ARTSECO – is expanding its offer and is on its way to Paris for FIAC 2016 with 5 men and 2 flexible trucks, and you can tell that the galleries are driving with the handbrake on.
There were fewer volumes, fewer large sculptures on display (at least in the Grand Palais) and the young organization team led by Frederic (FIAC) is getting more concessions from the city. The road between the Petit and Grand Palais was closed to traffic… both for the set-up and dismantling phases and during the fair. The reason: the customer is king… even in Paris. This means that visitors and gallery owners can move freely between the two halls – very charming! Unfortunately, the plan was not to give the artshippers more space – what a shame!
The Petit Palais: a very nice building with beautiful murals and mosaic floors. This is an invitation to a great sculpture exhibition, although it was kept very small with only one wing. Otherwise, the museum continued to operate. This cannot be compared with the SculpturePark at Frieze. Expansion possibilities would be desirable!
Another topic: security at the Grand Palais!
Security is very important here. Every art dealer is probably asked 50 times for his ID, even if he has just walked through the same security guy 2 minutes before.
During the set-up phase, sniffer dogs walk every corner of the fair, sniff the suitcases of the art dealers and even the art is sniffed as a precaution.
Paris! The city of love!
But somehow this is withheld from our drivers. It’s a horror to drive a truck in Paris. Countless little moped speedsters that seem to come from everywhere. You think there are special rules for them. No parking facilities on the Îlle de Paris (we are spoiled Berliners though) and last but not least, almost none of the officials speak English. You only ever understand “allez allez”… Everyday madness for our French colleagues. So it’s no surprise that a delivery in Paris is much more expensive than in Berlin. But I still love this vibrant city! So much history, beautifully preserved architecture, divine food, “crazy people” with a friendly, open manner, even if they vehemently insist on speaking French.
Au revoir a prochaine anée dans la FIAC!
