ART PARIS, ART FAIR at the ephemeral Grand Palais

Art Paris Art Fair is 23 years old. To celebrate its anniversary, the Grand Palais Ephémère, designed by architect Jean Michel Wilmotte, hosted this unmissable fair.

In September 2020, it is the first post-containment art fair. This year, Art Paris (September 9-12), inaugurated the Grand Palais Éphémère in Champ-de-Mars. This temporary 21st century structure will house the events of the Grand Palais until it reopens for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Unmissable event in the world of art and culture, this 23rd edition brought together nearly 150 modern and contemporary art galleries from 22 countries. The majority came from Europe but also from Korea, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Guatemala and Uruguay. It is the possibility for more than 900 artists including 35% foreigners, to present their works.

This cosmopolitan edition had 39% of new participants and 65% of French galleries whose return we saw. Among them were Almine Rech, Art: Concept, Continua, Frank Elbaz, Jeanne Bucher Jaeger, Massimo de Carlo, Lelong & Co, Kamel Mennour, Perrotin. They rubbed shoulders with those present each year such as Nathalie Obadia, Lahumière Templon. There were also « author galleries » such as Martine Aboucaya, Jean Fournier, Suzanne Tarasieve, Anne-Sarah Bénichou and Vincent Sator, and emerging brands such as Derouillon, Galerie Pact, Stems and Marguo.

Origins of Art Paris

In 1999, Alain Lamaignère and Caroline Clough Lacoste created Art Paris, a fair devoted to modern and contemporary art. A former advertiser, he had opened a gallery in the Marais. He set up the Salon des Découvertes at the Grand Palais in the 1980s. He was also at the origin of the contemporary art fair in Strasbourg. Henri Jobbe-Duval, creator of FIAC with Jean-Pierre Jouët joins him in this cultural adventure.

From 1999 to 2005, Art Paris Art Fair was a satellite fair during the FIAC. From 2006, it moved to the Grand Palais during the spring, while the FIAC was held in the fall. In 2012, a new team changes the artistic orientation. The fair, located in the French capital, makes contemporary art accessible. It is open to a large public and gives access to collectors and professionals. « Cosmopolitan regionalism » becomes the concept followed. It is a regional exploration of European artistic scenes from the post-war period to the present day. She brings new creative horizons from Asia, Russia, Africa, Latin America or the Middle East.

Like London, Paris hosts 2 modern art fairs every year, one in spring and the other in autumn. In addition, Paris welcomes a knowledgeable and cultured public. It is the world capital of art thanks to its institutions, its foundations and private museums or not.

The latest editions.
2019

Double thematic: « Focus on women artists » and « Exploration of Latin American art from the 1960s to the present day ». The fair brought together 150 exhibitors from 20 countries. About twenty European, Asian and Latin American galleries presented a group of 60 artists from Latin America. At the same time, the House of Latin America offered a video program, the presentation of a private collection and lectures.

2020

Cancellation of Art Paris following the health crisis. It is replaced by a fully digital edition from May 27. It’s an interactive tour and online sale of over 1000 works of art. Collectors, buyers and visitors have been able to discover online the artists represented by more than 100 galleries thanks to: Art Paris Digital and Art Paris Live.

Art Paris Digital, in partnership with the online platform Artsy, gave users access to more than 1,000 works until June 20.

Art Paris Live was presented in the form of an interactive map. It made it possible to walk from stand to stand using video. Also the solo-shows and collective clashes around the « French scene » and « Iberian Peninsula » focus. The « Promises » route featured 14 young galleries (under 6) from Abidjan, Brussels, Lima, Lisbon, Rome, Sofia, Marseille and Paris.

The September 2020 edition was the first cultural event at the Grand Palais after the period of health crisis. The 112 galleries present, including 25 foreigners, followed 2 themes: A subjective and critical look at the French scene with a selection of 18 artists around the notions of narrative, singular and universal histories; A thematic thread on the Iberian Peninsula highlights Spanish and Portuguese art from the 1950s to the present day. The « Promises » route brought together 14 galleries.

2021

« Portrait and figuration ». Regard sur la scène française brought together a selection of 20 artists around portraiture and the renewal of figurative painting in France. The « Solo show » presented around twenty monographs. « Promises » supported galleries in Guatemala, Africa, China, France and Europe.

ArtParis exclusively presented Danae.io and the Ether (Equality) project by Japanese artist Kohei Nawa. Last March, they won the Hauts-de-Seine international competition to build the Statue of Equality at the tip of Île Seguin. The Ether project materializes the fall of a drop of water. It symbolizes the equality of all being and everything in the face of gravity. This monumental work, unique in the world, 25 meters high, will be accompanied by an augmented reality, educational and democratic application, accessible to all free of charge, developed by Danae.io.

Among the visitors, Madame Brigitte Macron came to admire the works exhibited during this 23rd edition.

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VERONIQUE YANG

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