Next up, Paris+ by Art Basel, perhaps the most awaited Parisian event despite its young age. Remember, the fair was launched with great fanfare only last year. I visited many Art Basel fairs, be it in Paris, Miami, or Basel itself. But honestly, this edition blew me away. A medley of modern and contemporary art presented by 157 galleries from around the world. Like many, I was immediately captivated upon arrival by Ai Weiwei’s work, a reinterpretation of the famous painting by David, ‘Napoleon Crossing the Great St. Bernard Pass.’ Across a surface of 304×266 cm, hundreds of bricks depicted Napoleon upside down, riding not his faithful thoroughbred but a zebra. I will also remember the work of Eva Jospin at the Galleria Continua’s stand. She is an artist we see often (especially through her partnerships with the champagne brand Ruinart) but whose dexterity continues to impress me. I never tire of the bronze figures by Antony Gormley, nor of the freshness of Fiona Rae’s canvases at Galerie Nathalie Obadia. Finally, a magnificent painting by Pierre Soulages was presented to me by the director of the Karsten Greve Gallery. Two full days were hardly enough to truly appreciate the quality and diversity of the fair, even if it was somewhat at the expense of visiting other fairs.

I had the chance to highlight the stand of Applicat-Prazan, celebrating its 30th anniversary with a breathtaking solo show dedicated to French painter Jean Hélion (1904-1987). It took Franck Prazan 11 years to gather these seven masterpieces, each representative of a specific period of the artist.