An ancient masterpiece in the world’s most important temple of contemporary art. In fact, Gagosian Gallery has announced its participation in the Art Basel Paris fair, scheduled to take place at the Grand Palais from October 22 to 26, with a presentation that combines a historical masterpiece with modern and contemporary works, creating a rather unique dialogue between different eras and languages. Prominent in the center of the booth is Pieter Paul Rubens’ extraordinary work, Madonna and Child with Saints Elizabeth and John, circa 1611-1614, included in the main sector of the fair thanks to a special permission that recognizes its exceptional quality and harmonious interaction with the more recent works presented by Gagosian.
It is a recently rediscovered work that can be compared with a work of the same subject held at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. Rubens draws inspiration from apocryphal texts, such as the Franciscan homily Meditationes vitae Christi, looking to the great Italian masters, from Leonardo with his interpretation of the same theme to Raphael. Probably commissioned for private devotional purposes, the painting anticipates by ten years the famous cycle dedicated to Maria de’ Medici, made for the queen of France between 1622 and 1625, now in the Louvre.
In an exception to Art Basel’s usual restrictions, which normally limit the main section to works from after the 20th century, Gagosian puts the Rubens of the 17th century in dialogue with works by John Currin, Jadé Fadojutimi, Alberto Giacometti, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, Jenny Saville, and other artists who have marked the path of postwar and contemporary art. The selection reflects the spirit of the gallery program and celebrates the 30th anniversary of the 1995 New York exhibition of Rubens paintings and drawings.
The curatorial concept of the booth also reflects the research of contemporary artists Albert Oehlen and Ed Ruscha, who are exhibiting recent works influenced by earlier art historians in Parisian galleries. In the context of Art Basel, Rubens’ painting is set up alongside works in which the human figure is the protagonist, declined in different ways according to each author’s concerns. Among them, Currin’s Supermoon (2025) offers a provocative reinterpretation of the Three Graces, combining classical technique and reflection on the aged body; Rodin’s Le Baiser (c. 1905-10) offers a bronze version of his erotic marble sculpture of an embracing couple; Picasso’s Nu accoudé (1961) deconstructs the female body by drawing inspiration from African masks; and Alexander Calder’s Red Shapes and Yellow Wires (1975) transforms suspended elements into moving compositions.
The selection also includes work by Georg Baselitz, Ellen Gallagher, Mark Grotjahn, Simon Hantaï, Brice Marden, Sterling Ruby, Cy Twombly, Christo, Robert Ryman, Richard Serra, Rachel Whiteread, and Christopher Wool. A rotation of works is presented on rue de Ponthieu as an extension of the booth at the Grand Palais, reflecting the diversity of the gallery’s program and including prominent historical and contemporary artists. The display also testifies to a renewed interest in minimalist aesthetics, a theme explored in parallel in the exhibitions Walter De Maria: The Singular Experience, curated by Donna de Salvo at Le Bourget (Oct. 19, 2025-April 18, 2026), and Minimal at the Bourse de Commerce (on view through Jan. 19, 2026).
During Art Basel Paris, Gagosian’s Parisian galleries will present other exhibitions in parallel: Albert Oehlen: Endless Summer (4 rue de Ponthieu, Oct. 20-Dec. 2025), Ed Ruscha: Talking Doorways (9 rue de Castiglione, Oct. 22-Dec. 3, 2025), and Walter De Maria: The Singular Experience at Le Bourget.
 |
| Gagosian brings Rubens into dialogue with contemporary art at Art Basel Paris |
Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.
