In October, Paris will host a new flagship art fair. Say goodbye to FIAC and hello to "Paris+, par Art Basel" (or, in English, "Paris+, by Art Basel"). The group in charge of the Grand Palais made the shocking announcement in January that the international art fair behemoth Art Basel, owned by the Swiss-based MCH Group, would take the place of FIAC in its annual fall slot. Since 2006, FIAC has occupied the spectacular cathedral-like exhibition hall for a week each October, but relations between the fair's owners, the Anglo-Dutch group RELX (which also owns Paris Photo), and the Grand Palais' management had soured. While the historic Grand Palais is closed for renovations, FIAC relocated last year to a temporary location near the Eiffel Tower. MCH revealed the new event's details today. In order to preserve the distinct character of the French capital's art scene, Grand Palais management stipulated in its seven-year contract with MCH that the fair not be branded "Art Basel, Paris." In response, the Swiss-based organizers devised "Paris+," in collaboration with the French branding firm Yorgo & Co.
"The official name of the fair is 'Paris Plus,' said Marc Spiegler, global director of Art Basel, over the phone. "We wanted something small and minimal because a big part of what we want to do is work with other entities within the art world and outside," Spiegler explained, echoing previous interviews in which he stated that MCH wished to foster a dialogue between the fair and other cultural industries in Paris.
Paris+ will begin in the temporary site of the Grand Palais with a roster of about 170 dealers and will remain there until 2023 before moving to the Grand Palais itself in 2024, with a capacity of more than 200 exhibitors, according to Spiegler. Clément Delépine, the former co-director of Paris Internationale, a highly regarded fair for emerging gallerists that was held in a different distinctive venue each year during what was once known as "FIAC week," is the new event's director.
"We want to develop its historical continuity while also capitalizing on the cultural context," Delépine explained in an interview. "We will have a V.I.P. team of more than 30 Art Basel people," he added, emphasizing that the new fair's organizers were committed to retaining FIAC's distinct French flavor. "We've always agreed that 25 to 30 percent of the galleries will be French," Delépine said. Art Basel said in a statement that three of the seven gallerists on the fair's selection committee, which chooses new exhibitors and ensures quality control among existing participants, were based in Paris. Jennifer Flay, FIAC's long-serving director, will join Paris+'s management team as president of the fair's advisory board in March 2023, according to the statement.
"Clement Delépine will bring freshness to the fair, which is welcome," said Christian Ogier, a Paris-based art adviser and private dealer specializing in the famous 20th-century art of Paris. He went on to say that fair exhibitors specializing in historical items should not be overlooked. "There are numerous fairs for emerging artists." "You have to give something to fly for if you want heavy-hitting American collectors to fly across the Atlantic," Ogier said. "Paris is all about that."
Selena Mattei