Overview
- Art Basel told exhibitors on Thursday that the fair will end at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, and will not open to the public on Saturday or Sunday to protect visitors and artworks.
- Outdoor sculptures along Winston Churchill Avenue were dismantled starting Oct. 22 and security around the Grand Palais was increased with added personnel and perimeter patrols.
- Major Paris museums including the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay and Musée National Picasso announced precautionary Saturday closures and some commercial galleries also chose to shut.
- Dealers and small galleries face sudden shipping and deinstallation headaches, uncertain access to the venue on Saturday, and unanswered questions about possible compensation for lost sales and costs.
- The closures reflect wider unrest over schools and the cost of living that produced violent clashes and looting last weekend, and they could shrink market activity, disrupt local workers' income, and shift sales to smaller satellite fairs that remain open.