Jan Fabre's Bestiary of Self-Portraits Opens Guy Pieters' Paris Gallery

The exhibition 'Jan Fabre' at the newly opened Galerie Guy Pieters in Paris features eighteen bronze bust self-portraits of the artist adorned with animal horns, antlers, and donkey ears, evoking a dualistic man-animal hybrid. The ground floor presents polished bronzes that reflect the viewer, while the first floor displays wax versions that appear warmer and more lifelike. The gallery, located at 2 avenue Matignon, is the third space for Belgian dealer Guy Pieters, following Knokke and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. The opening coincides with a wave of international galleries entering Paris, including Larry Gagosian, who is set to open nearby. The article notes that many artists represented by these newcomers already have Paris galleries—Jan Fabre works with Galerie Daniel Templon, while Gagosian represents Georg Baselitz and Tom Sachs (with Thaddaeus Ropac), and Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami (with Emmanuel Perrotin). Pieters comments that Paris is regaining a top-tier art world position, citing its strategic location between Europe, the US, and the Middle East, and its luxury boutiques and museums. The piece questions whether the influx of major dealers signals a renewed financial opportunity for the French capital, a decade after 9/11.