New director envisions dynamic art fair

Karim Crippa, appointed as the new director of Art Basel Paris in November 2025, describes the fair as a novel where each day represents a new chapter, designed to inspire the desire to continue exploring the next. The 2026 edition promises unexpected detours, with familiar characters being re-examined, new voices rising, and long-neglected narratives being revisited, despite the challenges posed by the aftermath of the covid crisis.

Galleries thrive in the fair's environment

Galleries are noted for generating significant interest in the fair, with Karim Crippa observing that last year was very positive for participating galleries, both in terms of international attendance and the value of works presented. This year’s figures are also encouraging, suggesting continued momentum in the art market.

Fair's role beyond commerce

The fair's objective is to sell, but galleries do more than commercialize; they select and defend works, affirming their own identities. Karim Crippa notes "a form of sociology of the market," where some galleries specialize in emerging artists while others support them until their recognition and success.

Diverse exhibitors and sectors

This first edition under Crippa's leadership features more than 200 exhibitors from over 40 countries, distributed across three sectors: Galleries (for major names), Émergence (for new artists), and Premise, which revisits the richness of the artistic discourse of the 20th and 21st centuries. Each sector reflects a different facet of the art world.

Premise highlights overlooked artists

Premise highlights artists such as Jacqueline Lamba, long overshadowed by André Breton, graffiti artist Futura, pioneer of algorithmic art Vera Molnár, Brazilian modernist Tarsila do Amaral, and filmmaker Derek Jarman, with the Black Paintings evoking the AIDS that would eventually kill him. The selection committee for Premise and Émergence evaluates projects rather than the pedigree of the gallery presenting them.

Inclusive vision for the fair

Karim Crippa does not participate in the voting to avoid imposing his personal tastes, though he emphasizes his vision of the fair as an open space welcoming those interested in art or contributing to the current discourse. Art Basel must reflect today's Paris: a young, very diverse Paris, not just a polite and fantasized one.

Local representation and spatial innovation

With 64 gallery owners operating spaces in the capital, no other fair has such a local representation, especially as it takes place in the Grand Palais, which will benefit from a dramaturgy in the manipulation of space-time. Starting on Friday, new installations vary the pleasures thanks to "Oh La La!", placed this year under the artistic direction of Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, around the theme "Myths and Legends."

Crippa's inclusive approach

Karim Crippa, not very fond of cultural hierarchies, views the circulation between demand and popular culture as a method. He notes that he can be captivated by a conceptual painter as much as by a Celine Dion concert, or read religiously every book of Amélie Nothomb since he was 14 while counting Anne Carson among his icons. This inclusive approach allows bridges to be built between different approaches and practices.

Collaborative presentations and narrative strength

Galleries constantly renew their offerings, aiming not merely to show but to put into perspective, unearth, surprise, and bring together. A record number of twelve joint presentations allow for cross-perspective views on the same stand, such as the collaboration between Michael Rosenfeld Gallery and Jeffrey Deitch around Beauford Delaney and Alteronce Gumby. The union makes for strength and narrative.

Event dates and location

Art Basel Paris 2026 takes place from October 23 to 25 at the Grand Palais.