It is sixteen years since Jennifer Flay is at the controls of the Fiac. And this last was confirmed yesterday during a press conference at the Salon Opéra, on the fourth floor of the Galeries Lafayette department store, that she had every intention to stay there at least until the event returns in 2024, in the Grand Palais brand new. It will close in 2020 for major restructuring work and surrender to the security standards.

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Like all other fairs, the Fiac would have to move. She will be under a tent in the Champs de Mars, in front of the military School, just like in the good old days of the Salon de Mars in the 1990s.

For the two years left to live under the canopy, Jennifer Flay has put the package to go up again in range and make the Fiac event not to be missed in the course of fairs of modern and contemporary art ever more dense, ever more rich. Year-to-year, the Fiac has improved, to achieve a real fame.

VIDEO – Fiac: art or speculation?

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For evidence, the return of large international galleries like Hauser & Wirth (New York, Zuric) in 2018, and the arrival of news this year, like Levy Gorvy, the duo of London and New York. Or even Magnin-A, which gives pride of place to contemporary artists of african sector which has developed considerably, the proof being the success of the fair nos 1/54 in London, New York and Marrakech.

The emerging scene is always in the limelight

The Fiac will host under the canopy of 197 galleries from 29 countries, of which two represented for the first time: the Ivory Coast and Iran. Iceland, Poland, the Czech Republic, are at it again here. Also of note was the return of nine galleries representing different geographical areas and different generations: the Lisson gallery (London, New York, Shanghai), Nara Roesler (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, New York), Contemporary Fine Arts (Berlin), hunt kastner (Prague), Campoli Presti (Paris, London), Tomio Koyama (Tokyo), Gallery Papillon (Paris), Sprovieri (London), Baronian Xippas (Brussels).

Sector is very popular with young collectors, the emerging scene is always in the spotlight, with ten galleries, with financial support of the Galeries Lafayette Group, faithful partner of the event since 2009. The Sector Design, reintroduced in 2017, with five of the best galleries in paris (Jousse entreprise, Galerie kreo, Laffanour – Galerie Downtown, Eric Philippe and Galerie Patrick Seguin) continues its breakthrough.

As always, the Fiac beyond its walls. It extends with thirty sculptures and installations, in the framework of the Petit Palais, on Avenue Winston Churchill, piétonnisée during the week. The set is designed in collaboration with Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel, curator of the next Biennale of Riga.

In collaboration with the musée du Louvre, Fiac presents a new course of twenty works outdoors within the Garden of the Tuileries, as well as a monographic exhibition of the English artist Glenn Brown, in collaboration with the Max Hetzler Gallery (Paris, Berlin) at the musée national Eugène Delacroix. For the second year in a row, will be exposed architectures, such as houses of Proven or other, on the Place de la Concorde.

To the Place Vendôme, he was given carte blanche to Yayoi Kusama, a famous japanese artist of 90 years. TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP

To the Place Vendôme, he was given carte blanche to Yayoi Kusama, a famous japanese artist of 90 years, supported by gallery Victoria Miro (London, Venezia). It is anticipated that the installation is wiser than that of McCarty, who had aroused a huge outcry in 2014. It’s a choice of clever, in tune with the times, given the return in strength of the women on the art market…

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For years, the French complained about being in a minority in this fair, and especially not to have the strategic place in the golden square, in the middle of the Grand Palais. One remembers the mounted to the front of Daniel Templon to explain that without the French merchants, to support their artists as the Anglo-Saxons have known so well – or even better!- to do so, there would have been no Fiac. It is true that in order to restore the appropriation to this event, which was at its lowest when Jennifer Flay and Marine Bethenot have taken over there are fifteen years, it had to do with the return of major international galleries. And because of this, they roll out the red carpet…

Area in the Swamp

Now that the Fiac has acquired its international reputation, the French seem to have reconquered from the chorus of Jennifer Flay who has sung their praises, during the press conference, yesterday evening, at the Galleries Lafayette! The galleries of the hexagon – Kamel Mennour, Nathalie Obadia, Perrotin, Almine Rech, Georges-Philippe & Nathalie Vallois, Jocelyn Wolff, or those recognized for their role as prescriber as Allen, Balice Hertling, Gaudel de Stampa, High Art or Marcelle Alix – represent 28% of the exhibitors in this fair, which remains at 70% european.

It is his trademark or, more precisely, its DNA, that differentiates it now from the other more focused on the America or Asia. And with the Brexit, which promises without agreement, Paris has all chances to become a very attractive. This is not a coincidence if the great David Zwirner, 54 years of age, has just announced that it would open a space in the Marsh. Address, 108 rue Vieille du Temple, is well known as the Yvon Lambert gallery was installed, before to be invested in 2015 by the VNH Gallery of Helene Nguyen-Ban and Victoire de Pourtales.

With an annual turnover of more than $ 500 million, the galerie Zwirner (opened in 1993 on Greene Street in New York city) is one of the heavyweights of the international stage. It comes to strengthen the contingent of galleries foreign who believes in the capital, in the image of Thaddeus Ropac, Michael Werner, or Larry Gagosian. The gallery will be run jointly by Justine Durrett, who comes from the new york gallery, and the very promising Victoire de Pourtales. It will open on the 16th of October during the Fiac art fair in paris, with an exhibition of Raymond Pettibon, who has not had a show in Paris since 1995.

The Fiac art fair in paris, from 17 to 20 October, entrance to the Grand Palais, avenue Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris.