Recommended appointment of this Easter weekend, Art Paris Art Fair is undoubtedly the small fair that rises in the world of contemporary art. Guillaume Piens, its general commissioner, takes stock of the event, his taste for foreign countries, and even reveals some tips to buy smart.
This year, "Art Paris Art Fair" focuses on Russia. Next year, it will be China. Why, since you left the management of "Paris Photo" and took over that of this fair two years ago, thus highlight the scenes of the East?
Unlike other contemporary art fairs generally focused on the United States, "Art Paris Art Fair" is intended to be a European fair looking towards the East: Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East... Russia, which was talked about a lot about the art market between 2005 and 2008 before falling into the atonia, is obviously a major step in this exploration. Today, when we talk about this country, it is always with the same clichés, both political and artistic. While its culture is very rich! See the relationship of the Russians to shamanism, nature or religion, memory, totalitarianism and history... The brutal transformations that Russian society has experienced give its art something serious. We are far from the gadget, consumerism or a decorative art, we are talking here about death, loss or illness... It is not an ultra cheerful society, but it gives a very human art.
What advice would you give to an amateur who would like to acquire a work, but who would not know where to start and whose financial means would be limited?
"Art Paris Art Fair" is an accessible fair, where the average price of a work is around 10,000 euros. To be even more affordable, we have created a "Promises" sector dedicated to young galleries of less than five years of existence, of which we finance half of the participation in the fair (because a fair is not only a place where you sell, but also a place where you promote!), and whose works sell between 500 and 3000 euros. For young amateurs who would like to start building a collection, I would advise you to start with photography, always cheaper than painting (take the young Russian photographer-visual artist Alexei Vassiliev: you can start buying one of his works from 1000 euros), or to take a tour of our "Artists Books" platform, which welcomes thirty publishers, known or not. A new appointment of Art Paris Art Fair, where you can acquire a book that will later become a collector... In general, I would say to people who do not dare to ask the price of a work from gallery owners: "Uninhibit yourself! "
It is that contemporary art is still very linked to wealth or even luxury... How is he doing in this time of crisis?
It is true that transactions are now slower, purchases more carefully thought out, but the art market is doing well: despite the crisis, there are always new buyers from emerging countries. At "Art Paris Art Fair", for example, we are waiting for many Qataris this year...
