Art market players are increasingly enlisting celebrities to attract younger buyers, aiming to bridge the gap between exclusivity and broader popular appeal. This month’s edition of the Art Basel Paris fair, running from October 23 to 24, features French actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as the curator of its Oh Là Là! section, showcasing up to 40 additional works dispersed throughout the fair’s aisles. Leroy-Beaulieu is best known for her role as Sylvie Grateau, the chic and exacting boss in the Netflix series *Emily in Paris*.

Karim Crippa, director of Art Basel Paris, highlights that Leroy-Beaulieu’s character embodies both a French archetype and an authentic persona, which resonates with visitors. Leroy-Beaulieu’s involvement reflects a strategic effort by the fair to connect with younger collectors and the wider culture, leveraging her international career and stylish persona as a reflection of contemporary Paris. Crippa notes that cinema, television, literature, music, and fashion play important roles in French culture and can help redefine how visual art is perceived.

This approach parallels other initiatives within the Art Basel group. For example, during its inaugural Doha fair earlier this year, football star David Beckham fronted an Instagram video campaign and participated alongside Qatari royalty and museum directors at the opening event. Such collaborations highlight how sport is also being used as a pathway to engage new art audiences.

Engagement, however, is not solely measured by attendance. In May, Nicole Kidman appeared in a promotional video for Christie’s auction of Constantin Brâncuși’s sculpture *Danaïde* (circa 1913), which sold for a record $107.6 million. In the video, Kidman walks and dances around the bronze sculpture to David Bowie’s “Golden Years.” Christie’s CEO Bonnie Brennan said the video increased public interest, boosted awareness, and contributed to the high sale price. While established collectors recognize masterpieces like the Brâncuși, Brennan acknowledges the importance of appealing to younger buyers who often respond to celebrity involvement.

Christie’s has embraced this trend by launching a pop-culture division focused on films, television, music, fashion, and sports memorabilia, meeting what Brennan describes as "rabid demand." A recent Christie’s sale in London of guitars owned by Johnny Marr of The Smiths included a promotional video featuring Marr and Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher. Notably, 81 percent of auction registrants were new to Christie’s, and a 1982 Rickenbacker guitar used by Gallagher to record Oasis’s 1994 album *Definitely Maybe* sold for £358,400, significantly surpassing its estimate.

While Kidman’s promotional style was described as sophisticated and authentic, the accompanying Marr-Gallagher film embraced a more informal tone. Gillian Gorman, Christie’s chief marketing officer, emphasized that celebrity partnerships must feel genuine to be effective. Kidman’s dance around the Brâncuși, she said, was unprompted and reflected her true reaction.

For Art Basel Paris, combining the artistic credibility of Leroy-Beaulieu with her broader cultural recognition aims to generate excitement without diluting the fair’s experimental and resourceful spirit. Crippa acknowledges that Paris exists partly as a fantasy in the global imagination, and leveraging that image alongside cultural substance is a calculated strategy to draw in emerging collectors.

As Leroy-Beaulieu’s character Sylvie Grateau notes in *Emily in Paris*, “Your success is my success,” encapsulating the symbiotic relationship between the art market and its celebrity ambassadors in attracting new audiences.