Moderne art fair returns to the Champs-Élysées

Last year, the organisers were compelled to temporarily hold the event in a former shopping centre on Avenue de la Grande Armée, since the City Hall of Paris had denied them access because of construction work for the Paris Olympics. The Parisian event did, however, reserve a slot for itself in October – originally chosen to correspond with what used to be the dates of the Fiac –, while even the Grand Palais is closed, and while Paris+ is being held at the ephemeral Grand Palais. “But we aren’t worried about that, since we are located near the great galleries of Avenue Matignon. Collectors will find us along the way,” explains Isabelle Keit-Parinaud.

In the days of Art Élysées, the fair occupied 6,000 m2 with a collection of ephemeral pavilions. Since then, the portion that led up to the Arc de Triomphe has been discontinued, and only the portions spanning from Place Clemenceau to Place de la Concorde have been maintained. Since the space is now reduced by half, so is the number of galleries: today there are only 55, compared with some hundred in 2019. This year, the galleries – which are not all on equal footing – will be mingled together to avoid any sense of hierarchy. The fair, which continues to be 90 % dominated by galleries operating in France, does welcome the Jeanne Gallery (Munich) and Art22 Gallery (Brussels), as well as the Barcelona-based Jordi Pascual, who is currently exhibiting at BRAFA. She presents works by Antoni Tàpies, Manolo Millares and Joan Miró (including Montagnes et oiseaux dans la nuit, 1965), available for between 200,000 and 300,000 euros.

The fair consolidates its offer on 20th-century art, and particularly works by post-war French artists such as Jean-Michel Atlan, Hans Hartung, Olivier Debré, Georges Mathieu and Serge Poliakoff (particularly at the booths of the Bert, Faidherbe, Hurtebize, Omagh and Najuma galleries). It also focuses on classical, “figurative” contemporary artists. For example, Robert Combas and Hervé Di Rosa are exhibited at several booths (AD Galerie, Art to Be Gallery, Galerie Mouquet, and others). However, the “Design” section has been dropped, though touches of the discipline appear here and there; and the “Street Art” section has been relinquished, since it does not correspond with the clientèle. Among the most recent pieces, Galerie Leila Mordoch (Paris) exhibits a selection of digital and optical art this year, including a Mandalas de Mars by Alain Le Boucher, 2023 (€15,000) and Mundus Meux by L’Atlas, 2022, (€35,000). Mark Hachem (Paris) presents works by Julio Le Parc, such as Mobile translucide orange, 2017 (€24,000); Philippe Hiquily (La Reorneadora, 2006, a bronze mobile from 2006, €50,000); and Dario Perez Flores. Galerie Capazza (Nançay) – which reserves a special space for Goudji to reflect the retrospective held at the City Hall of the 5th arrondissement of Paris – presents seven of its artists, including the ceramist Joan Serra and the photographer Pierrot Men (prices between €950 and 80,000). “Moderne Art Fair has become a not-to-be-missed event for our Parisian collectors, who come in search of authenticity and quality,” explains Laura Capazza-Durand.

More affordable than Paris+, the average sales price here is estimated at “around 50,000 euros,” notes Isabelle Keit-Parinaud, who aims for 15,000 to 20,000 visitors.