After a year-long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, France’s largest contemporary and modern art fair, FIAC, once again opened its doors in Paris on Thursday.
More than 160 galleries from 25 countries are taking part in the industry event, which is one of the most important art fairs in the world alongside Switzerland’s Art Basel and Frieze in London.
Numerous collectors had already attended the VIP opening of the 47th FIAC on Wednesday, with galleries such as Lelong & Co and Applicat-Prazan already displaying red “sold” dots next to numerous art works.
There were also crowds at the Belgian gallery Baronian Xippas. The reason: a bust of Emmanuel Macron made of resin, showing the French president’s head with a large chunk of the lower face removed, leaving him without a nose, mouth or chin. The price for the bust: 80,000 euros (93,125 dollars).
The work was created from a picture of the president in a black mask that was circulating on social media, according the gallery. The Chinese-born artist Wang Du wanted to turn a 2D object into a 3D art work. In doing so, the artist, who lives in France, left a hole instead of the mask.
FIAC is being held this year for the first time in the temporary Grand Palais Ephemere on the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower.
The building, which cost around 40 million euros and was designed by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, is a temporary substitute for the historic Grand Palais near the Champs-Elysees, which is closed for renovation until 2024.
Text and photo: Courtesy © dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
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