PARIS.- From 29 March to 2 April, Art Paris 2023 brought together 134 galleries from 25 countries at the Grand Palais Ephémère for a 25th anniversary edition marked by lavish celebrations that was truly a resounding success.

THE KEY SPRING EVENT IN PARIS FOR MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART

Art Paris is a regional and cosmopolitan art fair that focuses on discovery, while supporting the French art scene. To quote a major daily newspaper that headlined “Art Paris has found its formula for success”, the fair has become an unmissable event on the art calendar. The sheer quality of its selection and the works on show (not forgetting its two themes, commitment and exile, placed respectively in the capable hands of guest curators Marc Donnadieu and Amanda Abi Khalil) were widely acclaimed. Visitors pointed to the increasingly high level of the fair, both in terms of its selection and content. In the span of 25 years, Art Paris has finally established itself as the key spring event in Paris for modern and contemporary art.

A RECORD-BREAKING 81,857 VISITORS

An enthusiastic and excited crowd of visitors flocked to the Grand Palais Ephémère right from the opening preview on Wednesday 29 March. When the fair closed on Sunday 2 April, a record-breaking 81,857 visitors had attended the fair, in other words an increase of 19% compared to the previous year, which totalled 68,767 visitors. The 2023 edition also saw a 15% increase in the number of professional visitors (collectors and institutions) compared to 2022. If there was a decrease in the number of international collectors, who were less inclined to travel to Paris because of the strikes, the enthusiasm of French collectors and institutions - who were particularly active at this 25th edition – is worthy of note.

A “FABULOUS” 25TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY

The 25th anniversary party on Friday 31 March, co-organised by BNP Paribas Banque Privée, was an event in its own right. It was preceded by the official visit of Madame Brigitte Macron, who spent a long time walking the aisles of the fair. The anniversary event by POUSH and Radio FG drew some 3,800 people, notably personalities from the world of art and culture. The “Furieuse Parade” by Michel Rocaille & Paul Levrez, in addition to performances by Diane Chéry and Alexandre Fandard, struck a real chord with the audience at the Grand Palais Ephémère, before DJ sets by Jack Rothert Garcia, Bernardino Femminielli, Izzy Lindqwister and Kriss Guess set the night on fire.

SALES FIGURES WERE SATISFACTORY OVERALL

Around a dozen galleries sold out, notably those presenting solo shows: Derouillon with Alexandre Benjamin Navet with prices ranging from €7,000 to €40,000; Galerie La Forest Divonne with Vincent Bioulès (€30,000-€55,000); Anne-Sarah Bénichou with Yann Lacroix (€9,000 each); and L’Atelier 21 (Casablanca) with Nabil el-Makhloufi (€5,500-€15,000). In the Promises sector reserved for young galleries, Galerie Hors Cadre sold all of its works by Lucile Boiron (prices ranged from €1,800 to €11,600); Anne-Laure Buffardinc also sold out (15 items sold for between €800 and €15,000); as did Brussels-based Félix Frachon, which sold exclusively to new (and mainly French) collectors for prices ranging from €2,500 to €20,000.

Several galleries claimed that this was their best participation yet: Nathalie Obadia, Daniel Templon (a Kehinde Wiley sculpture was acquired for €300,000), Eric Mouchet (which notably sold 7 works by Kubra Khademi for prices ranging from €3,800 to €50,000) and Almine Rech (which sold all of its works by Thu Van Tran for between €12,000 and €35 000).

Significantly, the number of six-figure sales increased at this edition, in particular for historical works, a fact that bears witness to a higher calibre of visiting collectors and institutions. A small Germaine Richier sculpture on the stand of Clavé Fine Art was sold for €200,000; and an Albert Marquet painting was acquired from Helene Bailly for €400,000. Contemporary art was no exception with a painting by Hervé Télémaque priced at €130,000 (Galerie Rabouan Moussion) and a mirror sculpture by Anish Kapoor that sold for more than €700,000 euros (Galerie Continua).

The 26th edition of Art Paris will take place from 4-7 April 2024 at the Grand Palais Ephémère. It will be the last art fair to be held there before the Paris Olympic Games and the reopening of the newly renovated Grand Palais.