Last year artparis was the first fair to benefit from the reopening of the Grand Palais. Today it is back for its ninth edition, and again it will enjoy the light, the volumes, the space and the very particular atmosphere of the "glass roof". It will host 109 French and foreign galleries, among them some thirty new exhibitors. Some twenty galleries will take part in the Sculpture Itinerary.
More contemporary and more balanced
There is a net increase in the number of galleries dedicated to contemporary art. Last year, the program of the galleries focused more on «classic contemporary works». The art dealers specialized in this period are always present, but this year artparis is hosting some twenty, new, very contemporary galleries, in particular French ones. Photography for example is increasingly present. We are thus nearing the ideal balance, and the organizers believe the 2007 edition of artparis is close to what they want the fair to evolve into in the years to come. The fair is also in line with current events. Just as the national galleries of the Grand Palais next door are dedicating an exhibition to Nouveau Réalisme, (New Realism) one can find at artparis some major names of this movement as well as two artists who were present at the Biennale of Venice, Sophie Calle and Yehudit Sasportas.
Europe and America, but Iran and China for the first time as well
International art dealers represent nearly 30 % of the exhibitors, thus maintaining their level of participation of last year. For Europe, we have five German galleries and five Italian ones. Belgium sent six exhibitors. Five art dealers crossed over from Switzerland, as well as one gallery each from Austria, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands. Beyond the European borders, four American galleries took the trip and for the first time the fair is hosting an Iranian gallery and a Chinese one.
Sculpture itinerary, edition itinerary
The sculpture itinerary inaugurated last year, that allows this medium that is rarely shown in fairs to be put forward, is set up in areas right in front of the twenty odd galleries that participate. It is not designed as a cultural itinerary, but rather as an economic itinerary, linked to the market. The interior architecture has been somewhat modified. The lateral gangways have been used this year to set up the editors, a total of eight of which four new ones, grouped together in an edition itinerary.
Two events
The fair will be hosting for the second year the drawing prize of the Fondation Daniel et Florence Guerlain and has prepared a fifteen meter long cyma for the three selected artists - Sylvia Bächli, Javier Pérez and Jean-Luc Verna - to exhibit their drawings. The prize will be awarded on 28 March at noon. artparis continues to support the fight against AIDS and will offer a space for the association Dessine l'espoir (Draw hope). More than thirty actors of the artistic scene, among them François Boisrond, Robert Combas, Miss Tic, Ernest Pignon-Ernest and Tony Soulié have designed a work to create awareness to the message I love you positive or negative.
http://www.artparis.fr/index_fr.php
| 
