Paris is always a good idea. That’s what the organizers of Art Basel probably thought, when bringing their concept to Paris for the very first time—and they proved their promise to the 40,000 visitors this week. 156 leading galleries from 30 countries exhibited a curated selection of artworks from 20-23 of October at Paris+ par Art Basel, which took place at the Grand Palais Éphémère. (A temporary location, due to the renovation of the Grand Palais until 2024).
The vibrant energy and the joy I felt at Paris+ (how the French call it) was one of a kind. A vibe that I haven’t experienced at any recent art fairs. Sunshine, smiles, hugs, happiness and collectors in buying mood, sipping Ruinart Blanc de Blancs while overlooking the Eiffel Tower. La vie was belle. Art Basel has made Paris even more magical this week. Or is it Paris that made Art Basel this magical?
Art Basel
Here are my highlights from the fair and beyond:
One of the first things you saw, when entering the fair was American Artist Robert Motherwell’s “Je t’aime No II” (1955) at Pace Gallery. Just brilliant.
Robert Motherwell, Je t’aime No II, 1955 at Pace Gallery, Paris+ par Art Basel 2022
Nel-Olivia Waga
Another pole position at Paris+ goes to Hauser & Wirth. The prominent gallery presented “The Dream” (2022) by American visual artist George Condo.
Goerge Condo, The Dream 2022, Hauser & Wirth
Nel Olivia Waga
Jack Pierson’s known for his refreshingly sarcastic collages and quotes, always a highlight at Regen Projects’ booth, made a clear statement once again: “A Bored Aimless Life with the Jetset” (2022).
Nel Olivia Waga
The Swiss gallery Eva Pressenhuber shows a “Revealing” (2022) work, painted with nail polish and ink by Zurich based contemporary artist Louisa Gagliardi.
Revealing, 2022, Louisa Gagliardi, Eva Pressenhuber
Nel Olivia Waga
Art in the park aka “Sites at the Jardin des Tuileries”: Organized in collaboration with the Musée du Louvre and curated by Annabelle Ténèze, the exhibition titled ‘La Suite de l’Histoire,’ brought together large-scale works in the scenic grounds of the Jardin des Tuileries. The exhibition examines the multi-layered history of the gardens, including its political and public dimensions, through the work of artists whose practices often subvert and reimagine the role of art in the public realm. Set in a place in which history, architecture and nature converge, the exhibition invites visitors to revisit the gardens in a new way.
Ugo Schiavi, Soulèvement-Effondrement 2022
Nel Olivia Waga
Sites at Place Vendôme: German-Polish artist Alicja Kwade presents ‘Au cours des Mondes’ (2022), curated by Jérôme Sans. This new installation, her largest to date, is a set of spheres, a recurring motif for the artist, in dialogue with infinite staircases.
Sites Place Vendome Paris
Nel Olivia Waga
A veritable initiatory journey in the public space, the installation questions our relationship to knowledge, the universe, and the mechanisms of power. A mesmerizing exhibition—by day and night. The public exhibition is running until November 13, 2022
Sites Place Vendome: Alicja Kwade: ‘Au cours des Mondes’ 2022
Nel-Olivia Waga
Audemars Piguet, the Swiss luxury watch brand from Le Brassus, a long-time Art Basel partner, commissioned Artist Andreas Angelidakis’ for his first monographic and largest exhibition: “Center for the Critical Appreciation of Antiquity” (2022) which is currently held at the historic Espace Niemeyer in Paris.
Andreas Angelidakis, Center for the Critical Appreciation of Antiquity 2022 at Espace Niemayer Paris … [+]
Audemars Piguet
For the 10th anniversary of the brand’s art program, Audemars Piguet Contemporary worked closely with Angelidakis to realize this large-scale commission—a playful, ironic and hypnotic show that highlights of antiquity and the present-day ignorance of heritage and values, by showcasing works that represent the reality of historical landmarks of his home, the city of Athens. Something you must experience in person, to feel the multi-facetted brilliant play with history, art, politics and activism. The exhibition is on view with free admission until 30 October.
Andreas Angelidakis, Center for the Critical Appreciation of Antiquity 2022 at Espace Niemayer Paris … [+]
Audemars Piguet
As the official Hotel Partner of Art Basel in Hong Kong, and this year also in Paris, the historic luxury hotel nestled in a Beaux-Arts property has not only been hosting the art world’s guests by treating them with romantic views over the city and the Eiffel Tower, but also with fine dining treats at the hotel’s renowned restaurants. What The Peninsula Paris is mostly beloved and famous for is its luxurious spa treatments and the spacious wellness area in the heart of the city. Their newly launched wellness and sustainability platform “Life Lived Best” accompanies its guests holistically for bodily, mind and nutritional well-being—especially during busy and intense times, like this art fair week. Through The Peninsula’s Art in Resonance program, the hotel is deeply committed to engaging with the artistic sphere, not only as venues for exhibitions but as originators and innovators of culture as well.
Dancing Leaves by Ludek Hroch/LASVIT at the Lobby of The Peninsula Paris
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
