Fiac steps up its game
France’s international fair is becoming a worthy competitor to Art Basel, but needs to address issues concerning space
By Georgina Adam | Web only
Published online 21 Oct 11 (Market)
PARIS. This year’s Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain (Fiac, held 12 to 16 October) has been hailed by dealers and visitors alike as one of the best editions ever of the 38-year-old event, if not the best.
Coming as it does in the week following Frieze, comparisons are inevitable. The two events are different, however, in that the London fair mainly focuses on living artists, while Fiac has a far broader sweep, with a number of galleries such as Le Minotaur, Galerie 1900-2000 or Ubu offering early 20th-century material, from surrealists to German expressionists.
Nevertheless, the Paris event beat London into a cocked hat. Inevitably, price points are also higher in Paris, such as a 1952 Nicolas de Staël seascape at Galerie Applicat-Prazan on offer for over €2m, a Picasso Musketeer at $6m-$8m with Gagosian or a Max Ernst at $6m with Ubu.
Sales were robust from the start, from the $1m set of drawings by Louise Bourgeois sold by Cheim & Read to a Saudi collector, a Murakami screen placed by Galerie Perrotin with a European foundation (price between €2m and €3m), and a Mircea Cantor installation sold by Yvon Lambert for €60,000, while Hauser & Wirth quickly found buyers for Rashid Johnson’s work, including Napalm, 2011 ($95,000).
“Everyone has brought their best things to Fiac, and it shows how Paris is really on the up,” said the French dealer Michel Rein: “Just look at the number of foreign galleries setting up here.” These include Gagosian and the Italian gallery Tornabuoni, both installed within spitting distance of the Champs Élysées.
