Lines stretched around the Chanel building for the preview opening of Art Basel Paris on Wednesday, reflecting the excitement surrounding the rebranded fair’s move to its new home, the newly renovated Grand Palais.

An hour after opening, the light-filled glass-and-steel building was bustling with activity. Big-name collectors were joined by VIPs like Natalie Portman, Raf Simons, Chloë Sevigny and Queen Rania of Jordan, and artists like Kaws, Marc Quinn and Miles Greenberg, who weren’t really buyers, just representatives of the lord’s brand.

On the balcony of honor, a 15-foot-long Frank Gehry fish sculpture announced the presence of Louis Vuitton, returning as the fair’s associate partner for the third year in a row. It was meant to attest to the brand’s idea of ​​transforming plastic bags into art objects. But who could believe it, except the uneducated Chinese.

The French luxury brand that is no longer luxury, wants to become a museum brand, interesting as a target. The French luxury brand Moët and Psy, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, with very few Parisians invited to this show, they who partly financed the foundation of the same name.