Art Paris Celebrates 25th Anniversary with 2023 Edition at Grand Palais Éphémère

Art Paris is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an edition that will bring together some 134 galleries from 25 different countries at the Grand Palais Éphémère from 30 March to 2 April 2023.

Art Paris – which was founded in 1999 - is organised by France Conventions, a French family-run business. Thanks to the efforts of its owners, Julien and Valentine Lecêtre, together with fair director Guillaume Piens, in the space of 25 years, Art Paris has become a leading spring arts event, an innovative art fair that fosters discovery, setting out to explore in depth the world of modern and contemporary art.

A regional, national and cosmopolitan fair, Art Paris has put the spotlight on many countries or continent’s art scene: Russia (2013), China (2014), Singapore and Southeast Asia (2015), Korea (2016), Africa (2017), Switzerland (2018), Latin America (2019) and the Iberian Peninsula (2020). In parallel, Art Paris is committed to supporting the French scene. Since 2018, it has been asking an exhibition curator to turn a subjective, historical and critical eye on a selection of specific projects by French artists from among the participating galleries. A specific theme is chosen and the focus is accompanied by a text presenting their work. In 2018, François Piron considered those artists whom history had passed by. This was followed in 2019 by A Gaze at Women Artists in France curated by Camille Morineau and her association AWARE, Common and Uncommon Stories by Gaël Charbau (2020), Portraiture and Figuration by Hervé Mikaeloff (2021) and Natural Histories by Alfred Pacquement in 2022. This year’s theme is Art & Commitment with Independent exhibition Marc Donnadieu.

The Covid-19 pandemic marked a turning point in the fair’s history. Art Paris was the world’s first post-lockdown “physical” art fair in September 2020 and, in 2021, it went on to become the first event to inaugurate the Temporary Grand Palais on the Champ-de-Mars. Six months later, in April 2022, it was also the first fair to adopt a sustainable, life cycle analysis-based approach to its organisation. Its recent themes are totally in tune with those that are omnipresent in both society and contemporary creation: art and the environment in 2022 and commitment and exile in 2023. These strong convictions and commitments contribute to the originality of this leading spring arts event and set it apart on the art fair calendar.

Boosted by the success of its previous editions, the 2023 selection pursues the fair’s development with a list of exhibitors renewed at 33% (i.e., 44 new galleries compared to 2022) and the continued presence of a number of international heavyweights: Almine Rech, Continua, Lelong & Co., Mennour, Perrotin, Templon and Nathalie Obadia. 60% of the exhibitors are domestic galleries and 40% internationally-based. This deliberate choice enables the fair to showcase the wealth of the French gallery ecosystem that includes leading modern and contemporary art galleries and galleries based in towns all over France, while providing support to emerging structures with “Promises”, the sector for young galleries. Noteworthy returning exhibitors include galleries such as Derouillon, Dina Vierny, Catherine Putman, Maria Lund and Anne-Sarah Benichou, whereas Maïa Muller will be taking part for the first time. As far as other countries are concerned, the list gains some new names with the first participation of a Chilean gallery (AMS), a Ugandan gallery (Afriart), a Romanian gallery (Gaep) and a Lebanese gallery (Saleh Barakat Gallery). Turkey will be represented this year by two galleries (Martch Art Project and The Pill), as will Morocco with the Comptoir des Mines and Atelier 21. Korea boasts four exhibitors: H.A.N. Gallery, Gallery Woong, Simon Gallery and 313 Art Project. A Palazzo (Brescia), Baronian (Brussels), HdM Gallery (Beijing), Francesca Minini (Milan), Poggiali (Florence) and Nosbaum Reding (Luxembourg) are making their first appearance to the fair. The number of exhibitors showcasing modern art continues to progress with the return of galleries such as Ditesheim, Zlotowski and Repetto and first-time exhibitor Retelet (Monaco). The same goes for photography with new exhibitors Bigaignon and Fisheye Gallery and returning exhibitor Camera Obscura.

Independent exhibition curator Marc Donnadieu shares his perspective on the French scene with a selection of 20 artists from different generations exhibited by this edition’s galleries. This focus explores these artists’ approach to the concept of commitment, whether a commitment to art and artworks, or to the world, its history and what is happening today. According to Marc Donnadieu: “If art doesn’t change the world, some works of art do resist and, in their own way, counter the attacks to which the world is subjected. Such works make us more clairvoyant; they foster empathy and emancipation, obliging us to open our eyes to art and the world, to their history and current events. It is this commitment made by artists and their art that I want to put in the spotlight and contrast with the obscurity that is darkening the outlook today.”

Selected Artists: Paz Corona, Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire / Sépànd Danesh, Praz-Delavallade / Damien Deroubaix, Nosbaum Reding / Angèle Etoundi Essamba, Galerie Carole Kvasnevski  / Jacques Grinberg, Galerie Kaléidoscope / Laura Henno, Nathalie Obadia / Alain Josseau, Galerie Claire Gastaud / Kubra Khademi, Galerie Eric Mouchet / Randa Maroufi, Paris-B / Agathe May, Galerie Catherine Putman / Hassan Musa, Galerie Maïa Muller / Prune Nourry, Templon  / Agathe Pitié, Michel Soskine Inc. / Rakajoo, Danysz / Paul Rebeyrolle, Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger / Apolonia Sokol, The Pill / Nancy Spero, Lelong & Co. / Hervé Télémaque, Galerie Rabouan Moussion / Thu Van Tran, Almine Rech / Duncan Wylie, Backslash

Art Paris Schedule

Grand Palais Éphémère Place Joffre 75007 Paris Opening preview (invitation only) Wednesday 29 March from 11 am to 9 pm

Opening times: Thursday 30 March from 12 to 8 pm, Friday 31 March from 12 to 7 pm, Saturday 1 April from 12 to 8 pm Sunday 2 April from 12 to 8 pm