Paris Photo 2023: Italian Galleries Shine, Collectors Report Strong Sales

Paris Photo 2023 concluded on November 12, 2023, at the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris, featuring 191 galleries and publishers and approximately 800 artists. The 26th edition, directed by Florence Bourgeois, included a main section with historic and contemporary photographers such as Man Ray, Nan Goldin, Shadi Ghadirian, Martine Gutierrez, Viviane Sassen, and emerging talents like Sabiha Çimen and Frida Orupabo. The Curiosa section highlighted emerging photography, including Yelena Yemchuk and Ilanit Illouz. Italian galleries reported strong sales: Studio G7 sold works by Daniela Comani, Paola De Pietri, and Franco Guerzoni in the €3,000–€20,000 range; Viasaterna and Large Glass jointly presented Guido Guidi (€7,000–€14,000); M77 debuted with Nino Migliori (€9,000–€55,000); Red Lab featured Silvia Bigi, winner of the Fondazione Francesco Fabbri acquisition prize. Ncontemporary sold works by Walter Niedermayr, Erin O’Keefe, and Cristian Chironi (€3,000–€40,000). Collector Ettore Molinario purchased three historical works: a Man Ray negative (1920), a salted paper print of Charles Baudelaire by Etienne Carjat (1861), and an August Sander photograph. He noted higher quality and better balance between historical and contemporary photography. Francesca Malgara, new director of Mia Photo Fair (Milan, April 10–14, 2024), attended to scout the fair.