FIAC 2012: Art Market Defies Crisis with New Galleries and Collectors

The FIAC 2012 art fair, held from October 18 to 21 in Paris at the Grand Palais, Tuileries Garden, Jardin des Plantes, and other venues, showcased 180 galleries from 24 countries. Despite the economic crisis, the art market shows resilience through superstar artists, rising gallery revenues, and new mega-spaces like Galerie Ropac in Pantin and Gagosian Gallery at Le Bourget. Frédéric Bonnet analyzes this paradoxical and fragile situation, noting that new collectors often buy with their ears rather than their eyes. In contrast, Caroline Ha Thuc focuses on emerging artists in Hong Kong, where a cultural renaissance is underway after the 1990s recession and the handover to China. Discerning collectors like Jean Mairet, whose collection is exhibited in Wuppertal, Germany, and Giuliano Gori, whose Villa Celle in Tuscany is an artistic Arcadia, represent a more aesthetic approach. The Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence honored Gori from March 31 to June 10, 2012.