The art scene in Paris is currently buzzing with excitement as international galleries strive to establish a presence in the City of Light. This surge of interest has been particularly notable since Brexit in 2016 and the introduction of Art Basel Paris three years ago. This week’s festivities have been further enriched by a variety of new satellite fairs and expanded hybrid selling exhibitions.
Running from Thursday to Sunday, the US-based New Art Dealer’s Alliance (NADA) is collaborating with the local artist-driven group, The Community, for a special event titled “Salon by NADA and The Community.” The already popular OFFSCREEN exhibition has broadened its scope by welcoming the Marian Goodman gallery for the first time, showcasing a unique project by Chantal Ackermann.
Additionally, Place des Vosges in the Marais district is hosting an informal assembly of eight pop-up galleries, including renowned names like Chris Sharp Gallery and Corbet vs. Dempsey.
Meanwhile, the established Paris Internationale fair marks a decade since its inception. Given the multitude of events happening in this condensed timeframe, a pressing question arises: is there enough room for everyone in the Paris art scene? Based on feedback from ARTnews, the current consensus is a resounding yes.
“I absolutely think there’s room for all of it,” said Lowell Pettit, a New York-based art advisor at the Association of Professional Art Advisors, in an interview with ARTnews. “If the economics are there, from the point of view of our responsibility to our clients, it’s required reading” to attend just about every satellite event. “It’s fascinating the number of different options and experiences … It just means more voices, more artists and more venues in which to experience art.”
Galleries are also enthusiastic about the opportunity. Silvia Ammon, director of Paris Internationale, shared that she has never encountered so many requests to join the fair, with 400 applications vying for just 75 spots. This influx is occurring even as smaller and midsized galleries face challenges due to rising operational costs and a downturn in the market. “It’s been a really difficult year for the whole art market, and young galleries in particular, but I had no withdrawals. I feel a very strong desire to be in Paris and for this week in October,” Ammon explained.
When asked if she felt concerned about competition from newcomers like NADA, Ammon dismissed any apprehension. She highlighted that Paris Internationale was established to fill a gap in international attention for the city, aiming to create a platform for the burgeoning Parisian art scene. “Paris [in 2015] wasn’t the same city it is today. We were frustrated that our colleagues and galleries … were not that interested in coming [here],” Ammon stated. “We wanted to bring in foreigners and offer something else, a platform, to the emerging Parisian scene.”
Paris Internationale, along with other satellite fairs, fulfills a crucial need in the art world since Art Basel cannot accommodate all the deserving galleries that apply.
A decade in, it’s evident that Paris Internationale’s vision has yielded significant results. The non-profit has earned a reputation for showcasing emerging and smaller galleries, often in unconventional locations, while maintaining its community-focused ethos without overextending. This commitment attracted Javier Peres, founder of Peres Projects, to participate for the first time this year. The fair is hosted in a minimalist multi-story building in Paris’s Grands Boulevards area, which gives off an industrial feel akin to a construction site. Peres has one of the fair’s standout booths, featuring a dual presentation of paintings and collages by Daniele Toneatti, paired with epoxy resin sculptures by Rebecca Ackroyd.
“It’s been amazing. Great people, organization, and frankly, more affordable,” Peres noted. “The market is not ideal at the moment, and costs keep going up.” He added that he made several sales on the opening day and encountered numerous new clients, although selling sculptures proved particularly challenging, indicating there was still work to be done.
Elsewhere at Paris Internationale, the ILY2 gallery from Portland, Oregon, showcased fabric and collage works by the 75-year-old artist Bonnie Lucas, whose creations date back to the ’70s. Senior director Jeanine Jablonski and gallery founder Allie Furlotti expressed that Lucas has yet to receive the recognition she deserves, as her highly feminine and ornate aesthetic often stood apart from mainstream feminist movements. The first day of the fair was bustling, they reported, with some sales made, but they remained eager to connect with institutions.
“I’ve wanted us to be in Europe,” Jablonski stated. “And this fair is a lot about community and care, in the way that we operate. It feels very aligned.”
At the former Baccarat Factory and Museum, exhibitors at the new Salon by NADA and The Community reported solid sales.
The venue, characterized by its bright and airy atmosphere, features lush atriums and intricate walkways, creating a captivating environment for guests and exhibitors alike.
A highlight of the Salon was a collaborative booth from Mitchell-Innes & Nash and 52 Walker, a David Zwirner offshoot in Tribeca, led by Ebony L. Haynes. They presented a poignant exhibition of works by the late Pope.L (1955-2023) titled “You Are What You Eat,” which delves into themes of race, food consumption among the economically disadvantaged, and societal stigmas. The installation, which includes broken columns formed from disintegrating mayonnaise jars stacked in casket-like boxes, found an institutional buyer on the first day of the fair, among other pieces.
“We wanted to have Pope.L’s work seen in France and by museums in Europe,” dealer Lucy Mitchell-Innes told ARTnews, noting that curators from various institutions had visited.
Heather Hubbs, NADA’s executive director, mentioned that Paris was the most requested location among member galleries for a fair. NADA brought 36 galleries, while The Community contributed 16 non-profits. Despite the influx of new participants, Hubbs expressed a desire to collaborate with Paris Internationale. “We’d love to think that we can work in collaboration with Paris Internationale,” she said. “I hope that relationship can get stronger over time. We definitely reached out to them and let them know we were coming. We didn’t want it to be a surprise and wanted to respect that.” She emphasized the distinct offerings of each event, minimizing the chances of overlapping experiences. “Paris Internationale’s context is great, but we’re also going to have a great context and it’s going to feel different,” she affirmed.
Booth costs for both fair models are comparable, and dealers appeared to face little hesitation in choosing where to showcase their work.
However, the new Salon faced challenges in local visibility. Margot Samel of her namesake New York gallery noted that she had not met any Parisians on Salon’s first day, but still managed to sell out her booth of ultra-realist paintings by Philadelphia-based artist Olivia Jia, priced between $7,000 and $19,500.
At OFFSCREEN, excitement was palpable as the exhibition took place across several levels of the Grand Garage Haussmann, a former parking facility. Featuring 28 solo presentations curated by artistic director Julien Frydman, the exhibition has emerged as one of the most immersive art experiences of the week.
Upon entering, visitors were greeted by a stunning, site-specific film installation by Argentine artist Andrés Denegri, titled “Clamor (Uproar)” (2012-2024). This piece captivates audiences with its clanking projectors, displaying Victorian-dressed figures emerging from a factory and vanishing into a billowing Argentine flag on multiple screens. The artwork includes winding film strips, scaffolding, and even elements that literally burn a film strip as part of the installation. Priced at around $108,000, a European institution has expressed interest in acquiring the piece.
Frydman explained that he sought works made through various lenses, whether mechanical or digital, to curate a diverse exhibition that included canvas pieces and sculptures. He aimed to create a selling exhibition that avoided a crowded atmosphere, echoing sentiments from other recent satellite fairs like Hong Kong’s Supper Club and Basel Social Club.
“Any person who wants to buy art can be welcome and can welcome the artwork,” Frydman stated. “It’s a very selfish approach, where I want to be able to receive the art, see the work, and share it.”