Hot on the heels of London’s whirlwind Frieze Week, the international art world has shifted its gaze to Paris, where Art Basel Paris 2025 opens with striking confidence at the Grand Palais. The fair cements the city’s growing dominance in the global art circuit, a kind of cultural sparring match between Paris and London, reminiscent of the famous Basquiat–Warhol boxing exhibition image.
This year’s edition gathers 206 top international galleries, including 180 in the main Galleries sector and nearly one-third based in Paris, spotlighting both the fair’s global reach and the enduring vitality of the Parisian gallery scene. A newly expanded Emergence section takes over the nave galleries with 16 solo presentations by rising artists, while the Premise section returns with nine curated booths featuring historical works, some predating 1900, in a dynamic blend of past, present, and the pulse of art’s future.
Lee ShinJa
Nonogenerian textile artist Lee ShinJa has a stunning solo presentation at Tina Kim Gallery. Four Lee ShinJa textile works already sold to private collectors during the vernissage days, and a fifth is on hold with a US institution for acquisition. At the age of 95, the trailblazing fiber artist is gaining long overdue international acclaim. Her intricate handmade fiber art is inspired by childhood visits with her father to watch the sunrise in the serene landscapes of Uljin, South Korea. Visions of towering mountains meeting the vast ocean are reflected in her luminous palette and geometrical designs.
—Lee Sharrock
