At Art Basel’s First Paris Fair, Galleries Report Sales of Million-Dollar Works

By Friday, several participants in Paris+, the first edition of Art Basel in the French capital, reported having sold artworks worth millions of dollars, potentially suggesting that the fair could have lasting power.

Galleries brought to the fair all kinds of work, from new pieces by rising stars to old ones by art-historical giants of years past. It was well-established international talents that seem to have performed best, however, and not artists associated with the French scene.

Still, French galleries said they felt a good deal of enthusiasm at the fair—perhaps more, even, than they’d found at FIAC, the long-reigning French art fair that was ousted from its venue and October slot by Art Basel this year.

“We were surprised by the number of first choice guests, the number of collectors is exceptional per square meter,” said Galerie Templon executive director Anne-Claudie Coric in a statement. “We had visitors from the United States, Latin America, China, we saw people from Turkey. We have never seen such eagerness, such excitement around the ex FIAC, that’s one thing.”

As always, it’s worth remembering that sales at art fairs are self-reported by galleries and difficult to verify. What galleries did report, however, is roughly on par with what gets announced when they participate in other top art fairs around the world.

Below, a look at eight works that sold at Paris+.