Art Paris Art Fair celebrates its 20th anniversary An overview of the French art scene Switzerland Guest of Honour
2018 marks the 20th anniversary of Art Paris Art Fair. Since its foundation in 1999, the fair has established itself as Paris’ leading modern and contemporary spring art event. The 2018 edition will play host to 142 galleries from 22 different countries providing an overview of European art from the post-war years to the current day, while leaving room for the new horizons of international creation from Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Open to all forms of artistic expression, including video art and design, Art Paris Art Fair offers a theme-based approach emphasising discovery and rediscovery. This year’s guest country is Switzerland and the fair will also be taking a close look at the French art scene with a new theme developed especially for the twentieth anniversary as well as the monographic exhibitions in Solo Show and emerging artists in Promises.
On the one hand, the 2018 selection is characterised by the arrival of new countries, such as Canada (Christopher Cutts Gallery), Portugal (Galeria Carlos Carvalho), Russia (Art 4 and K35 galleries from Moscow), Kuwait (CAP Contemporary Art Platform), the Czech Republic (Cermak Eisenkraft Gallery) and Saudi Arabia (Misk Art) and on the other hand by the influx of renowned Parisian galleries, who are either returning to the fair or participating for the very first time. In the latter case are LOEVENBRUCK, Thomas Bernard-Cortex Athletico, Backslash, Dominique Fiat, Eric Dupont, Odile Ouizeman, Alain Gutharc, Jean Brolly, Polaris and Bertrand Grimont, not forgetting Galerie Particulière, Eric Mouchet and Zlotowski.
An overview of the French art scene: a selection of 20 artists to mark the 20th anniversary of Art Paris Art Fair by exhibition curator and art critic François Piron
For its 20th anniversary and in reference to its initial vocation of supporting the French art market, Art Paris Art Fair asked exhibition curator and art critic François Piron to take a subjective look at the French art scene. The idea was to select 20 artists among the projects presented by participating galleries and to produce an in-depth textual analysis of their work. His choice puts the spotlight on some unique figures from the 1960s to the present day, artists who have managed to preserve their independence, or stayed on the margins of mainstream culture. Their work today deserves both to be reinterpreted and enjoy greater visibility. Some monographic exhibitions will notably allow the public to revisit the psychedelic works of 70s counter-culture dandy Frédéric Pardo (LOEVENBRUCK), Hessie’s feminist embroideries and collages (Galerie Arnaud Lefebvre), stencil art by Blek le Rat, who was a pioneer of urban art in the 80s (Galerie Ange Basso), blue monochromes by Geneviève Asse (Galerie Oniris Florent Paumelle) or Vincent Gicquel’s tragi-comic paintings (Galerie Thomas Bernard Cortex Athletico).

The 20 selected artists
A.C.M. (1957) / Galerie J-P. Ritsch-Fisch - François Arnal (1924-2012) / Sobering Galerie - Geneviève Asse (1923) / Galerie Oniris Florent Paumelle*- Bernard Aubertin (1934) / Galerie Jean Brolly - Blek le Rat (1951) / Galerie Ange Basso* - Pierrette Bloch (1928-2017) / Galerie Rosa Turetsky / Galerie Véronique Smagghe - Leonardo Cremonini (1925- 2010) / T&L Galerie* - Hervé Di Rosa (1959) / AD Galerie* - Vincent Gicquel (1974) / Galerie Thomas Bernard Cortex Athletico* - Hessie (1936-2017) / Galerie Arnaud Lefebvre* - Carlos Kusnir (1947) / Galerie Eric Dupont - Vera Molnar (1924) / Galerie La Ligne, Galerie Berthet Aittouares - Tania Mouraud (1942) / Galerie Rabouan Moussion / Galerie Claire Gastaud - Frédéric Pardo (1944–2005) / LOEVENBRUCK* - Jean Raine (1927 - 1986) / Galerie Michel Descours* - Jean- Pierre Raynaud (1938) / Galerie Caroline Smulders* - Bernard Rancillac (1931) / Galerie Françoise Livinec - Roland Topor (1938 -1997) / Galerie Vallois - Yves Trémorin (1959) / Galerie des petits carreaux - Marie-Thérèse Vacossin (1929) / Galerie Wagner.
* solo shows