A small revolution in the world of contemporary art. To strengthen its “global influence”, Paris decided on Wednesday to bet on the international giant of contemporary art fairs Art Basel to succeed the Fiac, which had been exhibiting for almost half a century in the French capital. Unbeatable on the world art market, the contemporary art fair Art Basel, owned by the Swiss group MCH, takes place every year in Basel in Switzerland, in Miami in the United States and in Hong Kong.
She said she was “happy” with this choice, in a press release, wishing “to offer a vibrant week, which will confirm the place of cultural capital that Paris occupies on the world stage”. The great fair had spontaneously expressed its interest in the City of Light in November and was selected on Wednesday by the board of directors of the Réunion des musées nationaux-Grand Palais (RMN-GP), following a call for tenders launched on December 8, the RMN-GP announced to AFP.
“Significant repercussions” on the world of contemporary art
It thus succeeds the Fiac and its forty-seven years of existence. Its owner, RX-France, a subsidiary of the Anglo-Dutch RX (formerly Reed Expositions), had warned against the “danger” of such a choice, with “significant repercussions for many players in the cultural scene”.
The call for competition also concerned the organization of the International Photographic Art Fair, which remained in the hands of Paris Photo (for twenty-four years), also owned by RX-France and “the strongest brand in the world of photo market,” added the RMN-GP. MCH and RX, the only candidates, had applied for the two slots traditionally assigned to Fiac and Paris Photo.
They will have to commit to a period of seven years for an overall cost resulting in 10.6 million euros for the contemporary art fair and 7.5 million euros for the photographic event, excluding technical costs, according to The call for tenders.
Paris “will not be a satellite of the Basel fair”
“We did not exclude anyone, but chose the application that best carried the ambition to take advantage of the singularity and specificity of Paris”, declares the RMN-GP. The new contemporary art fair in Paris “will not be a satellite of the Basel fair”, assures the cultural operator. He wants “a specific brand” – the name of which has not yet been determined – and promises “a controlled pricing policy so that the price of stands does not explode”.
It is a question, he says, of “paying particular attention to the place of French artists and French galleries” by relying on “an essential investment dynamic in the face of the evolution of the art fair market , increasingly demanding, and a strong capacity for innovation”.
“Bridges” between art and cultural industries
Chris Dercon, Belgian polyglot president of the RMN-GP since 2019, dreams of making the Grand Palais, which will host the two events once restored, “a magical instrument, in the heart of Paris”. His goal ? “Working closely with Art Basel”, to “create bridges” between contemporary art and the various cultural industries such as digital, fashion, publishing or video games.
The “new French entity” will be administered “by teams based in Paris”, and will work “hand in hand with the community of French galleries, which will occupy a place of choice within the selection committee of the fair”, promises Art Basel .
An arrival that “turns the landscape of fairs upside down”
For the president of the Professional Committee of Art Galleries, Marion Papillon, the arrival of this giant in Paris “turns the landscape of fairs upside down well beyond France, with a concentration of major players” in the face of which she hopes ” see other models develop [de salons] smaller,” she says. ” I am delighted ! “, comments to AFP the gallerist David Zwirner (Paris-London-New York-Hong Kong). “Those who have taken part in the Fiac for years will have to adjust, but I am certain that the arrival of Art Basel will be spectacular”, he concludes.
The future Parisian international contemporary art fair is scheduled for October 20 to 23, just before the one devoted to photography, scheduled for November 10 to 13. They will be held in 2022 and 2023 at the ephemeral Grand Palais, built temporarily behind the Eiffel Tower, pending the end of the restoration work on the historic building in the main nave, near the Champs-Elysées, whose reopening is scheduled for 2024.