Art Paris 2020: Between the French art scene and the Iberian Peninsula
A record attendance, a critical success and good sales results in 2019
The last edition of Art Paris, which welcomed 150 galleries from 20 countries from 4 to 7 April 2019, closed with a record attendance of 63,257 visitors from 45 countries, an increase of 8% compared to 2018. There was a lot of enthusiasm for this 2019 edition that paid tribute to women artists and Latin America and it was apparent right from the opening night as some 18,575 guests descended upon the fair including numerous celebrities: actresses, figures from the worlds of politics and business, collectors, curators and museum directors. The fair was also pleased to welcome 94 friends of museum groups and art circles mainly from France, but also from abroad. These included: the Cercle International/Comités d’acquisition du MNAM Centre Pompidou (Paris), The Friends of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington D.C.), the Patrons of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (Texas), as well as Fluxus Art Projects and Spirit Now (London).
Amongst other things, the fair’s many monographic exhibitions drew the attention of collectors. There were 46 solo shows this year and several sold out, notably at Madrid-based gallery Michel Soskine Inc that sold all of its works by 1950s Spanish painter Angel Alonso (between 4,500 and 70,000 euros), L’ Paris which sold 18 works by Bosnian artist Radenko Milak (between 4,000 and 30 000 euros), not forgetting Un-spaced that found purchasers for all its sculptures by Brazilian artist Tulio Pinto. Several galleries, such as Daniel Templon, 313 Art Project (that sold a Lee Ufan for 100,000 euros), Nathalie Obadia, Paris-Beijing, Les Filles du Calvaire, Rabouan Moussian, Vallois, Miquel Alzuetta and Mark Hachem (which saw purchasers buy one work after another by its Latin American artists Cruz-Diez, Peres Flores and Soto for between 12,000 and 130,000 euros) reported that they had had their best results since their first participation in Art Paris. This year’s new arrivals were also successful with, for example, La Patinoire Royale – Valérie Bach selling several pieces by its women artists amongst others, notably an Alice Anderson (between 7,000 and 22,000 euros) and a Gisela Colon (for around 20,000 euros).
Art Paris, the leading spring event for modern and contemporary art
not be missed
Art Paris 2020 celebrates the French art scene and invites visitors to discover four dynamic cities: Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid and Porto. In the 20 years since its first edition, Art Paris has become Paris’s must-see spring fair for modern and contemporary art, once again bringing together more than 150 galleries from over 20 different countries with a total of almost 1,000 artists.
Combining leading names in the art world and astounding discoveries from all over Europe, not forgetting a cosmopolitan approach to African, Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern art from the post-war period to the present day, Art Paris demonstrates a passion for art in all its forms, encouraged in this by fair director Guillaume Piens. In addition, Art Paris boasts a strong editorial line that asserts the fair’s identity as one that favours passion for art over speculation and which dares to tread new paths. Not only is Art Paris neither too big, nor too small, it is hosted in a magnificent setting, the Grand Palais.
After women artists and Latin America in 2019, this year Art Paris pays tribute to the rich and dynamic French art scene in a focus curated by Gaël Charbau and invites you to discover the buzzing art scenes of Southern Europe’s major cities (Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid and Porto).
Art Paris will be held once again at the Grand Palais in 2020, before becoming the first art event to move into the ephemeral Grand Palais that will be installed on the Champ de Mars in 2021, while renovation work is carried out on the historic Parisian monument.
An overview of the French Art Scene: Common and Uncommon Stories
Art Paris supports the French scene by associating an exhibition curator’s subjective, historical and critical point of view with a selection of specific projects by French artists presented by participating galleries. For Common and Uncommon Stories, independent curator and art critic Gaël Charbau will select twenty artists whose works highlight narrative notions and tell unique and universal stories. In 2003, Gaël Charbau founded the contemporary art journal Particules. He curates the Audi Talents awards and is the director of the Bourse Révélations Emerige, which supports emerging artists working in France. He regularly organises exhibitions in Europe and Asia and works with various institutions, programmes and patrons. He is the artistic advisor for Universcience (Palais de la Découverte and Cité des Sciences) and was the artistic director for Nuit Blanche 2018.
Southern Stars: Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid and Porto
After Latin America, the 2020 edition of Art Paris is looking towards the Iberian Peninsula and the remarkable revival of the Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid and Porto art scenes. The focus, led by independent curator Carolina Grau, will showcase the specific personality of each of these flourishing cities with a selection of galleries, artists and additional projects, such as a video programme, conferences and installations, which will combine to illustrate the artistic awakening of Spain and Portugal.
Carolina Grau has been working as an independent curator specialising in contemporary art for the last two decades. She has produced exhibitions for a wide range of institutions in the public and private sector in the United Kingdom, the USA, France, Portugal, Brazil, Italy and Spain, working both with established and upcoming artists. Grau was co-founder and co-curator of the Biennale of Jafre (2003 to 2015) and associate curator at the Arquipélago Centro de Artes Contemporaneas (Azores) in 2017. In 2019, she curated the mid-career retrospective of Spanish artist Angela de la Cruz at CGAC Santiago de Compostela and she is currently working on the solo exhibition of Portuguese artist Vasco Barata for the MAAT (Lisbon).
Solo Show: encouraging monographic exhibitions
Monographic exhibitions are a special moment in an artist’s career. They help develop a better understanding of their work and, in so doing, add to their reputation. Ever since 2015 and thanks to a subsidised tariff, the “Solo Show” sector has been encouraging the presentation of some forty monographic exhibitions spread throughout the Art Paris fair.
Promises: supporting young galleries and emerging artists
The “Promises” sector of Art Paris is located in the central part of the Grand Palais. It showcases 14 galleries with less than six years of existence, each of which will be presenting between one and three emerging artists. In this way, Art Paris acts as a catalyst for young French and international artists, offering them and emerging galleries an unprecedentedly high level of visibility in an international art event.
