In front of the Grand Palais, two large silhouettes almost like Haribo greeted visitors with great photo ops. The work of French artist Fabrice Hyber (represented by Nathalie Obadia) presented a folly at Art Paris, a low-key French exhibition that attracts local collectors. Under the scorching spring sun in the middle of the historic glass nave, the vibe on the day of the preview was a cool bubble rather than a hot tone; no one was wearing flashy clothes. The 28th edition of the fair brought 160 galleries from about 20 countries, with 30 percent participating for the first time. As always, Art Paris offers a local highlight of the Parisian, and the French in general, art scene, with a few blue-chip galleries among the stalls, apart from Galerie Lelong and Almine Rech. Other power stations, despite having adjacent spaces on Avenue Matignon, did not exist.
Almine Rech has been an Art Paris faithful for years. “It’s very important to show our commitment to local art,” executive director Thibault Geffrin told the Observer. “We have many artists based in Paris; we always try to include their works in our space so that they can see and promote their work. A piece of fabric by the French-Malagasy artist Joël Andrianomearisoa—nominated this year for the Prix Marcel Duchamp—was on the wall facing the entrance of the Grand Palais, while a painting by Inès Longevial was facing the corridor. The works in this booth ranged from €20,000-100,000; the €100,000 cap was intentional. “Art Basel Paris is a huge international crowd, and it’s a very big show,” Geffrin explained, adding—and echoing many—that the crowd here is French or local, and the prices reflect that Résonance Painting (Paint Until You Can’t See the World) sold for £75,000-80,000; not long ago, Andrianomearisoa’s 2025 metal and paint sculpture sold for €20,000-30,000.
According to Geffrin, “having two locations in Paris, we see our collectors throughout the year, but it’s also part of an inclusive event”—even more important since “there’s time to spend with our collectors here that you might not have time to spend at Art Basel.”
“The Paris market has changed a lot over the years,” reflected Garrett Landolt, director of Esther Schipper, at a booth down the road from Almine Rech. “In the beginning, it was a local market: Parisians bought from Paris galleries. It has become international in recent years with the arrival of Art Basel. What we have heard from others is that Art Basel Paris has recently become so popular that Art Paris is more accessible and perhaps more interesting, because you have different prices. So you get a lot of different visitors.” He commented not only on the “quality of consultants and collectors” that came, but also that the visitors were curious about the works on hand and took the time to ask questions, unlike the buyers who rush to find the works they want like at Art Basel.
The curiosity of the booth centered on the work of the French artist Etienne Chambaud (€10,000-€30,000), who explores animals (eagles, lambs) represented in religious icons bought at auction and converted. Chambaud has a revival to stabilize the works, then he combines all the non-animal elements in the gold leaf-including the saints-so that, as a result, the animals are completely separated and placed in the foreground. In a different register nearby, the canvases of Canadian-born Sojourner Truth Parsons are colored with phosphorescent paints—his work is now on view in a Paris gallery, located in an inner courtyard within the Place Vendôme. Everything on board was under €50,000, with German singer Matti Braun the most expensive at €48,000. Otherwise the gallery participates in all Art Basel exhibitions, as well as Art Jakarta, West Bund and Frieze Seoul.
Galerie Pol Lemétais was at Art Paris for the first time with a monographic exhibition of the remixed tapestries of Aurélia Jaubert. Based in Toulouse in southwest France, the gallery represents outstanding artists and participates in Outsider Art Fair in New York and Outsider Art in Paris; Art Paris had a bit of a jump. Jaubert is an artist whose work gallery representative Aurelie Fourrier describes as “related to modern art, but with a difference,” due to her unconventional techniques, which include collage embroidery and textiles using found materials—old tapestries, sewing accessories—found in thrift stores or garage sales. The six major works on the stand, made between 2020 and 2025, were priced between €13,000-25,000; nothing was sold on the day of the preview, but a sale of € 15,000 was made the following. A selection of Jaubert’s pieces are on view in Paris at the Halle Saint Pierre, in the 18th arrondissement, in a dedicated art brut area.
Beirut-based gallery Saleh Barakat Gallery was back at Art Paris, having participated almost a dozen times. “Paris has that uniqueness; it’s important to be here,” said the gallerist who is known by his name. But Art Paris is particularly “franco-français” and close to the spirit of the gallery—”our artists are very interesting [politically committed]”—rather than “the art of the imagination, the art of the world.” Barakat added that Art Paris is completing an “autumn rendezvous” with its spring counterpart. (The Lebanese gallery participated in Art Basel Paris and Doha, Art Dubai and Abu Dhabi Art.) In the booth, there were ceramics by Hala Matta, custom rugs by Sara Badr Schmidt and a beautiful, vivid canvas by Nabil Nahas. Pieces ranged from €800 for smaller formats (“We’re not faking it,” notes Barakat), with everything else marked from €2,000 and around €10,000.
One level up, Galerie Prima—open for a year and a half—shows the work of two artists: Bryce Delplanque (still lifes worth €6,000-€9,000) and Gaspard Girard d’Albissin (figurative works inspired by internet images and fashion sites priced at €500-10,000). They are part of the Promises sector on the upper balcony on the south side of the Grand Palais, dedicated to galleries established less than ten years ago and selected by the curator Marc Donnadieu, who is also a member of the selection committee of Art Paris. Here, there are more international posts than below, with examples from Australia, Morocco and Singapore.
This is the second time Prima is present at the show; the gallery sold Delplanque’s paintings and gained new visibility in the ceramics of Héloïse Rival in 2025. Other exhibitions they have participated in include the Invited section at Art Brussels and Asia Now in Paris, although they have been impressed by Paris Internationale and Artissima. The group of founders spent more than ten years in the French gallery Filles du Calvaire, which participated in Art Paris with a certain program with successful results (and had a booth again this year), strengthening their interest in the next generation. Founder Laëtitia Ferrer told the Observer that she and her colleagues have “a special taste, but one that always raises questions… something strange, but also semantic.” Two of d’Albissin’s works were previously sold before the show (for €4,500 and €6,000), while Delplanque is showing a new series: a tribute to the author Joan Didion’s auctioned items, including stacks of books written by William F. Buckley Jr. and the Houston Junior League Cookbook.
As with any fit, this caters to a variety of tastes. Works by artists featured in blockbuster exhibitions alongside it are seen here: there are two Nan Goldin Cibachromes from 2000 and 2013 for Yvon Lambert and a 2009 painted work by Mickalene Thomas (Keri On2009) in the Opera gallery. There’s also Joana Vasconcelos’ very green tea stunt-y that entices visitors to sit at Gowen Contemporary and an oil painting depicting Elon Musk’s bones at Stéphane Pencréac’h’s Galerie Idéale. It takes all forms.
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