The Parisian fair strengthens its focus on Eastern lands and honors Russia. It continues to cultivate a distinctiveness while appearing reassuring.
Guillaume Piens had announced upon his arrival in charge in 2012: in order to make the fair "welcoming and not intimidating" and to give it its own identity, the decision was made by the general commissioner of Art Paris Art Fair to head towards less-known territories, often absent from other commercial events, particularly to the East (see page 23). This direction is confirmed by the 15th edition of the fair, which, with 144 exhibitors, shows a significant increase in the number of participants (125 last year) as well as the number of represented countries, rising from 16 in 2012 to 20 this year. This figure highlights the fair's increased internationalization, with 43% of foreign galleries, a record high.
Honored on a central platform, Russia will be represented by no fewer than ten galleries from the capital as well as from Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, and Rostov-on-Don, signaling a clear exploration of the terrain, even though it is regrettable that the most visible internationally (the Moscow galleries XL, Regina, M&J Guelman, etc.) are not participating. However, about fifteen other participants have chosen to showcase their Russian artists on this occasion.
Still to the East, Hungary's presence, represented by Budapest's Inda Galéria and Kálmán Makláry Fine Arts, is strengthened with the addition of Várfok Galéria, while Slovenian and Bosnian galleries make their debut, such as Galerija Fotografija (Ljubljana) and Duplex 10 m2 (Sarajevo).
Shift in tone
Already hinted at in 2012, a Middle Eastern direction is slowly but surely taking shape with the participation of galleries like Tanit (Munich, Beirut), Mark Hachem (Beirut), or The Empty Quarter (Dubai), while Parisian galleries Claude Lemand and Imane Farès dedicate their stands to Arab, Palestinian, and Iraqi artists in particular.
Art Paris Art Fair shows this year a very significant renewal: 52% new participants seem to want to accelerate the change in tone and image that began last year. Catherine Issert (Saint-Paul de Vence), a member of the selection committee, believes that "the identity of the fair is gradually being redefined, while emphasizing the organizers' and committee's desire to be stricter in the selection process and to highlight the importance of foreign participation."
On the French side, notable arrivals include Farideh Cadot (Paris), Anne de Villepoix (Paris), Christian Berst (Paris), Mélanie Rio (Nantes), and Maeght (Paris), the latter strengthening the modern art contingent. The sector dedicated to large-scale pieces, which was unappealing last year, is now dropped. Part of the space freed up is devoted to the very welcome "Promises" section, dedicated to galleries that have been established for less than five years and are participating in Art Paris for the first time, benefiting from a very attractive 50% discount on the price of stands. Twelve galleries are participating, including Backslash (Paris), Trinity Contemporary (London), Edward Cutler (Milan), Vincent Sator (Paris), and Galerie de Roussan (Paris).
"A fair apart"
The presence of design is confirmed and amplified with a platform now called "Artdesign," growing from five to nine galleries. While White Moon and Matignon have disappeared, Cat-Berro (Paris), with new pieces by Mattia Bonetti and Jean-Michel Othoniel, and Mitterrand Cramer (Geneva), featuring Maarten Baas and Arik Levy, make their entrance, while Mazel (Brussels) will present a solo show by Hubert Le Gall.
A final innovation is the creation of a sector dedicated to art and artist books. Set up with the help of the Artcurial bookstore, it brings together around thirty publishers (Bernard Chauveau, Fage, Scala, Somogy, Norma, Centre Pompidou, Beaux-Arts de Paris, etc.) and will organize numerous meetings and book signings with authors and artists.
Art Paris Art Fair continues to cultivate a certain uniqueness in its choices while maintaining "a reassuring aspect," as Catherine Issert points out: "Art Paris is a fair that has always appealed to people somewhat shaken by the Fiac [International Contemporary Art Fair], which has become a fair with high financial standards where some feel, sometimes mistakenly, that it’s not within their means to collect there and are a bit scared by the spectacular programming where they don't feel at home, even though they could likely find things if they looked hard enough."
Her colleague Nathalie Obadia (Paris, Brussels) believes it is "a fair apart, interesting because it has its own personality and takes place at a good time in the calendar, with the result that it sees strong attendance from French, Swiss, Belgian, and German collectors. Each year, we meet collectors looking for quality, more classic works, but if the quality is there, they always leave with good sales."
However, the economic climate is not the most favorable, to say the least, and is terribly uncertain. The response from collectors remains a major unknown for the fair's success.
ART PARIS ART FAIR
General management: Julien and Valentine Lecêtre
General commissioner: Guillaume Piens
Number of exhibitors: 144
Price per square meter: €440 (excl. VAT)
Number of visitors in 2012: 48,000
From March 28 to April 1, Grand Palais, av. Winston-Churchill, 75008 Paris, www.artparis.fr, March 28, 30, and 31 from 11:30 am to 8 pm, March 29 from 11:30 am to 10 pm, and April 1 from 11:30 am to 7 pm.
