Artsper Magazine has published its itinerary for Paris Art Week 2026, selecting five fairs to anchor the October 20-25 stretch. The guide, posted on October 14, deliberately spreads its attention across modern and contemporary art, African and Middle Eastern art scenes, photography and collectible design — a sign of how the week has grown beyond a single marquee fair.

The undisputed centerpiece is Art Basel Paris, which returns to the Grand Palais for its fifth edition with more than 200 galleries from 41 countries. VIP previews run October 21 and 22, followed by a ticketed vernissage and public days from October 23 through 25. Curated sectors for rising artists and art-historical presentations give the giant floor a structure beyond booth-by-booth browsing, and the fair's own announcements this week highlighted emerging and rediscovered voices among the exhibitor lineup.

The guide's other picks occupy the week around that core, covering ground the main fair cannot: regional scenes, photography and collectible design. The auction houses stack sales alongside the fairs, and Christie's Paris has scheduled four auctions on October 22 and 23 across four collections — including the Durand-Ruel family collection and the Marlene and Spencer Hays collection — with a combined estimate above 100 million euros and a Monet carrying an 11-15 million euro estimate.

For collectors and the merely curious, the timing is deliberate. Paris Art Week now follows directly on Frieze London's heels, making late October the European art calendar's densest fortnight. Artsper's five-fair framing is less a ranking than a route plan: the point is that no single fair, however large, covers the week's full range.