The 16th Art Capital fair was held from February 14 to 19, 2023 at the Grand Palais Ephémère (75007) for the second time.
Since 2006, it has become unavoidable and has brought together 4 salons every year at the request of the minister at the time, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres. We thus discover the Salon of French Artists created in 1880; the Salon des Indépendants (1884); the Salon of drawing (1949) and water-based painting (1954) and the Salon Comparaisons (1954). Each of them has its own history and works as an association of artists who organize an annual exhibition of its members, unlike fairs (Paris+ (ex FIAC), Art Basel, Frieze London, Los Angeles, Seoul, etc.) which bring together galleries and bring artists and collectors into contact.
Foreign delegations and special guests
For centuries, France and its capital have attracted artists from all over the world. Art Capitale is no exception to this tradition by welcoming foreign delegations to its 4 salons. Thus, Comparaison welcomes among its 31 groups of artists from China, Korea, Latin America or even Japan who also exhibit at the Salon des Artistes français. The latter favors Polish creations this year, but also rediscovers part of the collection of Hervé and Jeanne Sérane which had not been exhibited for thirty years (Alain Margotton, Yves Thomas, Jean-Paul Landais, Klaus Dietrich, Gerard di-Maccio).
Enki Bilal, comic book icon, chose the Salon Dessin Peinture à l’eau to present some forty of his works as a painter.
A declining state subsidy
Art Capital is an event placed under the high patronage of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron and the Deputy Director General of the Grand Palais National Museums Meeting, Christophe Chauffour. Each salon that composes it has its own president: Bruno Madelaine for the Salon des Artistes Français; Daniel Gallais for the Water-based Drawing Salon; Yvon Neuville for the Salon Comparaison and Frédéric Julien, vice-president of the Salon des Indépendants.
This year, Art Capital brought together nearly 2,000 artists. The 4 fairs contribute to maintaining the link between the artists and their public. They allow neophytes the possibility of discovering the art market at affordable prices. However, a petition was filed before the opening of the fair, following a reduction in the subsidy paid by the Ministry of Culture to pay for the rental of the Grand Palais. Indeed, we went from 300,000 to 55,000 euros, the deficit having to be settled by the exhibitors.
In the case of the Salon des Indépendants, Frédéric Julien, specifies that artists must pay a contribution of 100 euros to join the association, 145 if they want to join the committee, likely to be added for those who exhibit at the Grand Palais. , a price ranging from 345 to 650 euros depending on the size of the painting.
French Artists Fair
Created in 1880, the Salon des artistes français gave nearly 1,000 candidates this year. Of the 610 artists selected, 305 were not present last year. For the international artists who participate, it is a recognition but also a label. 2020, its president is Bruno Made Sincelaine, he has also been exhibiting since 2007 as a sculptor. According to him, this salon desired by Louis XIV in 1667, has been present for more than 3 centuries; 104 of the masterpieces exhibited at the show have also been exhibited at the Louvre Museum over the centuries. Among them, we note « Les Sabines » by David in 1808 or « Liberty guiding the people » by Delacroix in 1831.
Being rewarded with a medal or a mention by the jury elected by the members from among the gold medalists is a motivating recognition for the artist, whatever the section he represents (painting, sculpture, photography, engraving or architecture). In summary, we can say that the Salon of the association of French artists is a salon created by artists for artists. It allows you to meet young talents.
The Independents’ Fair
While the juries, protests and petitions multiplied, Courbet was the first to present his works freely in 1855; This prompted Napoleon III to exceptionally organize the « Salon des Refusés » (those who were not accepted in the official salons). With an attendance of nearly 40,000 visitors, the Palais des Champs Elysées was able to discover the work of the masters of Impressionism, Pointillism, Fauvism and then Cubism, ranging from Jongkind, Pissaro, Whistler, Fantin-Latour, Cézanne and Guillaumin.
In 1884, Odilon Redon, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac decided to found the society of independent artists, considering that exhibitions could do without juries and by welcoming « les Refusés ». “Neither jury nor reward” is the conception of the fair which this year invited nearly 500 artists to present one or more large format works. The Salon des Indépendants participates in the history of art, while bringing together French and foreign artists (USA, Baltic countries, Latin America, professionals and amateurs.)
2024 will mark the 140th anniversary of the show with hundreds of thousands of works by tens of thousands of artists (Buffet, Braque, Cézanne, Chagall, Dali, Picasso, Utrillo or even Van Gogh… The visitor will be able to discover the association since its creation until today.Today, each artist exhibiting at the Salon appears in the catalog of the exhibition, a world reference in terms of art.
The Salon Drawing and water-based painting
The Salon Dessin appeared in 1949 and that of watercolor painting in 1950; It was not until 1954 that the Drawing and Water Painting Salon was born. For successful artists, it represents an unrecognized side of their creation. A few years later, new so-called « under glass » techniques appeared, such as acrylic, collage, markers, ballpoint pen or oil pastel. Since 2018, Daniel Gallais is the president of the show; it offers artists the freedom of supports, being able to use something other than paper. This year, the fair presents, in partnership with the Giant of Fine Arts, 450 works whose main interest is drawing.
From 1949, the great artists were honored (Rodin, Jongking, Bourdelle then the Hervé and Jean Sérane collection including Di-Maccio, Margotton or Thomas, was completed by 6 works by exceptional engravers by E. Desmazières, F Houtin, G. Trignac, E. Nodeho, Y. Douaré and D. Sosolic.
Enki Bilal is another resident of this salon. Author of comics, he mixes writing, illustration and painting. It is translated in many countries and exhibited around the world (USA, Bulgaria, Japan, India, China….). He has also exhibited at the Louvre Museum and at the Musée de l’Homme. He is the author and director of 3 feature films as well as a few video clips. The Artcurial house auctions its works at exceptional prices.
The Salon Comparisons
Comparaisons was born in 1954, on the initiative of a painter, Lilas Beg and a painter, engraver and tapestry cartoonist, Andrée Le-Pecq. This fair has developed an international policy of free plastic arts by inviting foreign painters to exhibit with French artists. For the 10th anniversary of the show, the avant-garde was present at the Museum of Modern Art with Christo, Yves Klein, NikI de Saint Phalle or Vasarely. Today, Yvon Neuville is the president and presents 470 artists through 31 groups presenting as many sensibilities as current art trends. Former Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin wrote the editorial for the show.
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