Art Basel is at the heart of international cultural display. Staged yearly in Basel (Switzerland), Miami (USA), and Hong Kong (China), and Paris (France), the art festival provides a platform for artists to highlight their buyable pieces, including sculptures and installations, and works alongside the host city’s local programs to establish resources for its artists.

This year, the fair was designed to not only showcase the complexity and dynamics of the artwork, but the dynamics of the artwork’s cyclical relationship with the humans who interact with it. In this interview, Clément Delépine, the Art Basel Paris Director, discusses the value of the festival’s debut at the Grand Palais, the necessity of accessibility through public programs for the advancement of both artists and audiences, and the experience of collaborating with local talent to push forth the long-standing cultural landscape of Paris.

What does the Art Basel brand mean to you, particularly as Art Basel Paris debuts at the Grand Palais?

The move to the Grand Palais represents both a celebration and culmination of our deep connection with the French capital and its extraordinary cultural ecosystem. It’s a landmark that reflects so much of what is distinct about Paris. Not only has the move allowed us to significantly expand the number of galleries we welcome from across France and around the globe, but it has allowed us to develop programming that is responsive to the revitalized architecture itself. For example, ‘Emergence,’ the fair’s sector dedicated to radical work by emerging talents, will unfold across the striking balconies surrounding the central nave of the Grand Palais, which was previously inaccessible for almost twenty years. In a sense, this presentation is representative of Art Basel Paris and this year’s show itself, which aims to bridge the past and present, bringing Modern and contemporary art into dialogue with the city’s rich cultural heritage.

You’ve been open about the responsibility and challenge of ensuring widespread accessibility to art. Does the launch of the Art Basel Shop and/or the expansion of Art Basel Paris address this responsibility? If so, in what way?

Part of what makes Art Basel Paris so unique is its emphasis on public programming, which helps ambitious and challenging contemporary artists reach new audiences beyond the walls of the fair. This year’s Public Program will unfold across ten storied sites across Paris, ranging from exhibitions, installations, and sculptures, and is all free of charge to visitors – everyone is welcome, whether or not they are attending the fair itself. We’re also working with the École du Louvre and their students, who will be present at all locations featuring artwork to provide visitors with information from October 16 to 20. A novel concept store within the Grand Palais, the Art Basel Shop was designed to celebrate and extend the Art Basel experience to an ever-growing community of art enthusiasts and professionals, creating new entry points into the fair. We’re excited to welcome people who are visiting the fair to be inspired and to enjoy the art who can now take a little piece of the fair home with them.

When the Art Basel selection committee is considering galleries to include in the event, what are they looking for?

Comprised of leading figures from the French and international gallery scenes, the Art Basel Selection Committee is constantly looking for presentations that match the rigor and ambition of the fair itself. Of course, in Paris, special attention is paid to galleries hailing from the region, with 64 spaces included from across France—from emerging players like Exo Exo and Petrine and dealers who are synonymous with the city’s gallery scene, such as Emmanuel Perrotin and Kamel Mennour, to those who have come to call the city home overtime, like Mariane Ibrahim, Thaddeus Ropac, and Massimo De Carlo. Additionally, we have a specific set of advisors who are looking for fresh artistic talent and dealers for the ‘Emergence’ sector, which this year will welcome 16 impressive solo booth presentations by emerging galleries, 14 of which were exhibiting at the Paris fair for the first time.

What is the significance of having Miu Miu as a partner of Art Basel Paris?

As a fair, our ambition is to create opportunities for fruitful exchange across creative industries; and as we step into the world of fashion, we couldn’t think of a more iconic house to partner with than Miuccia Prada’s Miu Miu. Set against the backdrop of Palais d’Iena — the site of the brand’s runway shows — their presentation of ‘Tales & Tellers’ embodies this ethos, taking inspiration from Miu Miu’s collaborations across the spectrum of filmmaking, art, and fashion, bringing together a myriad of narratives exploring ever-transforming ideas of femininity. ‘Tales & Tellers’ will draw from two key creative ventures initiated by Miu Miu: its prestigious, biannual film commission ‘Women’s Tales’, which since 2011 has invited female filmmakers such as Mati Diop, Miranda July, and Agnés Varda to explore vanity and womanhood, as well as the installations and time-based media works by artists such as Sophia Al- Maria, Cécile B. Evans, and Jeong Geum-hyung presented in the frame of the brand’s runway shows since 2021.

What has been the most memorable part of overseeing Art Basel since you took over as director in 2022?

There are so many: The opening day of our first edition, the announcement of our name change, the first time I discovered Alicja Kwade’s monumental installation on Place Vendôme in 2022, but I think that the most memorable moment lies ahead of me: seeing the fair finished in the Grand Palais, on October 16, shortly before the doors open. We have been working on this year’s show since 2022— so in parallel to our first and second editions— and seeing it come to completion will certainly be a powerful, emotional moment.

You’ve mentioned in previous interviews that the Art Basel brand is “a badge of excellence.” How have you grown and safeguarded this badge as Art Basel’s Paris

director?

How do you foresee Art Basel growing in the coming years? My team and I are committed to continuing to engage with the dynamic cultural ecosystem that exists in Paris, leveraging the impact of the global Art Basel brand to further bolster the Parisian fair, underscore its ambition, and amplify its resonance in Paris and the world. Our long-term vision is to create a flagship event that celebrates the dynamic dialogues across these creative sectors in close collaboration with the local players.

How do you see the spirit and soul of Paris informing the art world of the past, present, and future?

Paris is a leading cultural epicenter that brings together a range of industries from art and design to fashion, music, and film — and it has done so for decades, if not centuries. So much of art history stems from Paris as a creative capital. These days, the French gallery community has actively contributed to shaping this dynamic environment, and the gallery scene has been further strengthened by the arrival of international galleries such as David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, and White Cube in recent years. Each city has its own identity, and Paris continues to confidently lead in its own way.

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