Paris Photo opened to the public on 12 November at the Grand Palais with 246 exhibitors, returning dealers to a venue still marked by the disruption of three weeks earlier. In late October, Art Basel Paris had to evacuate the same building and close two days ahead of schedule as protests were planned outside, an unprecedented interruption for which the fair offered exhibitors a 20 percent reduction on booth fees. Protests over living costs and under-funded schools have continued, but organisers said the mood had eased, with recent marches largely peaceful and concentrated in eastern Paris.

Fair director Florence Bourgeois said her team was watching the situation closely while remaining vigilant. She noted the fair had closed early once before, after the 2015 terror attacks, when exhibitors were reimbursed a fifth of their fees despite lacking suitable insurance. She described that episode as very different from the present circumstances and declined to discuss current insurance arrangements, adding that any decision in such a situation would put the safety of everyone involved first.

Dealers who had endured the shortened Art Basel Paris described a quieter week. German gallerist Thomas Zander said the early closure had cost him two good days of sales, but that central Paris felt calmer this time. His stand included six dye transfer prints by William Eggleston priced together at one million euros and 41 vintage prints of pinball machines by Candida Hofer at 600,000 euros. Paris dealer Anne-Laure Buffard said the fair carried less of the elitist image attached to Art Basel, and that dealers were trying to stay optimistic.

Trading on the first day was encouraging: Pace Gallery reported significant sales in the first hours and many new collectors among the buyers. Its stand offered a 1926 vintage print by Andre Kertesz, thought to be one of only six or seven in existence, at $500,000, while still lifes by Kiki Smith had already sold at $8,500 each. The fair is also marking 200 years of photography, with women now accounting for 38 percent of represented artists, up from 20 percent in 2018, and around 100 newly acquired Centre Pompidou photographs on view for the first time.