designboom's guide to art basel and design miami paris

Art Basel Paris and Design Miami.Paris Converge in the City of Light

October 2024 is set to be a vibrant and dynamic month for Paris, as the city hosts two highly anticipated events in the world of art and design: Art Basel Paris and Design Miami.Paris. The fairs, running from October 18th to 20th and October 16th to 20th respectively, turn the French capital into a global creative hub. Art Basel showcases an array of international art across various media, including painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video, and digital art, while Design Miami features exhibitions from the world’s most influential galleries, offering an exclusive look at historic and contemporary furniture, lighting, and objets d’art.

Alongside these fairs, some of Paris’ most iconic museums and galleries present a range of exhibitions. From the Fondation Cartier celebrating its 40th anniversary to the Bourse De Commerce exploring Arte Povera, and the Musée Picasso offering a glimpse into Jackson Pollock’s early years, the city’s cultural calendar promises something for every art lover. Dive into the details below to discover the must-see highlights of the 2024 editions of Art Basel Paris and Design Miami.Paris, and all the other exciting events happening across the City of Light, as covered by designboom.

the 2024 edition of Art Basel Paris is held at the Grand Palais | image courtesy of Art Basel Paris (also head image)

art basel paris returns for its 2024 edition

Running from October 18th to 20th, the 2024 edition of Art Basel Paris, held at the Grand Palais, features 195 galleries from 42 countries, including 53 first-time participants and 64 French galleries. The event is divided into three sections: Galeries, showcasing diverse gallery programs; Emergence, highlighting emerging galleries and artists; and Premise, featuring unique curatorial projects, including pre-1900 works. Additionally, the new Oh La La! initiative invites exhibitors to present rarely-seen work in their booth for 48 hours, on Friday, October 18th, and Saturday, October 19th. The public program of the fair unfolds across the whole city, in nine locations: Palais d’Iéna, Avenue Winston Churchill, Petit Palais, Cour de l’Hôtel de la Marine, Domaine national du Palais-Royal, Beaux-Arts de Paris – Chapelle des Petits-Augustins, Parvis de l’Institut de France, Musée national Eugène-Delacroix, Hôtel de Sully, and Place Vendôme. At the same time, the fair teams up with the city’s top institutions, including Centre Pompidou, Palais de Tokyo, Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Musée d’Orsay, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, and many more, to offer an artistic program radiating throughout the capital.

Domaine national du Palais-Royal | image courtesy of Art Basel Paris

Art Basel announces Miu Miu as Public Program Official Partner

Art Basel announces that iconic fashion brand Miu Miu serves as the Public Program Official Partner for its 2024 Paris edition. Miu Miu presents a special project titled Tales & Tellers at the Palais d’Iéna, the headquarters of France’s Economic, Social and Environmental Council, which also hosts Miu Miu’s runway shows. Conceived by interdisciplinary artist Goshka Macuga and organized by Elvira Dyangani Ose, Director of MACBA, Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Tales & Tellers emphasizes the significance of storytelling in sharing knowledge and shaping understanding, particularly highlighting women’s roles as storytellers. Additionally, Macuga collaborates with Miu Miu on an artistic intervention for the Spring/Summer 2025 runway show, scheduled for October 1, 2024, at the same venue.

what: Tales & Tellers
when: 16 – 20 October, 2024
where: Palais d’Iéna, 75016 Paris

image courtesy of Miu Miu

the second edition of design miami.paris

Returning for October 16th to 20th, Design Miami.Paris hosts its second edition at the L’hôtel de Maison, an 18th-century mansion, once home to the distinguished Pozzo di Borgo family and celebrated fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer Karl Lagerfeld. The fair features an impressive array of rare and unique design objects, ranging from furniture and jewelry to lighting, offering a blend of both historic and contemporary collectible design. Over 20 renowned international galleries participate, including Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Friedman Benda, Galerie kreo, and Nilufar, among others. The event explores several key themes, such as Material Marvels, showcasing innovative uses of materials; Refined Rarities, highlighting rare and limited-edition pieces; The Legacy of Modernism, focusing on modernist influences in design; and Cultural Exchange, emphasizing cross-cultural design dialogues.

Design Miami.Paris takes place at L’hôtel de Maison | image courtesy of Design Miami.Paris

Design Miami.Paris Partnership Highlights

Fornasetti presents: Engraving reflections

For Design Miami.Paris 2024, Fornasetti will showcase a selection of pieces that reflect the Milanese atelier’s origins and artistic values. Two limited-edition trumeau cabinets will be unveiled: the Riflesso di Architettura, a one-of-a-kind mirrored glass piece hand-engraved in collaboration with Barbini, and the Architettura Archetipo, inspired by a 1950s prototype and made from Italian walnut root, in a limited edition of five. Additionally, two reissued vases from the Fornasetti archive, originally from the 1940s-1950s, will be featured.

image courtesy of Fornasetti

Mycelium Muse: Discover Reishi™

Biotechnology company MycoWorks and Paris-based design agency Paragone team up to launch the Mycelium Muse collection, featuring seven interior design objects crafted by seven French women designers. This collection celebrates MycoWorks’ innovative material, Reishi™, a sustainable mycelium-based leather known for its strength, durability, and luxurious feel. Described as a modern muse for today’s creatives, Reishi™ is soft, supple, and alive, with each sheet resembling a piece of art. The Mycelium Muse collection features works by Sophie Dries, Anna Le Corno, Josephine Fossey, Pauline Guerrier, Marion Mailaender, Fanny Perrier, and Sarah Valente.

image courtesy MycoWorks and Paragone

SCAD debuts commissions and new works

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers debuts new works and commissions by celebrated alumni at Design Miami Paris 2024, highlighting innovative practices from the university’s fibers, furniture design, industrial design, and interior design programs. Featured alumni include Trish Andersen, Lærke Lillelund, Bradley Bowers, and Eny Lee Parker. The showcase, set in the historic L’hôtel de Maisons, explores playful uses of color, material, and texture. Notable pieces include a vibrant tufted floor covering by Andersen, a structural organza installation by Lillelund, a reimagined vintage sofa by Bowers, and richly textural wood and ceramic tables by Parker.

image courtesy of SCAD

Saint-Louis presents Chamade by Pierre Marie

Saint-Louis collaborates with artist-decorator Pierre Marie to create Chamade, a collection of three crystal pieces that blend art and craftsmanship. Inspired by nature, flowers, and music, the three pieces —Tenor, Alto, and Soprano— include elements like reeds, vases, and spheres, creating a rich, organic feel. The collection features bold mouth-blown crystal in a unique combination of five colors—purple, amethyst, chartreuse green, amber, and sky blue—used together for the first time.

image courtesy of Saint-Louis

exhibitions and events around the city

Fondation Cartier celebrates 40th anniversary

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Fondation Cartier presents the first major European retrospective of Olga de Amaral, a significant figure in Colombian art and Fiber Art. It features nearly 80 works, spanning from the 1960s to the present, many of which have never been exhibited outside Colombia. In addition to her iconic gold leaf pieces, the exhibition highlights her early textile experiments and monumental works.

what: Olga de Amaral
when: 12 October 2024 – 16 March 2025
where: Fondation Cartier, 261 Bd Raspail, 75014 Paris

Pinault Collection explores Arte Povera at Bourse de Commerce

The Pinault Collection hosts a major exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce, dedicated to Arte Povera. This exhibition showcases over 250 historical and contemporary works from this influential Italian art movement of the 1960s, delving into both its Italian roots and international impact. Featuring works by key figures such as Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti, Mario Merz, and Marisa Merz, the show is set against the backdrop of the Bourse de Commerce, which has been reimagined by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Designed as a landscape that highlights the infinite poetics of Arte Povera, the display is curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, a leading expert on the movement. It brings together about 50 iconic works from the Pinault Collection alongside pieces from other prestigious public and private collections.

what: Arte Povera
when: 9 October 2024 – 20 January 2025
where: Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, 2 Rue de Viarmes, 75001

Giuseppe Penone, Alpi marittime – Ho intrecciato tre alberi, Alpi marittime – L’albero ricorderà il contatto, Alpi marittime – I miei anni collegati da un filo di rame, 1968-1985. Pinault Collection. installation view at Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Rivoli-Turin, 1991 | image by Gérard Rondeau © ADAGP, Paris, 2024.

Musée Picasso Paris Delves Into Jackson Pollock’s Early Years

The national Musée Picasso Paris hosts the temporary exhibition, Jackson Pollock: The Early Years (1934-1947). This is the first Pollock exhibition in France since 2008 and focuses on his early works, highlighting the influence of regionalism, Mexican muralists, Native American art, and the European avant-garde, including Pablo Picasso. The exhibition explores key moments in Pollock’s development, showcasing his experimentation with painting, materials, printmaking, and sculpture. It features around 100 works from prestigious institutions like New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Tate, and the Centre Pompidou.

what: Jackson Pollock: The Early Years (1934-1947)
when: 15 October 2024 – 19 January 2025
where: Musée Picasso, 5 Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris

Jackson Pollock, Untitled (1938-1941), oil on canvas, The Art Institute of Chicago © Pollock-Krasner Foundation / ADAGP, Paris 2024

Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris – The Flowers of Yves Saint Laurent

The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris presents The Flowers of Yves Saint Laurent, a joint exhibition with the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech. Curated by Olivier Saillard and Gaël Mamine, the exhibition explores the designer’s deep fascination with flowers, a key source of inspiration in his work. Over 30 garments and drawings highlight the symbiosis between nature, literature, and fashion, with floral motifs featured throughout. The exhibition also includes works by American artist Sam Falls, whose floral prints on canvas complement Saint Laurent’s haute couture creations, celebrating the timeless beauty of flowers in art and fashion.

what: The Flowers of Yves Saint Laurent
when: 20 September 2024 – 4 May 2025
where: Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, 5 Av. Marceau, 75116 Paris

image courtesy of Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris

KADIST x Centre Pompidou

The exhibition Apophenia, Interruptions: Artists and Artificial Intelligence at work marks the second chapter of a three-year collaboration between KADIST and the Centre Pompidou, focusing on the intersections of artificial intelligence and contemporary artistic production. As the inaugural project of the KADIST Nomadic Collection—a program establishing long-term partnerships between the foundation and international museums—the exhibition features new commissions and recent works by international artists integrating AI into their creative processes while critically examining its impact. Featured artists include Éric Baudelaire, Mat Dryhurst and Holly Herndon, Auriea Harvey, Interspecifics, Agnieszka Kurant, and Ho Rui An. The exhibition is curated by Joseph del Pesco (International Director, KADIST) and Marcella Lista (Chief Curator, New Media Collections Department, Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne).

what: Apophenia, Interruptions: Artists and Artificial Intelligence at work
when: 25 September 2024 – 6 January 2025
where: Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne, Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004 Paris

Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst, I’m Here, 17.12.2022, 5:44 (video still), 2023

KADIST x Palais de Tokyo

KADIST Paris and Palais de Tokyo present a joint exhibition as part of the Lithuanian Season in France, showcasing the works of a dozen artists spanning several generations. While most of the featured artists are Lithuanian, others are based in the region or in France. This project arises in response to the geopolitical upheaval caused by the war in Ukraine, reflecting on the ruptures and dislocations it has generated in time and space. Two years into the invasion, the exhibition probes what form of normality remains possible within the conflict zone as history seems to repeat itself. Running concurrently at KADIST Paris and Palais de Tokyo in autumn 2024, the exhibition concludes with a final edition at the Vilnius Contemporary Art Center in 2025. The show is curated by Neringa Bumblienė (CAC Vilnius) and Emilie Villez (KADIST Paris).

what: Borders are nocturnal animals / Sienos yra naktiniai gyvūnai
when: 12 October 2024 – 5 January 2025
where: KADIST Paris and Palais de Tokyo (France)

Deimantas Narkevicius (detail of installation), The Fifer, 2019 – Courtesy of Maureen Paley, London and the artist

Arts AlUla x AFALULA

On the occasion of Art Basel Paris, Arts AlUla and AFALULA present Orbis Tertius, the first exhibition in France featuring artists from AlUla’s residency program. Showcasing the works of 20 contemporary artists who have participated in the oasis city’s residency, the exhibition includes 43 pieces, 13 of which are brand-new productions. Taking its name from the writings of Jorge Luis Borges, the exhibition is inspired by the author’s idealist philosophy. Building on their research in a region with a millennia-old history—marked by archaeological remains of pre-Islamic civilizations and innovative urban planning—the featured artists delve into various realms of possibility. They weave ancestral stories with futuristic narratives, merging myths and legends with scientific knowledge. The exhibition is curated by Arnaud Morand, Head of Art and Creative Industries at AFALULA.

what: Orbis Tertius
when: 15 – 20 October 2024
where: 5 rue Saint-Merri, 75004 Paris

image courtesy of Arts AlUla and AFALULA

Fondation Galeries Lafayette presents total by Martine Syms

In her first French retrospective, American artist Martine Syms transforms the Lafayette Anticipations – Fondation Galeries Lafayette into a unique, hybrid space resembling a store, merging elements from her Los Angeles studio with a public setting. This immersive environment blurs the boundaries between public and private, intimate and collective, offering a reflection on culture and the spaces that shape it. Through reproductions of her studio and art pieces available for sale, Syms explores existential questions, turning the space into a ‘theater of the everyday,’ where everyday roles and societal controls are put on display. The exhibition, dubbed Total, delves into themes of surveillance and identity construction, questioning the constant capture of our image and how it shapes our reality. By blending personal references, historical archives, and cultural representations of blackness and feminism, Syms critiques consumerism as both performance and identity, challenging us to reflect on how our desires are shaped by culture and media.

what: Total
when: from 16 October 2024
where: Lafayette Anticipations – Fondation Galeries Lafayette, 9 Rue du Plâtre, 75004 Paris

Martine Syms, Loser Back Home © Martine Syms. Courtesy of the artist and Sprüth Magers, Los Angeles | image by Robert Wedemeyer

Sturtevant ZIP ZAP! at Thaddaeus Ropac

To mark 100 years of American artist Sturtevant’s birth, Sturtevant: ZIP ZAP! celebrates her pioneering five-decade career at Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Marais. The exhibition focuses on her bold 1995 repetition of the visual artist Félix González-Torres’s Untitled (Go-Go Dancing Platform). Visitors can trace Sturtevant’s evolution, from her early 1966 painting exhibited in Paris to her later video works that critique the speed and saturation of postmodern imagery. This retrospective offers a unique opportunity to engage with Sturtevant’s body of work and her fearless approach to rethinking and challenging the nature of art itself.

what: Sturtevant: ZIP ZAP!
when: 12 October – 21 December 2024
where: Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Marais, 7 Rue Debelleyme, 75003 Paris

image courtesy of Thaddaeus Ropac

Mystic Sugar by Paulina Olowska at pace gallery

Pace Gallery showcases Mystic Sugar, an exhibition curated by artist Paulina Olowska. Running from October 18 to 20 at the Grand Palais, the booth (A30) will feature works by Louise Nevelson, Kiki Smith, Lucas Samaras, and Olowska. The exhibition explores themes of mysticism, femininity, and transformation, reinterpreting the witch as a symbol of liberation and connection to nature. Olowska, known for highlighting forgotten cultures, brings together various media, including paintings, sculptures, and textiles, to examine the work of the featured artists. Mystic Sugar emphasizes the witch as an embodiment of feminine freedom, moving away from patriarchal norms toward the mystical and unseen. The works, using natural materials, evoke emotional and sensory responses, celebrating a deep connection with nature and self-liberation.

what: Mystic Sugar
when: 16 – 20 October, 2024
where: Pace Paris, 10 Av. de Messine, 75008 Paris

image courtesy of Pace Gallery

Galerie Kreo presents iconic contemporary works

On the occasion of Design Miami.Paris, Galerie Kreo presents contemporary works by Virgil Abloh, Guillaume Bardet, Ronan Bouroullec, Pierre Charpin, Jean-Baptiste Fastrez, Front, Olivier Gagnère, Jaime Hayon, Alessandro Mendini and Marc Newson, as well as exceptional vintage pieces by Pierre Paulin, Gino Sarfatti and Studio B.B.P.R.

what: Galerie Kreo at Design Miami.Paris
when: 16 – 20 October, 2024
where: Room 1, L’hôtel de Maisons 51, rue de l’Université 75007 Paris

image courtesy of Galerie Kreo

Prométhée by RoWin’Atelier at Galerie SCENE OUVERTE’s new space

Galerie SCENE OUVERTE inaugurates a new exhibition space in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, with the solo show Prométhée by the renowned architecture and design studio RoWin’Atelier, running from October 11 to November 23, 2024. The exhibition features a new limited series of tables, lamps, and vases, marking a significant shift in RoWin’Atelier’s practice. For the first time, the studio moves beyond design to delve into craftsmanship, showcasing their fascination with the transformative power of fire and heat on materials like ceramic, lava stone, bronze, and glass.

what: Prométhée
when: 11 October – 23 November 2024
where: Galerie SCENE OUVERTE, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris

PILE Haute & Basse Series by RoWin’ Atelier | image by Paul Hennebelle, courtesy of Galerie Scene Ouverte

Justin Morin unveils FLEURS DU MAL installation

French artist Justin Morin presents FLEURS DU MAL, a new project featuring ‘tattooed flowers,’ where flower petals become canvases for figurative drawings inspired by 1970s shoujo mangas (mangas for young girls), known for their romantic and dramatic themes. These delicate, ephemeral creations highlight the flower’s symbolic association with vanity in art history. FLEURS DU MAL is a hybrid installation and ephemeral boutique, where visitors can purchase tattooed flowers in a recreated flower shop setting. The exhibition also includes vases showcasing Mariya, a character Morin introduced in his 2021 solo show Ballerina at Last Resort Gallery in Copenhagen.

what: FLEURS DU MAL
when: 14 – 19 October 2024
where: 45 rue Saint-Roch 75001 Paris

FLEURS DU MAL by Justin Morin