Paris Art Week 2026: Art Basel, satellite fairs and the exhibitions worth your time
October 19, 2026 · Rendezvous team · 6 min read
For centuries, Paris has been one of the world's great art capitals, and artists and creatives from everywhere still come here for it. The city has a busy cultural scene all year, but October is when it peaks.
Paris Art Week 2026 runs from October 19 to 25, built around Art Basel Paris at the Grand Palais. Around the fair, the whole city joins in: satellite fairs, gallery openings, new museum shows and free art in the streets. Here's what we'd put on the list.
Art Basel Paris 2026
1. Art Basel Paris
Don't let the name confuse you: the fair was founded in Basel, Switzerland, in 1970. It has since grown into a group of fairs in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, Paris and Qatar.
In Paris, the fair has been held in the restored Grand Palais since 2024. Leading galleries from around the world gather under one roof, which makes it a major moment for collectors. If you simply love art, it's a chance to see work that hasn't reached museum collections yet.
Public days are October 23 to 25, 2026. Buy tickets and check opening times on the official Art Basel site.
Satellite fairs
Art Basel isn't the only fair in town this week. Paris Art Week also brings smaller satellite fairs, each with its own focus on artistic media, themes or regions.
Paris Internationale, 12th edition
2. Paris Internationale
Its concept has some things in common with Art Basel, but Paris Internationale moves to a different venue every year, from former telephone exchanges to office buildings under renovation. It keeps an independent, underground spirit and shows emerging galleries and artists.
Open October 20 to 24, 2026. Details on the Paris Internationale site.
Offscreen, 5th edition
3. Offscreen
Held in the historic Chapelle Saint-Louis de la Salpêtrière, Offscreen sets up an intriguing dialogue between the old chapel's architecture and contemporary art.
Open October 20 to 25, 2026. Enter through the Marie Curie garden. Tickets are €12, and children under 12 get in free, according to the Offscreen site.
Gallery openings
Many galleries show their artists not only at the fairs but also in their own spaces across the city. Gallery openings are often free, and sometimes you get to meet the artists themselves.
With this many openings, you can't see everything. The best approach is to plan ahead and pick the events you care about most. Paris Gallery Map collects exhibitions and events at galleries all over Paris in one place.
4. Nocturne Matignon Saint-Honoré
On the evening of Monday, October 19, galleries around Avenue Matignon and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré stay open late for the Nocturne. The streets go pedestrian for the night, with live performances outside.
From 5 pm to 9 pm, with 38 galleries taking part, according to Sortir à Paris.
Museum highlights
Public and private museums across Paris are opening new exhibitions this month too.
Lafayette Anticipations: Yu Nishimura
5. Lafayette Anticipations
Towards a Sea is the first institutional solo show in France by the Japanese painter Yu Nishimura. It invites you into a quiet world of coastal landscapes that surface on the canvas like fragments of fading memories.
Opens October 21, 2026 and runs until January 3, 2027. Entry is free, according to Lafayette Anticipations.
Musée du Louvre: Zurbarán
6. Musée du Louvre
If you've been to Paris before and already spent plenty of time with the Mona Lisa, try the Louvre's exhibition on the 17th-century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán. It's organized with the National Gallery in London and the Art Institute of Chicago and gives a full overview of his work.
On view until January 25, 2027. Details on the Louvre site.
Fondation Louis Vuitton: Gustave Fayet
7. Fondation Louis Vuitton
Dedicated to Gustave Fayet, this exhibition is the fourth in a series exploring celebrated art collectors.
It explores Fayet's role as both an art collector and a painter, showcasing Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Symbolist art, including works by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Odilon Redon and other major artists of the period.
On view until March 8, 2027. Book on the Fondation Louis Vuitton site.
Free art in the streets
Art Basel public program
During Art Basel week, you can also see works by well-known artists in public spaces across Paris for free, as part of the fair's public program.
8. Tracey Emin at Trocadéro
Three bronze sculptures by Tracey Emin face the Eiffel Tower from the square at Trocadéro. They're free to see from October 14 to November 1, 2026, according to Sortir à Paris.
9. Niki de Saint Phalle on Avenue Winston Churchill
Niki de Saint Phalle's bright, mosaic-covered sculptures are hard to miss. During Art Week, one of them joins other outdoor works on Avenue Winston Churchill, right outside the Grand Palais, from October 20 to 25.
Jenny Holzer at the Musée d'Orsay
10. Musée d'Orsay
From October 18 to 22, between 7 pm and 11 pm, Jenny Holzer projects text onto the museum's Seine-side facade. For her exhibition J'ai vu (I Have Seen), she chose excerpts from artists, politicians and writers, many found in the museum's archives, and turns the building into a canvas for anyone walking along the river.
The projection is free to watch from the quays. The exhibition inside runs from October 20, 2026 to February 21, 2027, according to the Musée d'Orsay.
How to do Art Week with friends
Art Week is easier, and more fun, as a group. Split up by interest during the day, one of you at Art Basel, one at a satellite fair, one at the Louvre, then meet in the evening at the Nocturne or on the quays for the Holzer projection and compare notes.
The tricky part is getting everyone to the same city on the same days. In Rendezvous, each friend adds their dates and budget once, so you can see who's free for Art Week before anyone books a train or flight. If you have an extra day for museums, here are 5 hidden museums in Paris most tourists miss.
Frequently asked questions
When is Paris Art Week 2026?
Paris Art Week 2026 runs from October 19 to 25, 2026. It's built around Art Basel Paris at the Grand Palais, with satellite fairs, gallery openings and museum exhibitions across the city.
When is Art Basel Paris 2026?
Art Basel Paris 2026 is open to the public from October 23 to 25, 2026, at the Grand Palais in Paris. Preview days for invited guests come before that. Tickets and opening times are on the official Art Basel website.
Do you need tickets for Art Basel Paris?
Yes, you need a ticket to enter Art Basel Paris at the Grand Palais. Tickets are sold through the official Art Basel website. Much of Paris Art Week is free, though, including many gallery openings and the fair's public program of outdoor artworks.
What is free during Paris Art Week?
Plenty of Paris Art Week is free. Gallery openings are often free to attend, the Nocturne Matignon Saint-Honoré is open to everyone, and the Art Basel public program puts artworks outdoors, like Tracey Emin's sculptures at Trocadéro. Jenny Holzer's projection on the Musée d'Orsay facade is free to watch from the quays.
What else is on in Paris in October 2026?
Beyond Art Week, October 2026 brings major museum exhibitions: Zurbarán at the Louvre, Gustave Fayet at the Fondation Louis Vuitton and Yu Nishimura at Lafayette Anticipations. Jenny Holzer's J'ai vu also opens at the Musée d'Orsay on October 20, 2026.
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