Art Basel Paris launched a new ultra-exclusive invitation-only preview called Avant Première, held one day before the official VIP preview. The four-hour event on Tuesday afternoon saw strong sales, with Thaddaeus Ropac selling works including a 1953 Alberto Burri for €4.2 million and two George Baselitz pieces, while Hauser & Wirth sold Gerhard Richter's 1987 *Abstraktes Bild* for $23 million, the highest reported sale. The fair limited each gallery to six invites with plus-ones, resulting in an estimated 3,000 attendees compared to 6,000 for the regular First Choice preview, creating a more manageable and urgent atmosphere.
This debut matters because it signals Art Basel's strategic effort to enhance exclusivity and drive sales in a competitive art fair landscape, particularly as Paris becomes the company's most international fair. The condensed format and reduced crowd allowed dealers to engage more effectively with top collectors, including major Europeans, Americans, and Asians, while maintaining high transaction values. The success of Avant Première could influence how other fairs structure their preview days, reinforcing Paris's growing importance as a global art market hub.