Galerie Max Hetzler (Paris, Berlin, London, Marfa)

Galerie Max Hetzler, a prominent art gallery representing over fifty artists across six spaces, showcased a selection of 24 artists in their booth at the recent event. The exhibition featured a blend of major figures in the art world, including the pioneering abstract artist Hans Hartung, along with established names like Victor Mann, Katharina Grosse, and André Butzer. The presentation also highlighted the work of the younger artist Giulia Andreani, a talented painter who draws inspiration from extensive research of archival images and personal photographs. Her unique approach added a fresh perspective to this diverse and dynamic collection of artworks.

Pilar Corrias (London)

Pilar Corrias unveiled a collaborative booth by artists Rirkrit Tiravanija and Vivien Zhang. Their year-long dialogue produced new works that challenge historical systems of classification and the politics of taxonomical thought. Tiravanija created a site-specific wallpaper installation, reproducing Ernst Haeckel’s tree of life, an early model of biodiversity classification. Superimposed are stencils featuring names of 40 invasive plant species, exposing the impact of human intervention on ecosystems. Vivien Zhang’s paintings are ocean-oriented map projections that shift focus from land to borderless oceanic territory. She also explores linguistic discrepancies in naming botanical specimens, depicting hybrid varieties of plants with pseudo- or fake- prefixes. Both artists, raised in different cultures, address issues of migration, site-specificity, and linguistic politics, emphasizing the imperfections of knowledge technologies.

SMAC (Cape Town, Johannesburg)

In the Emergent Galleries sector, SMAC unveiled “Footsteps of the Ordained” by Simphiwe Buthelezi, an exhibition that explored the convergence of knowledge, existence, and artistry. At the core of her work stays “iCansi,” (the Zulu word for grass reed mats) which operates as a constant conceptual and material motif in her work and symbolizes the intellectual knowledge passed down by black women and serving as conduits for spiritual communion. Buthelezi’s artworks function as an open map, entwining the political, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of organic materials. Layers of Zulu beadwork and cosmological patterns challenged conventional Eurocentric material views. Reflecting South Africa’s history of segregation and land dispossession, the art prompted reflection on land politics and the concept of home. Buthelezi’s work offered a vision of an unbounded, divine space free from constraints.

Adding to their two existing gallery spaces, SMAC just recently opened a third one to be represented in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Stellenbosch.

Sadie Coles HQ (London)

In this year’s Paris+ edition, Sadie Coles HQ presented a diverse array of works by gallery artists, such as Alvaro Barrington, Kati Heck, Gabriel Kuri, Lucia Laguna, Helen Marten, Laura Owens, Richard Prince, and Wilhelm Sasnal. The centerpiece of their presentation was Sarah Lucas’s remarkable large-scale sculpture, “SIX CENT SOIXANTE SIX,” which had recently garnered significant attention at the “BIG WOMEN” exhibition curated by the artist herself in Colchester, England. A vintage yellow Triumph TR6 took center stage within the booth, alongside Lucas’s iconic bunny sculpture, crafted from stuffed pantyhose. Celebrated for her bold and provocative use of materials and imagery, British artist Sarah Lucas has consistently challenged societal norms related to sex, class, and gender over four decades. Her work pushes boundaries with humor and audacity, providing a comprehensive exploration of human existence and leaving a lasting impact on the art world.

Almine Rech (Paris, Brussels, London, New York, Shanghai, Monaco)

Almine Rech showcased a group of artists, among them Minjung Kim, Johan Creten, Serge Poliakoff, and César, along with the latest addition to their program, the Malagasy-French artist Joël Andrianomearisoa.

Joël presented a textile piece in the gallery’s booth. At the fair, he also unveiled “UN AUTRE MONDE,” a collaborative installation with Diptyque, which features three chapters: a striking metal sculpture-poem, a scented black silk paper collage evoking L’Autre, and a printed manifesto that offers insight into the artist’s creative process.

Joël Andrianomearisoa explores a range of mediums, encompassing installation, drawing, craft, textiles, performance, video, and photography. His work delves into the materiality of emotions, reflecting his fascination with human relationships. He conveys emotions through textures, forms, and atmospheres, using a poetic diaspora to celebrate human existence. His inspiration stems from the rhythms and movements of the world, which fuel his artistic journey.

Galerie Kamel Mennour (Paris)

In less than five years, Kamel Mennour has swiftly become a significant destination for contemporary art in Paris, offering three distinct spaces and representing over 40 artists. At the Paris+ par Art Basel event, the gallery curated a collection of works that featured renowned artists like Ryan Gander, Gerhard Richter, Claire Fontaine, Mircea Suciu, and Zeineb Sedira. A striking centerpiece was a crafted sculpture by Camille Henrot, made from bronze and aluminum. This artwork portrayed a tall, abstracted figure gracefully entwined around the screen of a bronze-cast iPad or smartphone, creating a captivating fusion of satiation and expectation.

Kamel Mennour’s reach extended beyond the fair as Alicja Kwade, an artist in their representation, was featured in “The Fifth Season” exhibition at Tuileries Garden, further affirming the gallery’s significance in the contemporary art scene.

Alicja Kwade, celebrated for her use of raw materials and everyday objects, melds a rock and a bronze rocking chair in this artwork. The chair, immobilized by the hefty stone that appears to have fallen from the sky, blurs the boundaries between geological and human realities. Traditionally symbolizing relaxation, this chair raises thought-provoking questions: does it now represent the weight of human existence, akin to a modern Sisyphus endlessly pushing a boulder uphill? Or has the stone, with its living essence, finally earned its right to repose? Kwade’s creation prompts contemplation of these profound inquiries.

Esther Schipper (Berlin, Paris, Seoul)

Simon Fujiwara’s canvases, showcased at the Esther Schipper gallery booth, captivated viewers with their thought-provoking reinterpretation of Paul Gauguin’s iconic Tahitian scenes. Notably, in “Who’s Exotic Fantasy? (Women Selling their own Coconuts),” Fujiwara skillfully mirrors Gauguin’s sensuous portrayal of Tahitian life, introducing his character, Who the Bær. The title, reminiscent of Gauguin’s eroticized imagery, pairs with depictions of half-naked women on the beach, sparking contemplation about Gauguin’s contemporary reception and the anachronistic language in the title. These artworks offer insight into 19th-century French colonial attitudes towards non-Western cultures, framing Fujiwara’s canvases as a fresh perspective on historical art and their relevance in today’s world.

PROMENADE(S) en Champagne by Eva Jospin for Maison Ruinart

Last but not least, as a partner of Paris+ par Art Basel, Maison Ruinart unveiled its Carte Blanche for 2023, crafted by French artist Eva Jospin. The exhibition, “PROMENADE(S) en Champagne,” featured an installation primarily made of cardboard, her preferred medium, and included a series of artworks, high reliefs, drawings, and embroideries. These were centered around a Carmontelle, a creation from the 18th century symbolizing the Age of Enlightenment, the era when Ruinart was founded, seamlessly connecting the underground chalk pits, vineyards, and the champagne-making process. This captivating project served as an inspiring conclusion to the preceding art fair, leaving a lasting olfactory impression with a scent created for this occasion in collaboration with olfactory artist Sissel Tolaas.