Second Edition of FAB Paris Set to Surprise

With provenance as illustrious as Karl Lagerfeld, Hubert de Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent, and treasures related to the Kings of France, the Habsburgs and the Medici, the second edition of FAB Paris (previously known as Fine Arts Paris & La Biennale) is set to capture the imagination of international collectors and visitors alike. Charting millennia of art history, from Ancient Egypt to today, the curated ensemble, set to be unveiled at the Grand Palais Ephémère from 22 until 26 November, will encompass no fewer than 20 categories in the fields of fine art, furniture, antiquities and jewellery.

A fabulous ephemeral museum, FAB Paris will bring together some of the rarest, most beautiful and whimsical man-made objects, from a Paleo-Eskimo “Old Bering Sea” sculpture (200 BC – 100 AD) and the “most beautiful book of the Venetian Renaissance” (Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (1499) by Francesco Colonna), to a 17^th-century portrait of a Medici dog and an opulent marble bed from the Qing Dynasty. Also on view will be a rollcall of some of the greatest names in art history: Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Rembrandt, Edouard Manet, Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Yayoi Kusama and Gerhard Richter, to name a few.

FAB PARIS FURTHERS ITS EXPANSION

Louis de Bayser, President de FAB Paris, says: “As FAB Paris continues to grow, with new categories (e.g. design) and new galleries enriching the offering in disciplines such as Tribal Arts, Antiquities and Asian Art, our focus is to maintain the highest level of quality. One of the main virtues of the fair is its selective nature and this will remain at the core of its development.”

• FAB PARIS IN FIGURES 
• 110 exhibitors – up 25% on last year
• 1/3 foreign galleries, representing 12 countries from around the globe
• 41 newcomers – 40% of all exhibitors
• No fewer than 20 disciplines (including new ones like design)
• Works of art spanning almost 4,000 years of history and 6 continents
• An exhibition space of 9,000 square meters

A year after its creation, and following a successful inaugural edition, FAB Paris furthers its expansion, with a new name, a new prestigious location and an exciting line-up of new exhibitors. Bringing together 110 of the world’s leading galleries this second edition reflects the fair’s ambition to grow while maintaining the highest quality of art on display. Over a third of the exhibitors (41 galleries) will make their debut, enriching the breadth and depth of this year’s offering.

EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMME OF EVENTS

Building on longstanding relationships with France’s most renowned museums and private institutions, FAB Paris will host an exciting programme of events, including exclusive visits of Centre Pompidou, Institut de France, Opéra Garnier, Musée de l’Armée-Invalides, Atelier Constance Guisset, Jeu de Paume, Fondation d’art contemporain Daniel & Florence Guerlain and Van Cleef & Arpels’s School of Jewellery Art.

SPECIAL EXHIBITION BY THE MOBILIER NATIONAL

Every year, a French institution is invited to exhibit highlights from their collection during the week of the fair. This autumn’s “institution invitée” is the Mobilier National, France’s national furniture collection which comprises 100,000 items dating from the 17^th century to today.  Created by Louis XIV to ensure the conservation, restoration and promotion of French decorative arts, the institution has produced works by famous designers and artists over the years and its collection is today used to furnish official buildings and residences, including the Elysée Palace. The scenography of the FAB exhibition will be signed by Paul Bonlarron, winner of the Mobilier national Design Parade 2022 price. This year, FAB Paris will also welcome its first ambassador (“artiste invité”), French virtuoso cellist Gautier Capuçon who will organise a concert with his foundation.

PROMOTING YOUNG GALLERISTS

This edition will also see a booth dedicated to young talents – five art dealers aged between 25 and 35 – who will each present a piece estimated at less than €10,000. The design of the booth has been entrusted to a rising star of French interior design, Victor Cadène who has created one of his signature collages for the fair.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS AND THEMES

New Finds & Discoveries

In anticipation of the fair, the 110 exhibitors have been keeping back new finds and unseen discoveries, including an exceptional 1928 bathroom by Art Deco virtuoso Armand-Albert Rateau which will be restored to its original splendour in a dedicated booth (Anne-Sophie Duval).

Made for the Parisian residence of the Dubonnets – an influential Franco-American couple of 1920s Paris – it is one of the first examples of a private bathroom. Of the four bathrooms designed by Rateau, only two have survived the passage of time: the present one and the bathroom created for the Parisian mansion of Jeanne Lanvin (for whom Rateau also design the iconic Arpège parfum bottle), today on display at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

Women Artists

Women artists will also take centre stage at FAB Paris. Trailblazing sculptors, including to Camille Claudel, Germaine Richier and Jane Poupelet (Galerie Malaquais, de La Béraudière)will feature alongside Belle Epoque high-society portraitist, Louise Abbéma (Horizon Chimérique). The Parisian gallery Loeve & Co will also shed light on the work 20^th century pioneers in an exhibition dedicated to Sonia Delaunay, Leonor Fini and Dora Maar.

Anniversaries & Momentus

• 80^th anniversary of the death of the Camille Claudel (1864-1943) whose oeuvre is currently celebrated in a major exhibition in the US (Art Institute of Chicago, Getty Museum). Galerie Malaquais will showcase three works by the trailblazing female sculptor, including a plaster coming from her sister’s descendants and appearing on the market for the first time.

• 100^th anniversary of the death of Spanish “painter of light” Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923) who will be represented by two fresh-to-the-market portraits, including one of his last works (Ana Chiclana).

• Centennial of the birth of Antoni Tàpies (1923-2012) whoseseminal paintingGris amb tres ratlles roses (1964) will highlight Mayoral’s selection (see p.10).

• As Surrealism approaches its 100^th anniversary (André Breton’s First Manifesto was published on 15 October 1924) and continues to enjoy contemporary appeal, leading figures of the movement will be represented, including René Magritte and Salvador Dalí (de la Béraudière, Mayoral).

• The fair will also bear witness to the persisting allure of Abstraction over a century after its creation – a genre that has recently made strides in the secondary market.

WHERE ART AND HISTORY MEET STYLE

Collectors, aesthetes, masters of French elegance, Karl Lagerfeld, Hubert de Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent epitomised Parisian style – a blend of art, history, haute couture and wit. The impeccable taste of the three legendary couturiers (and regular visitors to the Biennale) will be on display at FAB with a selection of works and pieces of furniture formerly in their collections.

Karl Lagerfeld actually played an important role in the history of the Biennale: in 1972, he designed the booth of Art Deco gallerist Anne-Sophie Duval and in 2012, he reimagined the interior of the Grand Palais for the 26^th edition of the fair. In a nod to history, the London dealer Benjamin Proust will present an elegant modernist head by avant-garde sculptor Elie Nadelman which Lagerfeld bought at the Biennale in 2006 and kept in his collection until his death.

ROYAL AND NOBLE PROVENANCE

The predecessors of FAB Paris – The Biennale des Antiquaires and Fine Arts Paris – have long epitomised French luxury and style. The new fair continues this tradition with furniture and decorative arts of historical importance. Testament to France’s long tradition of furniture-making, the fair will also bring together the most revered Parisian galleries in the field, including Steinitz, Léage and Pascal Izarn who will be joined by newcomers, including the German Galerie Neuse.

OLD MASTER & 19^th-CENTURY PAINTING

Old Masters and 19^th-century painting have traditionally been a strength of FAB’s founding entities. A roster of renowned European Old Master specialists will return this year, including Didier Aaron, De Bayser, De Jonckheere, Descours, Laocoon Gallery/W. Apolloni, Perrin, Giovanni Sarti, Mendes, Terrades and Leegenhoek. Participating for the first time will be Spanish dealer Ana Chiclana, one of the few women in the discipline and the Amsterdam gallery Van der Meij Fine Arts which specialises in 19^th-century Northern European painters, including Vilhelm Hammershoi and Carl Holsoe.

SCULPTURE

Traditionally a forte of Fine Arts Paris, sculpture will be highlighted by examples from all the key periods in the history of the discipline, from the Antiquity and the Renaissance through the neoclassical era (Carpeaux, Barye), the creation of modern sculpture by Rodin and today. The roll-call of returning Paris galleries – Xavier Eeckhout, Sismann, Malaquais, Trebosc & Van Lelyveld and Univers du Bronze – will be reinforced by the arrival of London-based bronze and Renaissance expert Benjamin Proust and two Brussels galleries: Desmet Fine Art and Dei Bardi.

Taking centre stage this year will also be a group of rare works by women sculptors led by Camille Claudel (1864-1943) – one of the most visionary sculptors of the late 19^th century – whose oeuvre is currently celebrated in a major US exhibition (at the Art Institute of Chicago this autumn and the Getty Museum this spring).

THE GREAT NAMES OF IMPRESSIONIST & MODERN ART

ALMOST 100 YEARS OF SURREALIST ART

Leading Surrealist artists will be represented at the fair. Among highlights is an early work by René Magritte, Le Palais des Rideaux, painted in Paris in 1928, a pivotal period in the artist’s career during which he formulated his own definition of surrealism.

(RE)INVENTING ABSTRACTION

In the early 20^th century, a radical idea changed the face of modern art: Abstraction. The genre which has never lost its sheen, has recently made strides in the secondary market. This autumn, FAB will showcase examples by eminent artists tracing the development of the movement from its early history to today. Pioneers of Abstraction, such as František Kupka, George Valmier, Alexej von Jawlensky and Hans Arp, will be represented alongside post-war seminal figures – Hans Hartung, Reinhold Koehler, Victor Vasarely, Serge Poliakoff, Maurice Estève, Jean Dubuffet, Serge Charchoune – as well as contemporary masters in the genre, including Zao Woo-ki, Gerhard Richter and Yayoi Kusama.

20^th-CENTURY FURNITURE & DECORATIVE ARTS

Rediscovered Art Deco Masterpieces  

In the 1960s and 1970s, The Biennale des Antiquaires played a major role in the rediscovery of Art Deco – a revival spearheaded by trailblazing French gallerist Anne-Sophie Duval. 50 years later, her daughter Julie Blum, who took over her mother’s eponymous gallery, will present iconic designs from the roaring 1920s, including a unique bathroom (pictured p.3) and two magnificent pairs of decorative lacquered panels realised by Art Deco master Armand-Albert Rateau. Rateau was one of France’s greatest Art Deco designers, creating everything from furniture and theatre sets to the iconic Arpège parfum bottle he designed for Jeanne Lanvin.

Also on view will be a recently-rediscovered vase designed by Louis Süe, another leading figure of the first generation of Art Deco ensembliers (decorators). Presented by Sèvres porcelain specialist Didier Luttenbacher, this breathtaking piece was commissioned from the prestigious manufacture in 1935 for the SS Normandie, perhaps the grandest and most extravagantly decorated liners of all time.

20^th Century Design

Design will make its debut at FAB this year, with eminent dealers presenting creations by some of the most important names in the field. These include Anne-Sophie Duval, Demisch Danant, the New York specialist in European post-war design, Matthieu Richard whose Paris gallery focuses on 20^th century decorative arts and design and will present 1950s furniture by Jacques Adnet and Alain Marcelpoil, the French dealer who contributed to the rediscovery of André Sornay and will present 1930s pieces by the French avant-garde furniture designer, today highly sought after for his innovative fabrication techniques and his minimalist aesthetic.

ASIAN ART THROUGH THE AGES

This year’s selection also celebrates centuries of Asian creation, from a Gandhāra pedestal – a rare vestige of the Indo-Aryan civilisation that flourished in the 3^rd-4^th centuries in what is now northwestern Pakistan – to exquisite creations by two contemporary Japanese artists: leading ceramicist Yukiya Izumita and Ryuhei Sako, known for his use of the 400-year-old mokume-gane (‘wood-grain metal’) technique and whose creations can be found in leading museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

TRIBAL ART – ARCHEOLOGY – ISLAMIC AND INDIAN ART

FAB Paris (formerly known as Fine Arts Paris & La Biennale) was created in February 2022, in a move to combine the synergies, expertise and global reputation of two highly regarded French art fairs: La Biennale des Antiquaires and Fine Arts Paris.

The world-renowned Biennale des Antiquaires was founded in 1956 by André Malraux, the famed novelist and France’s Minister of Cultural Affairs. Over the following six decades, the event, hosted at the Grand Palais, had become one of the world’s grandest decorative arts fairs and one of the most important cultural events in Paris.

Fine Arts Paris started as a boutique offering of 34 exhibitors at the Palais Brongniart in 2017. By 2021, under the leadership of its President Louis de Bayser, the salon had grown to include 55 leading art dealers at the Carrousel du Louvre. Focusing on museum-quality paintings, drawings and sculptures, the fair distinguished itself by its intimate atmosphere and its selective nature. The last edition of Fine Arts Paris in November 2021 featured for the first time the disciplines of Jewellery, Asian art, ethnographical material and rare books, alongside Fine Arts.

FAB Paris is run by the Agence d’Événements Culturels (AEC), which also runs the Salon du Dessin and was previously in charge of Fine Arts Paris and Paris Tableau. Managed by Hélène Mouradian, the AEC belongs to nine art dealers* and the French art magazine, Connaissance des Arts (which is part of Les Echos Group). As for the SNA (Syndicat National des Antiquaires), the century-old association of French antique dealers which had organised La Biennale at the Grand Palais since 1962, it will concentrate its activities on supporting its members and continue organising the grand gala dinner it had traditionally hosted. An honorary committee, composed of eminent guest members, will be in charge of the VIP events around the fair.

*Hervé Aaron, Louis de Bayser, Florence Chibret-Plaussu (Galerie La Présidence), Xavier Eeckhout, Bertrand Gautier, Alfred van Lelyveld, Antoine Lorenceau, Gabriel Terrades and Sylvie Tocci-Prouté.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
FAB Paris Grand Palais Ephémère, 2 Place Joffre 75007 Paris
22-26 November, 11am-8pm
Press Preview on 21 November, 12noon-6pm
fabparis.com  

See also: Collecting Sculpture Online

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