The 10 Best Booths at Paris+ par Art Basel 2023

On Wednesday morning in Paris, below the Eiffel Tower and ominous rain clouds, the second edition of Paris+ par Art Basel opened to VIP crowds. Held at the Grand Palais Éphémère for the second year, the fair will move on to its destined venue, the historic Grand Palais near the Champs-Élysées, in 2024.

Last Friday, France raised its state of alert due to the crisis in the Middle East, which Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz addressed in an email to exhibitors, VIP cardholders, partners, and press ahead of the fair this past Sunday. “This latest escalation in violence grieves us not only as individuals but as members of a global cultural community whose essential values of humanity, mutual respect, and dialogue are at its core,” Horowitz wrote. “As fair organizers, the safety of our visitors, exhibitors, and staff is of the utmost importance,” he added, noting that safety measures included extra security checks and personnel, metal detectors, and anti-ram vehicle barriers installed outside the fair.

During a press conference on Monday, Horowitz emphasized the fair’s commitment to small and mid-size galleries, particularly in the midst of the current market. “As ever, more value in the market is being driven by a relatively small number of players that operate in the upper echelons of the trade,” he said. “It’s important to underline the fact that Art Basel, as a platform and as an organization, has always been believing in the essential role that galleries and artists across all spectrums of the market play in establishing a healthy ecosystem.

“In 2019, we introduced a sliding scale pricing model for galleries participating in our fairs that enables support for smaller and mid-sized galleries,” he continued. “Together with our selection committee, we’re now making a concerted push to enable new and emerging galleries to transition into the main sectors across our shows, where they can exhibit the full range of their program and stand side by side with their more established and better-known peers, enabling them to drive patronage to their programs and ultimately to support the growth of their artists.”

At the VIP opening on Wednesday morning, if the throngs of VIPs were anything to go by, the fair was quickly on its way to a strong second outing. Several booths within the first hours of the fair were almost impossible to step into, while fairgoers quite literally rubbed shoulders in the packed aisles. A strong French presence was clear, bolstered by a sizeable number of American and European visitors.

As those ominous clouds turned into a downpour, reported sales quickly spread, suggesting that the crowds were doing more than merely perusing. By the end of the VIP day, David Zwirner had announced the sale of a Kerry James Marshall painting for $6 million. Other seven-figure sales included a $2.35 million George Condo work sold by Hauser & Wirth, and a $2 million Robert Rauschenberg work sold by Thaddaeus Ropac. Be sure to check our full sales report on Monday for a comprehensive round-up of reported figures from the fair.

For the works on view, it was clear that exhibitors brought their best artists and works to Paris+, with several using the fair as a chance to debut work by new additions to their gallery rosters.

Here, we share our picks of the 10 best booths at Paris+ 2023.

Michael Werner Gallery

Booth D7

With works by Hurvin Anderson, Marcel Broodthaers, James Lee Byars, Enrico David, Per Kirkeby, Florian Krewer, Eugène Leroy, Markus Lüpertz, Maki Na Kamura, A.R. Penck, Francis Picabia, Sigmar Polke, Peter Saul, Raphaela Simon, and Issy Wood

One of the notable themes of Paris+ is its more established galleries taking a cross-generational approach to their booth curation, highlighting the range and resonance between different corners of their programming. Michael Werner Gallery is among those to achieve this most successfully, with a neat selection of its artists from past and present.

Given the quality of artists on the eminent gallery’s roster, gems are to be found aplenty here. A 1961 work by Peter Saul painted in Paris, for example, captures the moment when the American artist began to move on from abstraction into a style that would become his calling card. Cans, ovens, and leftover plates are splayed across the canvas in a withering commentary of post-war domesticity that would soon become a key subject for the artist, as he would later explore consumer culture more deeply.

Elsewhere, newer works by names such as Raphaela Simon and Issy Wood—the latter of whom is generating buzz due to her major new show at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris—offer more contemporary counterpoints. Wood’s The Earner (2023) depicts what could be a set of family China behind a grid of chains in an altogether different idea of domesticity.

Esther Schipper

Booth B7

With works by Rosa Barba, Martin Boyce, Etienne Chambaud, Simon Fujiwara, General Idea, Karolina Jabłońska, Ann Veronica Janssens, Philippe Parreno, Ugo Rondinone, Sun Yitian, and Anicka Yi

In this series of new works from across its roster, Esther Schipper’s selection of works on view here is a reflection of the gallerist’s history of pushing boundaries since she founded it in 1989. “Our booth at Paris+ this year is very much representative of the gallery program,” Schipper told Artsy.

This includes newer works by artists whom the gallery has represented since its earlier years, such as Philippe Parreno and General Idea, through to newer works by artists such as Anicka Yi, who currently has a solo show at the gallery’s Berlin space, and Sun Yitian, who has just opened a solo show at Esther Schipper’s stunning Paris outpost just off Place Vendome.

This is a playful, experimental booth. A series of rare paintings by Parreno, taken from storyboards created for an upcoming film, are ominous in mood and mysterious in subject. Meanwhile, Rosa Barba’s framed spooling film reel creates hypnotic patterns in real time. In the center of the booth, meanwhile, a 200-kilogram (over 440 pounds) glass slab by Ann Veronica Janssens is a sight to behold.

The atmosphere at the booth is one of ebullience. “One could have been slightly apprehensive of what has been widely reported on as art fair fatigue, but this year’s Paris+ has been quite the contrary,” noted Schipper. “We have seen many of our friends and collectors from all over the world but also a very strong French presence. And sales have been very good so far.”

Templon

Booth D12

With works by Valerio Adami, Jean-Michel Alberola, Omar Ba, Abdelkader Benchamma, Norbert Bisky, Michael Ray Charles, Philippe Cognée, Gregory Crewdson, Alioune Diagne, Jim Dine, Gérard Garouste, Orsten Groom, Oda Jaune, Robin Kid, Abdoulaye Konaté, Iván Navarro, Prune Nourry, Antoine Roegiers, François Rouan, Chiharu Shiota, Jan Van Imschoot, Claude Viallat, and Jeanne Vicerial

Paris-founded gallery Templon looks to the City of Light and beyond for its selection of works, which bring the full heft of its programming to the fore. A vibrant, expansive work, The Prayer (2023) by Alioune Diagne—who is set to represent Senegal in its first appearance at the Venice Biennale next year—is perched on the exterior of the booth, which contains plenty of highlights (and hosted plenty of visitors on the VIP day).

Paintings by Philippe Cognée, François Rouan, and Gérard Garouste are exemplary works by some of the more established French artists on view, while works by Prune Nourry and Abdelkader Benchamma showcase the gallery’s tastemaking prowess across generations. A visceral acrylic and sand on linen work by Jim Dine—who had his first show with the gallery in New York earlier this year—is a standout, representing a heart that appears as if it is about to simultaneously explode and implode.

“The fair has been packed with international collectors,” said Anne-Claudie Coric, executive director of the gallery. “We have felt a strong interest in artists of the Parisian art scene.”

SMAC

Booth C11

With works by Simphiwe Buthelezi

In Galeries Émergentes, the section of the fair dedicated to emerging galleries, South African gallery SMAC presents a solo booth by Simphiwe Buthelezi, whose series of fiber works challenge traditional boundaries between art and craft in original and surprising ways.

The artist’s series of reed mat objects hang across and around the booth, taking various forms from brooms to mats, alongside circular resin glass on board works that contemplate themes of naturality and spirituality. “There’s a common thread that goes through this booth, which is around the theme of destruction and the necessity of destruction as a gateway to true healing,” Buthelezi told Artsy.

For several of these works, Buthelezi used ancient Zulu reed, which she repurposed to create new, intriguing forms. “It’s an ancient material, [used in] ancient objects and domestic objects that you usually find in a home,” the artist said. “But it’s also spiritual objects in the sense that diviners use this mat as a prayer mat or a mat that we use for channeling.”

Capitain Petzel

Booth D14

With works by Monica Bonvicini, Andrea Bowers, Isabella Ducrot, Sean Landers, Amy Sillman, Austin Martin White, Sanya Kantarovsky, Joyce Pensato, Leyla Yenirce, and Mikołaj Sobczak

Sometimes art fairs come at opportune moments for galleries, or, rather, galleries create opportune moments for art fairs. Whichever is the case, it is certainly clear that Berlin-based Capitain Petzel’s booth illustrates a gallery in its sweet spot.

Works from newly represented artists Mikołaj Sobczak and Monica Bonvicini are on view—Sobczak’s historically tinged surrealistic paintings, tucked in the corner of the booth, are a treat—in addition to several new standout works from the breadth of the gallery’s roster.

Sanya Kantarovsky’s Night Prayer (2023) features a compelling subject deep in a moment of contemplation, while a painting by Sean Landers—whose solo show “Animal Kingdom” has just opened at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris—depicts a dog, directly facing the viewer in a forest of trees scrawled in utterances. Another highlight, hung aloft in the booth, is Andrea Bowers’s Chandeliers of Interconnectedness (We Are Made From This Earth She Said, Quote by Susan Griffin) (2023), a hanging sculpture that creates leaves from steel rods, wrapped in neon and recycled glass, with a line of prose by the playwright and radical feminist philosopher Susan Griffin running down its spine.

Magnin-A

Booth E8

With works by Seyni Awa Camara and Wura-Natasha Ogunji

In a clever presentation of two artists of different generations, Parisian gallery Magnin-A’s booth pairs Senegalese artist Seyni Awa Camara and American Nigerian artist Wura-Natasha Ogunji. The presentation finds common ground between the clay sculptures of the former and the embroidered paper works of the latter.

Camara’s sculptures, made between 2000 and 2019, are clustered around different parts of the booth. These large extended figures, often human in form, intertwine children and otherworldly beings and connect to themes of motherhood and mysticism. The embroidered works by Ogunji, all created this year, are more gestural, nodding to themes of heroism and action. In You become the universe (2023), for example, strands of vibrant color shoot out from a character, captured as he’s running. It’s a delightful counterpoint to Camara’s more stoic figures that are situated nearby.

“They were born in a different generation and made works on intimacy around movements in the body,” said Hugo Brami, a director at the gallery. “They never met but their work resonates together.”

Luhring Augustine

Booth D5

With works by Larry Clark, Jeff Elrod, Tomm El-Saieh, Lee Friedlander, Mark Handforth, Ragnar Kjartansson, Reinhard Mucha, Lucia Nogueira, Richard Rezac, Salman Toor, Tunga, Rachel Whiteread, and Steve Wolfe

With a vast new Salman Toor painting as its centerpiece, New York gallery Luhring Augustine’s booth is among the most attention-grabbing of the fair.

The highlights abound. Delicate works on paper by Brazilian artists Lucia Nogueira and Tunga from the 1970s and ’80s, respectively, make for new discoveries, while new works from Sarah Crowner and Richard Rezac offer novel approaches to geometric abstraction.

The show stealer, though, is the new work from Toor. In the artist’s signature green hues, it depicts couples and individuals engaged in joyous dance, replete with the artist’s expressionistic energy. It’s undoubtedly one of the fair’s standout works.

Mendes Wood DM

Booth A18

With works by Solange Pessoa, Sanam Khatibi, Sonia Gomes. Patricia Ayres, Varda Caivano, Nina Canell, Mimi Lauter, Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro, Maaike Schoorel, Paula Siebra, and Heidi Bucher

Hot on the heels of opening its new Parisian space, Mendes Wood DM’s booth highlights the São Paulo–born gallery’s women artists in triumphant fashion.

The booth is foregrounded by a standout series of wood sculptures by Brazilian artist Sônia Gomes, who is currently featured in the São Paulo Bienal. The works cleverly repurpose a group of logs originally used for a cattle grid at a farm, and weave in threads, lace, gold leaf, and paint in an original fashion.

A series of small-scale pictorial scenes by Patricia Leite, meanwhile, contemplate an intimate, diaristic representation of travel. In a mini booth at the back of the presentation, a series of nine small oil paintings by Sanam Khatibi are not to be missed. Depicting a skeleton navigating scenes that recall various art historical motifs, they are both pensive and darkly humorous.

Among the busiest booths throughout the fair’s VIP day, the gallery was buoyed by the positive reception. “We purposely kept a lot of the pieces available for the opening of the fair, and it’s been going super well,” said Pierre Lannoy, an associate director at the gallery.

BLUM

Booth D17

With works by Lonnie Holley

BLUM—formerly known as Blum & Poe until a few days before the fair—dedicates its booth to a survey of works by Lonnie Holley. This elegantly curated selection, featuring works from 1989 to the present day, is proof of why the American artist is currently receiving such acclaim for his oeuvre.

Holley’s abstract paintings on canvas, paper, and quilts prominently feature his distinctive layered facial profiles. The quilt, in particular, serves as a unique canvas, and pays a tender tribute to the overlooked labor of women, while also harnessing Black American ancestral history and culture.

The center of the booth is anchored by a series of intricately designed sculptures, born from discarded materials. Holley masterfully transforms these into monuments, dedicated to the figures and pivotal moments from the Civil Rights Movement.

Pace Gallery

Booth D16

With works by Robert Longo, Adam Pendleton, Loie Hollowell, Lee Ufan, Agnes Martin, Richard Pousette-Dart, Antoni Tàpies, Adolph Gottlieb, Huong Dodinh, Torkwase Dyson, Wang Guangle, Virginia Jaramillo, Maysha Mohamedi, Marina Perez Simão, Li Songsong, Zhang Xiaogang, Arlene Shechet, Brent Wadden, Yto Barrada, Leo Villareal, Michal Rovner, and Mark Rothko

You’d be hard-pressed at Paris+ to find a visitor who didn’t have Mark Rothko’s monumental retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in their diaries. Pace Gallery’s booth, titled “An Ode to Mark Rothko,” could have been a gimmick in this respect, but the abundance of talent and curatorial force makes this a presentation that transcends the fair booth format.

The work here is as multifaceted and intriguing as the gallery’s roster. A painting by Adolph Gottlieb, Parallels (1973), offers a more immediate byway between the artist and Rothko, while newer works such as Red Orange Brain (2023) by Loie Hollowell offer more aesthetic bridges to Rothko’s resounding influence. Bringing together paintings, works on paper, multimedia installations, and sculptures, all of the works on view reflect Rothko’s impact on modern and contemporary artists, touching on his experimentations with color, light, and abstraction.