FIAC - International Fair of Contemporary Art

Paris Art Fair Showcases Modern and Contemporary Art and Design

Oct 30, 2008

Every October, Paris plays host to FIAC, a showcase for modern and contemporary art and design.

France’s newly revitalised Foire International d’Art Contemporain (International Fair of Contemporary Art), or FIAC, is major highlight of the fine artworld calendar.

A staple of the French art scene since its debut as the Salon International d’Art Contemporain in 1974, FIAC hosts high-end galleries from around the world for a four-day fair in the stunning Beaux-Arts Grand Palais and Louvre courtyard, along with a spectacular exhibition of large-scale sculpture and installations in the adjacent Tuileries gardens.

Le Grand Palais and Cour Carrée du Louvre

One of the great majestic landmarks of central Paris, the Grand Palais was constructed for the 1900 Paris Exposition, and acts as an ideal venue for the art show. Modern and contemporary art galleries are housed in the exhibition hall, as well as the recently added design sector of the fair. Design booths featuring such world-class designers as Alvar Aalto, Marcel Breuer and Philippe Starck are arranged to face complementary gallery exhibits.

The more avant-garde contemporary pieces and “future trends” are situated in the Louvre courtyard nearby, accessible by free shuttle. Adjacent is the famous I.M. Pei-designed Pyramide du Louvre, whose ultramodern geometrical glass and steel structure creates a neat counterpart to the domed glass Beaux-Arts lines of the Grand Palais.

Unlike its English counterpart the Frieze Art Fair, FIAC does not limit its exhibitors to living contemporary artists. The result is an impressively expansive array of artists, ranging from the newly emerging, such as cutting-edge art cooperative Societé Réaliste; to giants of the contemporary art scene like Damien Hirst and Richard Serra; to post-war innovators, from Roy Lichtenstein to Jean-Michel Basquiat; to legends of modern art like Picasso, Dali and Matisse.

FIAC is a show which has enjoyed a recent resurgence in popularity and influence, thanks to continuous innovation and developments to the programme.

The fair itself returned in 2003 to its celebrated home in the Grand Palais after an unsuccessful four-year spell at Paris Expo in far-flung Porte de Versailles, on the outskirts of the city. Following up the positive momentum of the fair’s Grand Palais return, FIAC organisers have worked diligently to enhance the event with every edition.

The design element of the show was added in 2004, followed a year later by the FIAC cultural programme, consisting of the Tuileries sculpture garden as well as a diverse interdisciplinary line-up of artistic events called Ouvertures (Openings) which range from concerts to various live performance pieces.

Marcel Duchamp Prize

One highlight of the four-day fair is the announcement of the winner of the annual Prix Marcel Duchamp, which honours a young emerging artist based in France. Named after the revolutionary French Dadaist and inventor of the “Readymade”, the Duchamp Prize is France’s highest honour in the visual arts, equivalent to England’s Turner Prize. Winners receive a prize of 35,000 euros, plus a commissioned work put on show at the Centre Pompidou.

The 2008 Marcel Duchamp Prize, announced at FIAC October 25th, was awarded to special effects video artist Laurent Grasso.

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