The exhibitors of the first edition of the fair show breathtaking turnover from the opening day.
Praised for its meticulous organization, Art Basel was somewhat overwhelmed by the enthusiasm aroused by its first edition in Paris. Very restricted access, inconvenient electronic tickets, a computer server that has failed… “the visitor experience” got off to a bad start yesterday for the pre-opening reserved for VIPs. Many VIPs, very many even, to the point that the aisles were crowded. The ephemeral Grand Palais, even increased by a tent, has once again shown its limits: the rare catering points were taken by storm and it was very difficult to find a place to rest. Only positive point in the reception register: there were no queues at the entrance.
For the rest it was perfect and the fair was exceptional. It was first filled with major international galleries (more than 60% of participants). The first row of galleries on either side of the entrance lined up 18 international brands, only two of which were of French origin: Perrotin and Almine Rech. Among the foreign dealers, several had long since disappeared from FIAC: Sprüth Magers, Michael Werner, Matthew Marks, Luhring Augustine, Greene Naftali, Neu…
The cartography of the galleries espoused a logic of economic power. The very large international galleries (with several locations around the world) are in the central nave with a subtle gradient as one moves away towards the north and south sides, the large galleries are in the hall which leads to the Eiffel Tower and the medium-sized galleries with bolder programming, in the tent. There are a few so-called emerging galleries grouped together at the back of the main building, but above all they have an alibi function for a fair that brings together the best of Western galleries (essentially). Here and there there are works of questionable quality, but they are rare.
Art Basel also seems to have had its fill of foreign collectors. There are no official figures yet, but to hear the different languages in the aisles, English speakers had come in large numbers, especially Americans. On the other hand, few Asians had made the trip.
Last but not least (it's a commercial event), Art Basel was full of turnover. According to a first official statement, nearly 200 works were sold for a total of around 50 million euros. But it is a partial state and taking into account what the gallerists have told us, it is necessary to at least multiply this figure by two or three to approach reality. A dozen works have exceeded the million euro mark, the official record being held by a Joan Mitchell sold for 4.5 million dollars by David Zwirner. Two Georges Condo and two Giacometti appear in this list. The average price of works sold is around €240,000 with a median of €70,000.
Daniel Templon sold a huge and very decorative Kehinde Wiley for 880,000 dollars, a superb (and much more interesting) diptych by Philippe Cognée ten times cheaper, just like his in-house artist Garouste (€95,000)… Christian Berst had already sold 7 pieces between €5,000 and €25,000 by Eric Benetto who meticulously paints mystical-oceanic shapes on old medical radios framed in lighted boxes. Ceysson & Bénétière, which for once ventured out of Support-Surface, had sold forty pieces, twenty of which were pre-sold. Georges-Philippe Vallois congratulated himself on having made “his best start to the fair” while Cécile Fakhoury had already largely covered the costs of the stand by having sold eight pieces from her solo show by Roméo Mivekannin.
Video of the fair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xMYYPS-1Bc&t=7s
Le Journal des arts. Jean Christophe Castelain
Art expert: https://www.vwart.com/