{"id":21981,"date":"2026-10-27T15:40:32","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T15:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/art-basel-more-scare-than-harm\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T15:27:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T15:27:55","slug":"art-basel-more-scare-than-harm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/art-basel-more-scare-than-harm\/","title":{"rendered":"Art Basel: More Scare Than Harm"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"21981\" class=\"elementor elementor-21981 elementor-21965\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b8568be e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"b8568be\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-149487a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"149487a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Artworks hurriedly removed, empty booths, and an early closure: Art Basel Paris had a turbulent 2026 edition. With sales in the millions and galleries generally satisfied, the market held up well\u2014against all expectations. <\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By Emmanuelle Outtier<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2b38f85 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2b38f85\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2480\" height=\"1653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_Impressions__MC__PR_5_HiRes.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-21973\" alt=\"Art Basel Paris 2026. Courtesy de Art Basel\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_Impressions__MC__PR_5_HiRes.jpg 2480w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_Impressions__MC__PR_5_HiRes-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_Impressions__MC__PR_5_HiRes-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_Impressions__MC__PR_5_HiRes-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_Impressions__MC__PR_5_HiRes-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_Impressions__MC__PR_5_HiRes-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2480px) 100vw, 2480px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Art Basel Paris 2026.\nCourtesy de Art Basel<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f6fc59 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"5f6fc59\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e0c7f07 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e0c7f07\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Wednesday, it was still hanging at David Zwirner\u2019s gallery. By Friday, the Kerry James Marshall worth 7 million euros had disappeared. Sold? \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Removed that morning <\/span><\/i> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;, replied the gallery, looking a bit embarrassed. At several booths, such as Hauser &#038; Wirth\u2019s\u2014whose walls were practically empty\u2014works valued at several million euros had been taken down. Industry professionals feared high-impact protests by activist groups that had called on social media for people to gather on Saturday, October 24, in front of the Grand Palais to denounce what, in their eyes, represents the epitome of unbridled capitalism and an art world disconnected from social realities. In fact, there had never been so many trucks around the Grand Palais: about fifty, which had come to hurriedly retrieve the works after the fair\u2019s premature closure on Friday evening, two days before the scheduled date. Weekend visitors, meanwhile, were left empty-handed, some having already paid 47 euros for their admission tickets.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018It was the right decision to make,\u2019 <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d says Mathieu Paris of the White Cube gallery, who also \u201c<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">removed\u201d a work by Calder that was on consignment. Was that enough to spoil the festivities? Certainly not for the gallery, which racked up a string of million-dollar sales: a painting by Julie Mehretu sold for $7.85 million, an El Anatsui for $2 million, and several medium-format textile works by Ibrahim Mahama that sold on the very first day, for between 100,000 and 150,000 euros each. While there may be a disconnect, the market hasn\u2019t slowed down for the major galleries, which are reporting staggering sales. At David Zwirner, a painting by Marlene Dumas sold for $3 million and a Gerhard Richter for $8.5 million. Pace sold <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">La Chaise<\/span><\/i> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1964) by Jean Dubuffet for more than $5 million, while Mennour sold a Lucio Fontana for 1.75 million euros. Ironically, the threat of protests seems to have had little impact on the business of the market\u2019s major players, even though they were the targets of the protests. \u201c <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, the situation is more dire for smaller galleries <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d admits Mathieu Paris. <\/span> <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d103575 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"d103575\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dfe534b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"dfe534b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2480\" height=\"1653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_impressions__Avant_Premier_HiRes-4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-21972\" alt=\"Art Basel Paris 2026. Courtesy de Art Basel\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_impressions__Avant_Premier_HiRes-4.jpg 2480w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_impressions__Avant_Premier_HiRes-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_impressions__Avant_Premier_HiRes-4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_impressions__Avant_Premier_HiRes-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_impressions__Avant_Premier_HiRes-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__General_impressions__Avant_Premier_HiRes-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2480px) 100vw, 2480px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Art Basel Paris 2026.\nCourtesy de Art Basel<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3539aab elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"3539aab\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca5cdae elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ca5cdae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>(Surprisingly) favorable sales climate<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For small and medium-sized retailers, deals involving smaller amounts are sometimes finalized right up until the last hours of the trade show. The loss of revenue remains difficult to estimate. \u201c <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ll never know if this would have been a very successful edition<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ,\u201d says Federica Angelucci<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of Stevenson. The South African gallery, however, isn\u2019t doing too badly. With a painting by Portia Zvavahera, two by the Indian artist Sosa Joseph, and a collage by Frida Orupabo, it has nonetheless \u201c <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">made (its) booth profitable <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d The gallery benefited from the growing international recognition of its artists: the Zimbabwean artist Portia Zvavahera, for example, benefited from the \u201cChristie\u2019s effect\u201d after the auction house sold her painting <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">*This is where I traveled* [3] <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for 307,200 British pounds on October 14 in London\u2014an auction record for the artist. \u201c <\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Buyers came to see us with the Christie\u2019s auction on their phones. They wanted the same thing!&#8221; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d says the gallery.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To make up for the fair\u2019s closure, the gallery organized a virtual video tour on Sunday for interested collectors. <\/span> <\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paradoxically, the mood was far from gloomy in the aisles of Art Basel. On the very first day, Selma Feriani sold a large-format ink-on-paper work by Tunisian artist Aymen Mbarki to a private American collection for 10,000 euros. Proof, if any were needed, that Americans were still present this year despite the protests. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> All in all, there were few cancellations<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">  \u201can insider told us.\u201d For Selma Feriani, the sales climate was even more favorable than at Frieze, where she had also presented her artists a week earlier. Collectors\u2019 appetite for the earthy paintings by the young Italian-Tunisian artist Monia Ben Hamouda was confirmed when all the works she brought to Art Basel sold out. Buyers also had to act fast at C\u00e9cile Fakhoury\u2019s booth, which, by the second day, had sold four of the five paintings by Carl \u00c9douard Ke\u00efta, a young Senegalese artist who blends African references with influences from European avant-garde movements, particularly Cubism and Futurism. The works were priced between 7,000 and 25,000 euros, depending on their size. These relatively accessible prices reflect a broader trend in the art market. According to the latest Art Basel &#038; UBS report, 87% of transactions made by galleries in 2025 involved works sold for less than $50,000, compared to 85% in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fec3ddd elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"fec3ddd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-09f75b4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"09f75b4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1754\" src=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Capture-decran-2026-10-27-a-14.58.15-scaled.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-21975\" alt=\"Marlene Dumas, Poisonous Proposal, 2025, huile sur toile, 175,5 \u00d7 163,4 cm. Sign\u00e9, titr\u00e9 et dat\u00e9 au dos.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Capture-decran-2026-10-27-a-14.58.15-scaled.png 2560w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Capture-decran-2026-10-27-a-14.58.15-300x206.png 300w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Capture-decran-2026-10-27-a-14.58.15-1024x702.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Capture-decran-2026-10-27-a-14.58.15-768x526.png 768w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Capture-decran-2026-10-27-a-14.58.15-1536x1053.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Capture-decran-2026-10-27-a-14.58.15-2048x1403.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Marlene Dumas, <i>Poisonous Proposal<\/i>, 2025, huile sur toile, 175,5 \u00d7 163,4 cm. Sign\u00e9, titr\u00e9 et dat\u00e9 au dos.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4858e1f elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"4858e1f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cc2465d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cc2465d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year, no Moroccan brand won the coveted prize. Moroccan artists\u2014the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">usual suspects <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014who were represented could be counted on one hand: Meriem Bennani at Fran\u00e7ois Ghebaly with drawings, Yto Barrada at Sfeir-Semler, M\u2019barek Bouhchichi and Sara Ouhaddou thanks to Selma Feriani, and Farid Belkahia at the booth of the Tunisian gallery Le Violon bleu, which, for its first appearance at the fair, dedicated a solo show to him. \u201c <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I met him thirty years ago,\u201d <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">says Essia Hamdi, the gallery\u2019s founder. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI had promised him that if we were selected for FIAC\u2014back then it wasn\u2019t yet Art Basel\u2014we\u2019d give him a solo show. Here we are.\u201d <\/span><\/i> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;. This choice is part of a trend observed over the past two weeks in both London and Paris: a renewed interest in African modernism. Following major exhibitions such as \u201cNigerian Modernism\u201d at the Tate Modern and \u201cParis Noir\u201d at the Centre Pompidou, modern African artists are increasingly attracting the attention of collectors and galleries. For its first appearance at Art Basel Paris, the K\u00f3 Gallery (Lagos) presented works by three leading figures of Nigerian modernism: Uche Okeke, Obiora Udechukwu, and El Anatsui. While the gallery does not wish to disclose sales figures, the premature closure of Art Basel cut short the momentum, according to Sinead Keri: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> We could have closed more deals if we\u2019d had more time.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">  &#8220;. Overall, the threats of protests did little to dampen collectors&#8217; enthusiasm. But while the major galleries had already made most of their sales, the smaller ones might have needed these last two days to make a difference.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-41eced9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"41eced9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-25ab808 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"25ab808\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2480\" height=\"1653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__Galeries__Highlight__Art_Concept___HiRes-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-21976\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__Galeries__Highlight__Art_Concept___HiRes-1.jpg 2480w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__Galeries__Highlight__Art_Concept___HiRes-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__Galeries__Highlight__Art_Concept___HiRes-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__Galeries__Highlight__Art_Concept___HiRes-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__Galeries__Highlight__Art_Concept___HiRes-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Print_approx_21_x_14_cm_ABP26__Galeries__Highlight__Art_Concept___HiRes-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2480px) 100vw, 2480px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Nina Childress, <i>Catherine D. (grosse t\u00eate)<\/i>, 2026, huile sur toile, 260 \u00d7 210 cm. Vue de l\u2019\u0153uvre pr\u00e9sent\u00e9e par la galerie Art : Concept \u00e0 Art Basel Paris 2026. Courtesy Art : Concept.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Artworks hurriedly removed, empty booths, and an early closure: Art Basel Paris had a turbulent 2026 edition. With sales in the millions and galleries generally satisfied, the market held up well\u2014against all expectations. By Emmanuelle Outtier Art Basel Paris 2026. Courtesy de Art Basel On Wednesday, it was still hanging at David Zwirner\u2019s gallery. By [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21983,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marche-de-lart"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Art Basel: More Scare Than Harm &#8212; Diptykmag<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/art-basel-more-scare-than-harm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Art Basel: More Scare Than Harm &#8212; Diptykmag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Artworks hurriedly removed, empty booths, and an early closure: Art Basel Paris had a turbulent 2026 edition. With sales in the millions and galleries generally satisfied, the market held up well\u2014against all expectations. By Emmanuelle Outtier Art Basel Paris 2026. Courtesy de Art Basel On Wednesday, it was still hanging at David Zwirner\u2019s gallery. 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