From October 23 to 25, Art Basel Paris returns to the nave of the Grand Palais. Bringing together 211 galleries from more than 40 countries, this fifth edition also marks the arrival of Karim Crippa as the fair’s director, after having served as Director of Communications for Art Basel Paris. Ahead of the public opening, he discusses the highlights of this year’s program and his vision for the fair in today’s art world.

You have been part of Art Basel for eight years; You witnessed the birth of Art Basel Paris in 2022, before taking over as its director last November. What are your thoughts on how the fair has evolved?

The evolution of Art Basel Paris has been fast and impressive. We are still a young fair: only five years old, and yet, in a very short time, we have managed to establish an event that is highly appealing to a wide audience. We are committed to maintaining the quality and ambition with which we set out in 2022. Like many adopted Parisians, I have a deep affection for the capital, it is a place I truly love, and organizing an event that reflects the city in all its beauty is deeply rewarding.

What kind of fair do you want to build in Paris?

We want to stay true to the roots of the fair, while consolidating our increasingly strong position within both the art market and the French cultural landscape. I am taking up the reins of a project that is already underway, with a particular focus on geographical representation, developing thematic or specifically Parisian sectors – Premise and Emergence – and creating a fair that is intrinsically ‘Parisian’. Our profile needs to be distinctive enough to set us apart from our sister fairs within Art Basel on the one hand, and, on the other, from our competitors. The strong presence of Parisian galleries, and the work they do, is central to achieving this.

How does Paris establish its own identity within the Art Basel network?

Firstly, through scale: the Paris fair is smaller and more intimate than those in Basel and Miami Beach – the largest stand in the latter is almost twice the size of the biggest one here in Paris – and this creates a very different experience for visitors. The importance of Paris globally also plays a major role in the fair’s identity. Our goal is to nod to the popular fantasy of the city, recall its place in the history of Modern art, and show the reality of Paris today – a very young city, marked by genuine diversity and a desire for experimentation. That is what gives the fair its unique flavor.

What themes are already emerging from the galleries’ presentations?

It is still difficult to say when it comes to the main sector, but in Emergence, which is once again presented on the upper walkways of the Grand Palais, I am seeing more painting and figuration than in previous years, for instance with Ant Łakomsk at Galeria Stereo, Yann Stéphane Bisso at Exo Exo, and Anna Clegg at Schiefe Zähne. I also see Queer positions becoming more visible, whether with Drake Carr at Mariposa or Haneyl Choi at P21.

In 2024, Art Basel Paris launched Premise, ‘a space of curatorial freedom where definitions are dissolved in order to question the very nature of the artwork.’ How is the sector evolving this year?

Premise reflects a desire to broaden the margins of the art historical canon, and this is something truly Parisian: among Art Basel’s fairs, it is one of the few sectors that officially allows for the inclusion of works produced before 1900. The idea was born out of the frustration that Art Basel could not accommodate excellent booth proposals, because they did not quite fit within the parameters of the main sector.

This year, Premise is expanding to 900 square meters and will host 12 booths, compared with nine last year. We are moving it into a gallery in the Grand Palais that we are using for the first time, and which will introduce a new entrance via Square Jean Perrin. There, Blue Velvet will present works by Sibylle Ruppert, an extraordinary German artist whose imagery embraces both aliens and BDSM. At Galerie Zlotowski, visitors will see very early works on paper by Vera Molnár, dating from the beginning of her career, as well as a series made using pitch by the British filmmaker Derek Jarman, presented by Amanda Wilkinson Gallery. We are delighted to have this space to show such unusual and rarely exhibited work.

What will be the highlights of the Public Program this year?

While remaining faithful to our ambition to present major works in freely accessible public spaces, this year we wanted to center the program around the Grand Palais. As soon as visitors exit the metro, they will be greeted by Robert Indiana’s iconic bronze LOVE (1966–68), and on the Square Jean Perrin side, by a work by Lionel Sabatté, presented by Ceysson & Bénétière. Along Avenue Winston Churchill, once again pedestrianized for the occasion, visitors will encounter a lively and varied trail featuring sculptures by Simone Fattal, Niki de Saint Phalle, Carmen Herrera, Alicja Kwade, Manfred Pernice, and others.

At the Petit Palais, Cosima von Bonin will present The Beaux, a series of plush animal sculptures, full of humor and tenderness. At the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, the Chapelle des Petits-Augustins will host Küba (2004), a video installation by the Turkish artist Kutluğ Ataman that tells the story of a vanished Istanbul neighborhood. On the Right Bank, at the Parvis des Droits-de-l’Homme, White Cube and the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine will present three monumental bronze sculptures by Tracey Emin. There will also be Kennedy Yanko’s exhibition at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, and a project by filmmaker Alice Diop at the Palais d’Iéna, presented by Miu Miu, the Public Program Official Partner.

How do you perceive the current evolution of the art market?

The main change I see is a shift in pace, especially among collectors. Many of our participants share the same view: while the fair represents a unique opportunity for encounters, having the necessary time to close a sale or hold an in-depth conversation with a collector is essential. This is why we have introduced Avant-Première, which allows galleries to invite their most loyal clients on Tuesday afternoon, the day before the fair’s VIP opening. Given the Grand Palais’s particularly limited capacity, they will have more space, a calmer atmosphere, and more time for meaningful exchanges.

Another key question is how the collector base is renewing itself: Who are the new collectors?

The Great Wealth Transfer – this massive transfer of money from one generation to the next – is bringing potential new collectors to the fore with different priorities. We therefore need to ensure that these new audiences, who do not yet collect but have both the desire and the means to do so, can access Art Basel Paris. We are also making an effort to better explain who we are, and to make clear that anyone can come to the Grand Palais during the fair: newcomers, art lovers, first-time collectors, students, and the general public. Everyone should feel that they belong here.

Do these new buyers have a different relationship to art?

What we see above all among Gen-Z buyers and some millennials is that there is no longer really a hierarchy among the things that interest them, or that they consider worthy of investment. Whether it is a pair of collectible sneakers, a particularly rare Pokémon card, or a painting by Issy Wood, everything exists on the same plane of desirability. It is therefore up to us to ensure that art is just as desirable as other goods, if not more so.

The beauty of collecting art also lies in the fact that the object has no practical use. You cannot put your lipstick in a painting, slip your feet into a sculpture, or move through an installation! When we encounter artworks, we set aside our pragmatic relationship with objects in favor of a more psychological, intellectual, and emotional experience. Art allows us to temporarily step outside everyday life and enter a space that feels exceptional and enchanting. And that is really quite wonderful.