A Constellation of Salon-Style Fairs Rounded Out Paris Art Week
A constellation of salon-style fairs opened in Paris this week, perfectly timed to coincide with an increasingly intense and vibrant Art Basel Paris, helping solidify the French capital’s status as Europe’s premier art hub. Leading the charge on Tuesday was Paris Internationale, which took over the raw, abandoned Central Bergère once again. Its grungy, unfinished atmosphere mirrored the experimental art displayed in the booths. This year, the fair hosted seventy-five galleries from nineteen countries, and a bustling opening day led to strong sales. Japanese artist Kajiito Ito, presented by Tomio Koyama Gallery, sold out his entire collection of paintings and sculptures priced between $3,500-5,000. Meanwhile, Athens-based The Breeder made its debut, showcasing works by artist and choreographer Maria Hassabi alongside sculptures by Georgia Sagri. By the third day, the gallery celebrated the sale of one of Sagri’s works ($30,000-40,000) to a prominent European institutional collection, along with several editions of Hassabi’s golden mirrored photographs, which were placed in private collections for $20,000-30,000. Hassabi is set to present a solo exhibition at the gallery at the end of November.
LoBrutto Stahl’s solo booth featuring the intriguing, esoteric paintings of Georgian artist Tornike Robakidze sold out by the end of the first day. Düsseldorf’s Lucas Hirsch also reported strong early sales of works by Kassel-based painter Lukas Müller, who studied under Albert Oehlen, with paintings going for around $10,000 and a few gouaches for $4,500. By Friday, Ludovico Corsini, now operating independently after parting ways with CLEARING, nearly sold out his booth at Paris Internationale. Javier Barrios’ works of intricate symbolism sold in the $8,000-30,000 range, while pieces by Meriem Bennani moved for $18,000-45,000.
Another standout was the Shanghai-based gallery Plateus, which brought the nature-inspired, meditative abstractions artist Wang Jung created in the open air. The artist spent hours immersed in nature, painting and sketching in the forests of Guangzhou, China, seeking a deeper connection between humanity and the natural world. His lively, gestural brushstrokes convey the movement of the trees, the air in between and their lymph and energy.
Among the new fairs adding to the buzz of Paris Art Week was the first edition of NADA in the city, The Salon, launched in partnership with The Community. Unlike the sun-soaked Basel preview, this fair opened on a rainy, gray day in a modern building in the 10th Arrondissement that once housed SNCF, the French railway. The glass structure provided a sleek, seamless flow around the booths, though the atmosphere was noticeably quieter compared to other fairs—likely because Parisians are still warming up to this American-led event, which felt more like an “American community” gathering transplanted to Paris.
Despite the slower pace, some galleries saw early sales. Local dealer Cadet Capela presented a solo booth featuring works by Blake Daniels, selling two of the three pieces on display at prices between $20,000 and $25,000. “We had a great first day: dynamic, with a very international audience,” Mathieu Capela told Observer. Upstairs, New York favorites like Mrs. gallery showcased works by Alexandra Barth, Megan Bogonovich and Robert Zehnder. “We’ve had strong interest and a couple of small sales,” Sara Salamone, founder of Mrs., said. “We’re staying positive for the weekend and excited to engage with more Parisian and European collectors. It was quieter, but there was a good level of people.”
In the next booth, Olympia presented Coleen Herman’s vibrant, gestural abstractions priced between $5,000 and $12,000 in an airy, atmospheric display that drew a lot of attention. Upstairs, Montreal-based Bradley Ertaskiran showcased Veronica Pausova’s intricate reflections on the feminine body, available for $9,000. One of the standout projects at The Salon was a show by the Fall River Museum of Contemporary Art (FR MoCA), a nonprofit, artist-led collective centered around themes of transparency, screens and porosity. Founded by Massachusetts natives Harry Gould Harvey IV and Brittni Ann Harvey, the collective focuses on alternative, cyclical systems to sustain artistic production and co-creation, often collaborating with other galleries to engage communities through their innovative space.
Another highlight was Shary Boyle’s mysterious ceramics, presented by Patel Brown, displayed alongside small canvases by Muriel Jaouich. Boyle’s new ceramic works, created at the Ceramic Work Centre in the Netherlands, have her signature unsettling style but explore themes of silence and the unspoken truths that resonate in today’s world. The collaborative booth by 52 Walker and Mitchell-Innes & Nash (which recently closed the New York gallery to become an art advisory) also made an impression, with several works by the late, great Pope.L.
Asia Now, housed in the sumptuous historical palace of the Monnaie de Paris, opened on the same day with a highly curated selection from the very first room. Each year, it seems, the fair elevates its offerings, attracting more established galleries like Esther Schipper, which presented the work of young, talented Korean artist Lee Linju, selling out in the $20,000 range. Perrotin dedicated one side of its booth to Hong Kong artist Ya Chin Chang, whose meticulously detailed paintings quickly sold in the $20,000-25,000 range ahead of a New York show next year. The Drawing Room Manila from the Philippines showcased a solo booth of hand-carved woodwork by Roberto Faleo, with three pieces selling in the early hours for $5,000-7,000. Parisian gallery Galerie LJ also made a strong impression, selling visionary works on paper by Georgian artist Rusudan Khizanishvili in the opening hours.
Nearby, Berlin’s Kornfeld gallery saw quick success with the sale of a large work by Rao Fu for $44,000 in the fair’s first hours—Fu’s demand has risen notably since his collaboration with Perrotin. “We’re thrilled by the overwhelming response from prominent museum professionals, curators, and collectors across the globe, particularly from France and Southeast Asia,” a gallery rep told Observer. “The sale of Tamara Kvesitadze’s kinetic sculpture to a collector in China, along with the enthusiastic reception of Egani’s striking Jean-Michel Basquiat portrait, underscores the international resonance of the artists we represent. It’s a testament to the dynamic and diverse energy of the fair.” Square Street Gallery from Hong Kong echoed this satisfaction. “It’s been an incredible start to the fair,” director Leon Jago told Observer. “We brought Daisuke Tajima’s work to Asia Now for his inaugural European presentation, and we received an excellent response from collectors and curators alike.”
The fair also presented a section co-curated by Nicolas Bourriad (who is behind this year’s Gwangju Biennial) and Alexander Burenkov. Centered around the notion of ceremony, the section featured work by eighteen artists who explored or revived the “ritual” as a space of spirituality, conviviality and social connectivity. Among them were up-and-coming and established artists from the region, like Charwei Tsai, ZADIE XA, Leelee Chan, Ming Wong and Trevor Yeung, who represented Hong Kong at the Venice Biennale this year.
Last but not least, another relatively new fair that collectors seemed to have appreciated was OFFSCREEN, which took place not far from the Grand Palais at Grand Garage Haussmann (yes, a former garage) and featured twenty-five works by artists Alfredo Jaar, Gordon Matta Clark and Lita Albuquerque, among others. This avant-garde fair focuses on experimental, image-based artworks, including video, film, photography and mixed-media installations. The late Belgian director Chantal Akerman was this year’s guest of honor, and her work was displayed in collaboration with Marian Goodman Gallery.