Art Basel Paris at the Grand Palais has drawn a constellation of satellite fairs across the city, including Paris Internationale and Asia Now, both celebrating their 10th anniversaries. Paris Internationale, founded in 2015 by gallerists Ciaccia Levi, Crèvecœur, and Gregor Staiger, presents 59 galleries and seven non-profit spaces from 19 countries at the Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, emphasizing independence and artist-centered values. Asia Now, held at the Monnaie de Paris, returns with the theme “Grow,” featuring 68 galleries and focusing on plural, borderless Asian contemporary art. Newcomers 7 rue Froissart and Upstairs Art Fair add community and irreverence, while Detroit Salon launches a three-year global roadshow with its first stop in Paris.
These satellite fairs matter because they reveal the true creative temperature of Paris Art Week beyond the main fair, offering spaces for experimental, independent galleries that lack visibility in larger corporate events. Paris Internationale’s non-profit model, free admission, and reinvestment of all earnings into future editions demonstrate an alternative to commercial art fairs, prioritizing trust, quality, and community. Asia Now’s growth from 18 to 68 galleries in a decade reflects a deepening European engagement with Asian contemporary art on its own terms, challenging fragmented Western perspectives. Together, these fairs signal where the next chapter of contemporary art is being written, especially in a slower market where integrity and dialogue become paramount.