Art Paris: 25 years
A powerful anniversary edition under the sign of commitment
Art Paris’s 25th anniversary
Art Paris is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an edition that will bring together some 134 galleries from 25 different countries at the Grand Palais Éphémère from 30 March to 2 April 2023.
Art Paris – which was founded in 1999 – is organised by France Conventions, a French family-run business. Thanks to the efforts of Julien Lecêtre and Valentine Lecêtre, Directors of France Conventions, and its general commissioner, Guillaume Piens; in the space of 25 years, Art Paris has become a leading spring arts event, an innovative art fair that fosters discovery, setting out to explore in depth the world of modern and contemporary art.
A regional, national, and cosmopolitan fair, Art Paris has put the spotlight on many countries or continent’s art scene: Russia (2013), China (2014), Singapore and Southeast Asia (2015), Korea (2016), Africa (2017), Switzerland (2018), Latin America (2019) and the Iberian Peninsula (2020).
In parallel, Art Paris is committed to supporting the French scene. Since 2018, it has been asking an exhibition curator to turn a subjective, historical, and critical eye on a selection of specific projects by French artists from among the participating galleries. A specific theme is chosen, and the focus is accompanied by a text presenting their work. In 2018, François Piron considered those artists whom history had passed by. This was followed in 2019 by A Gaze at Women Artists in France curated by Camille Morineau and her association AWARE, Common and Uncommon Stories by Gaël Charbau (2020), Portraiture and Figuration by Hervé Mikaeloff (2021) and Natural Histories by Alfred Pacquement in 2022. This year’s theme is Art & Commitment with independent exhibition Marc Donnadieu.
The Covid-19 pandemic marked a turning point in the fair’s history. Art Paris was the world’s first post-lockdown “physical” art fair in September 2020 and, in 2021, it went on to become the first event to inaugurate the Temporary Grand Palais on the Champ-de-Mars. Six months later, in April 2022, it was also the first fair to adopt a sustainable, life cycle analysis-based approach to its organisation.
Its recent themes are totally in tune with those that are omnipresent in both society and contemporary creation: art and the environment in 2022 and commitment and exile in 2023. These strong convictions and commitments contribute to the originality of this leading spring arts event and set it apart on the art fair calendar.
The 2023 selection: a strong and renewed list of exhibitors
Boosted by the success of its previous editions, the 2023 selection pursues the fair’s development with a list of exhibitors renewed at 33% (i.e., 43 new galleries compared to 2022) and the continued presence of a number of international heavyweights. 60% of the exhibitors are domestic galleries and 40% internationally based. This deliberate choice enables the fair to showcase the wealth of the French gallery ecosystem that includes leading modern and contemporary art galleries and galleries based in towns all over France, while providing support to emerging structures with “Promises”, the sector for young galleries.
Art Paris 2023, two themes dealing with notions of commitment and exile
Independent exhibition curator Marc Donnadieu shares his perspective on the French scene with a selection of 20 artists from different generations exhibited by this edition’s galleries. This focus explores these artists’ approach to the concept of commitment, whether a commitment to art and artworks, or to the world, its history and what is happening today.
This theme has been entrusted to independent exhibition curator and founder of the Beirut-based TAP (Temporary Art Platform), Amanda Abi Khalil. It shines a spotlight on a selection of 18 international artists chosen from the exhibiting galleries whose work addresses questions in relation to exile.
"Solo Show" and "Duo Show"
Sixteen solo shows spread throughout the fair allow visitors to discover or rediscover in depth the work of modern, contemporary, or emerging artists.
In addition, ten or so galleries have opted to put on duo shows that establish a dialogue between artists of the past, or between different generations.
"Promises": Supporting Young Galleries and Emerging Artists
"Promises", a sector focusing on young galleries created less than six years ago, provides a forward-looking analysis of cutting-edge contemporary art. Participating galleries may present up to three artists and the fair finances 45% of their exhibitor fees. International galleries are largely represented in this sector that is constantly renewing its exhibitors from one year to the next (67% in 2023). This year, “Promises” plays host to nine galleries.
Art Paris, The First Sustainably Designed Art Fair
Art Paris is a regional art fair that gives pride of place to proximity, drawing local visitors and favouring local transport solutions. Since 2022, the fair has undertaken to develop a sustainable approach to organising an art fair based on a life cycle analysis (LCA), which us a first for an art fair. This pioneering approach entrusted to Karbone Prod in partnership with Solinnen has been renewed for 2023.
Art Paris: The Place To Be for Contemporary Art!
Paris is in the midst of an exceptional period of cultural and artistic renaissance illustrated by the opening of new galleries and venues, the renovation of existing cultural institutions and the inauguration of new ones. More than ever before, the City of Light is asserting its role as the place to be for contemporary art. The activities on offer as part of the VIP programme, reserved for collectors and art professionals (by invitation only), bear witness to the transformation of Paris’s art scene.
Making Contemporary Art Accessible to All
Art Paris is dedicated to making contemporary art accessible to the widest audience, offering some 80 guided tours of the fair as well as a number of specific tools, in particular its elaborate yet eminently practical website which presents a virtual visit of the fair and filters allowing visitors to search for works by artist, price, geographical provenance and technique...
ART PARIS 2023, 30 MARCH - 02 APRIL, GRAND PALAIS ÉPHÉMÈRE, 25th edition
ART PARIS 2024, 04 - 07 APRIL, GRAND PALAIS ÉPHÉMÈRE, 26th edition
Art Paris 2023 in figures:
134 exhibitors from 25 countries • more than 900 artists represented • 40% foreign participants • 60% French galleries • 33% newcomers
68,787 visitors in 2022
EXTENSIVE MEDIA PRESENCE BOTH IN FRANCE AND INTERNATIONALLY
103 media partners • 350 press articles • 571 TV & radio commercials • 2,986 posters throughout Paris • 400 accredited journalists from 10 countries • 447,730 pages viewed on www.artparis.com • 136,347 single visitors
SELECTION COMMITTEE
• Carina Andres Thalmann, Galerie Andres Thalmann (Zurich)
• Romain Degoul, Galerie Paris-B (Paris)
• Diane Lahumière, Galerie Lahumière (Paris)
• Marie-Ange Moulonguet, art consultant and collector
• Emilie Ovaere-Corthay, Galerie Jean Fournier (Paris)
• Pauline Pavec, Galerie Pauline Pavec (Paris)