Art Basel Paris 2025: Kermit the Frog takes over Place Vendôme, our photos

Art is everywhere in Paris, even on the Place Vendôme! For the Art Basel Paris fair, from October 20 to 26, 2026, artist Alex Da Corte is recreating an incident involving a giant green balloon bearing the image of Kermit the Frog... Discover it for free in the open air this fall.

Every year, Place Vendôme hosts an unusual and monumental work of art, an installation to be discovered during the unmissable contemporary art fair in Paris. For a whole week, from October 20 to 26, 2025, it will be the turn of American artist Alex Da Corte to embellish the famous Parisian square as part of the Art Basel Paris event . The artist immerses us in his playful universe.

A symbol of power, an architectural jewel, a center of luxury jewelry: the Place Vendôme is one of the capital's pearls. No wonder, then, that tourists and lifelong Parisians alike love to stroll here. You may think you know this place by heart... But have you seen the new art installation that adorns the place?

TheArt Basel Paris fair is a major international event for allcontemporary art enthusiasts, and also an opportunity to discover exceptional artists, thanks to the fair's"hors les murs" program. On this occasion, free, open-access exhibitions are organized at key sites around the capital.

Once again this year, Place Vendôme becomes a showcase for the work of a world-renowned artist. And for this latest edition, the work of Alex Da Corte, presented by Sadie Coles HQ, has been chosen. We admire Kermit the Frog, a reproduction of the gigantic balloon that floated over New York in 1991, during the Thanksgiving Day parade.

The incident may not be well known in France, but it left its mark on New Yorkers. In 1991, during the traditional Thanksgiving Day parade, one of the decorative balloons caught on a tree and tore. The balloon, featuring the Kermit the Frog character, quickly deflated and fell over. Alex Da Corte reproduces this event in a monumental sculpture, transforming it into a popular symbol of defeat and anguish. The humorous installation evokes our relationship with cultural icons, and what their image represents of our society.

It's a work of art to be seen free of charge and without delay, as Art Basel Paris only lasts a few days! So don't miss this installation, and don't miss the other works installed all over Paris either.

Discover the rest of the program for this international contemporary art fair:

Art Basel Paris 2025: the contemporary art fair opens at the Grand Palais and in Paris
The international contemporary art fair Art Basel Paris is finally back at the Grand Palais for a new and fourth edition. The event awaits you on the weekend of October 24-26, 2025. [Read more]

Art Basel 2025: the programme of not-to-be-missed off-site exhibitions in Paris
What are these monumental installations blooming in Paris? These are the works featured in the "hors les murs" program at Art Basel Paris, the must-attend event for contemporary art in Paris. From October 20 to 26, 2025, come and admire these unusual installations in the capital. [Read more]