Art Basel Paris to Close Two Days Early, Citing Protests

Art Basel Paris will close two days early on October 23 at 7 pm due to potential protests across Paris this weekend, organizers said in an email to exhibitors. The fair, which was originally scheduled to run until Sunday, October 25 at the Grand Palais, had already undergone a temporary lockdown on October 17. The protests stem from nationwide demonstrations against France's failing education system and public services.

Artist advocacy groups and labor unions, including the Syndicat National des Artistes Plasticiennes, had planned to protest outside the fair on Saturday at 4 pm, decrying "the privatization of culture and an art market that accompanies the extreme right-wing shift in our country." French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that military forces from Operation Sentinelle would be deployed to control protesters during the weekend.

Military forces were first employed in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher attacks in January 2015 to combat terrorism. Organizers urged galleries to keep their displays intact through the fair's closing and to wait for access and removal instructions before disassembling. A gallerist confirmed to Hyperallergic that operations and dismantling instructions were still pending.

Several artists and organizations have taken down their artworks or dismantled them prematurely in response to the protests. Fondation Louis Vuitton will close on Saturday, October 4. The ongoing protests have witnessed police brutality against student demonstrators, including a 14-year-old injured by a tear gas grenade and a 15-year-old with a hand blown off by a stun gun. Authorities have also imposed strict curfews in response to the unrest.