Art Basel Paris shortened due to protests planned for Saturday

In the aisles of the Grand Palais in Paris, it was as busy as on the busiest days yesterday, Wednesday. Artists, businesspeople, curators, directors of institutions such as Laurent Lebon of the Centre Georges Pompidou, wealthy couples out for a stroll, representatives of the Cartier Foundation and Louis Vuitton – they were all there. “The fair is attracting more and more high-profile guests,” confided one artist. On the mezzanine, Tadashi Kawamata was having his photograph taken in front of his installation made from reclaimed wood, whilst others jostled for space at the cocktail reception hosted by the CEO of Airbnb himself (a major partner of Art Basel), who had travelled from the United States to host a grand dinner for collectors.

Luxury hotels and restaurants are full, and the highly successful party hosted by Art Basel and New York Magazine at Laurent’s set the tone for the week. Visitors, dressed in their Sunday best – and sometimes even in fancy dress – crowded the aisles, where they struggled to make their way through the throngs of people. Contrary to all expectations, following the atmosphere of civil unrest that prevailed in France this weekend – and which severely disrupted the ‘Journées Particulières’ organised by LVMH – attendance at the contemporary art fair and associated events has been very high, and sales have been substantial. Since Tuesday, there has been a succession of ‘previews’ for Art Basel Paris (which runs until Sunday).

Following the blockade of the Louvre and the cancellation of several private viewings on Sunday and Monday – notably at the Jeu de Paume, the École des Beaux-Arts and the Quai d’Orsay – Tuesday afternoon saw a huge turnout of VVIPs (very, very important people), the art world’s leading collectors, for the Art Basel preview. They came to discover the marvellous works on offer from 211 international galleries, ranging from Christo to Gauguin, from Jeff Koons to Frank Stella and Cy Twombly, via Gérard Richter and the ever-present Dubuffet.

Everyone is all smiles, starting with the gallery owner who has just sold a Modigliani for the modest sum of 100 million dollars. ‘The Americans have turned up in droves,’ observes a French collector, noting ‘the unexpected presence of art lovers from Latin America’. Indeed, a great deal of Spanish can be heard being spoken amongst the aisles. The stands of the biggest galleries are constantly bustling, from Goodman Gallery to Perrotin, Xavier Hufkens, Gagosian and Templon. And the atmosphere, which is excellent, is relaxed and cheerful, much like Lisa Spellman, the director of the New York-based 303 Gallery, which represents artists including Doug Aitken.

Whilst French private buyers still tend to take a while to make up their minds, this is far less the case with Anglo-Saxon buyers, who are well-versed in negotiations and more direct. “How many would you like?” asks a platinum-blonde woman in her fifties, wearing a mink coat, to a sales assistant, pointing to a work. “We’re asking 800,000 euros for it.” The customer doesn’t bat an eyelid. At Karsten Greve, small red stickers have been placed next to almost all of Gideon Rubin’s paintings. Sold.

‘Sold’ was, in fact, one of the words we heard most often at the stands when asking the price of a painting or artwork, such as at Templon for a beautiful portrait by Kehinde Willey, the painter who created the official portrait of Barack Obama. This puts into perspective the doomsayers who predicted that this week’s events were merely symbolic of the inequalities plaguing France and the West in general. It has to be said that the City of Light was not just about burning barricades and looted shops this week. Wealthy collectors from around the world were not mistaken.