Christian Mayeur responds to Catherine Francblin's art-business critique

In a letter to artpress, Christian Mayeur, director of Entrepart, responds to Catherine Francblin's May 2015 article 'L’art est-il soluble dans le business ?'. Francblin had painted a portrait of the Parisian art world's euphoria in autumn 2014, followed by an alarming assessment. Mayeur praises her measured perspective, agreeing on issues like 'mass hedonism', lack of critical distance, brand dictatorship (citing Vuitton Murakami), private museums as 'flagship stores', and the impoverishment of public institutions amid speculation. He notes that architectural spectacles (Gehry from Bilbao to Boulogne, possibly Arles) overwhelm artworks. Mayeur predicts only very large or very small galleries will survive. He mentions the Salon de Montrouge and Stéphane Corréard's fate. Mayeur argues that the 'art business' is only the obscene part of the 'artistic iceberg', and that alternative economies are emerging: social media visibility, non-profit structures (like in Germany or the US), 'artist-entrepreneurs' (citing Pierre-Michel Menger), self-organized exhibitions, and equitable gallery partnerships. He cites Alexandre Hollan as an example of a secret artist. Mayeur advocates for a 'new art economy' where artists have a 'keyboard of resources' from collectors, foundations, public purchases, and design production ('relational design').