Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain explained

The Paris International Contemporary Art Fair (Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain or FIAC) is a contemporary art event that occurs in Paris.

History

FIAC was usually held in October in the Grand Palais.^[1] In 2019, the fair announced that it would move to a temporary venue on the Champ de Mars, by the Eiffel Tower, for at least two years and to move back to the Grand Palais by 2024.^[2] In 2022, however, Art Basel surprisingly evinced FIAC from the Grand Palais.^[3]

From 2006 to 2019, as part of the fair’s outdoor program Hors les Murs, well-known venues across the city – the Tuileries Garden, the Musée national Eugène Delacroix, the National Museum of Natural History and Place Vendôme – featured temporary installations of Alexander Calder, George Condo, Thomas Houseago, Robert Indiana, Per Kirkeby, Alicja Kwade, Richard Long and Oscar Tuazon, among others.^{[4] [5]} From 2018, the venues also included Place de la Concorde, with architectural works by Kengo Kuma, Claude Parent and Jean Prouvé, among others.^[6]

Milestones

• • 1974 – The first edition is held in the Gare de la Bastille 1975 – The fair moves to the Grand Palais^[7]
• 1982 – FIAC welcomes photography for the first time
• 2001 – The fair welcomes video art for the first time
• 2007 – FIAC and Artprice issue the first Annual Report on the Contemporary Art Market, analyzing the sales of 500 artists^[8]
• 2011 – FIAC starts to have an outside the walls part, in the Jardin des Plantes and the Jardin des Tuileries^[9]
• 2014 – In parallel of FIAC, the first Foire OFF(ICIELLE) is launched with 68 emerging galleries at the City of Fashion and Design^{[10] [11]}

Directors

• 2003–present: Jennifer Flay^[12]

Marcel Duchamp Prize

The Marcel Duchamp Prize (in French : Prix Marcel Duchamp) is an annual award given to a young artist by the Association pour la Diffusion Internationale de l'Art Français (ADIAF) since 2001 at the FIAC.^[13]

The winner receives €35,000 personally and up to €30,000 in order to produce an exhibition of their work in the Modern Art museum (Centre Georges Pompidou).^[14]

Controversy

In 2014, a Hors Les Murs feature, the 80-meter-high inflatable sculpture Tree by Paul McCarthy in the Place Vendôme was deflated by vandals. McCarthy and local authorities decided not to re-inflate it. The lime green sculpture was described by the artist as a Christmas tree, but critics said it looked like a butt plug.^[15]

See also

• Art Basel
• Frieze Art Fair

Notes and References

1. Web site: Paris, capitale des arts, galvanise la Fiac 2018. Le Figaro. 2018-10-18. fr.
2. Ted Loos (16 October 2019), A Fair With a French Accent, Inside and Out New York Times.
3. Web site: FIAC-Art Basel ou l'exception culturelle française mise à mal. Les Echos. 2020-01-02 . fr.
4. Ted Loos (18 October 2017), Can’t Get Enough of FIAC? Go Outside New York Times.
5. Ted Loos (16 October 2019), A Fair With a French Accent, Inside and Out New York Times.
6. Ted Loos (17 October 2018), In a Busy Month for Art Fairs, FIAC Counts Collectors Among Its Treasures New York Times.
7. Scott Reyburn (24 March 2022), France’s New Art Fair Is Called ‘Paris+’ New York Times.
8. Web site: The Artprice / FIAC Contemporary Art Market Report is out!. Artprice. 2011-10-09. en.
9. Web site: At 44, a Paris Art Fair Is Gaining Even More Steam. New York Times. 2017-10-18. en.
10. Web site: Fiac art fair director Jennifer Flay on the challenges ahead. Financial Times. 2019-10-11. en.
11. Scott Reyburn (24 October 2014), Art Fair Crowd Moves Across the Channel New York Times.
12. Ted Loos (17 October 2018), In a Busy Month for Art Fairs, FIAC Counts Collectors Among Its Treasures New York Times.
13. Web site: Prix Marcel Duchamp shortlist announced. Art Review. 2019-12-20. en.
14. Web site: Marcel Duchamp Prize Exhibition. Centre Pompidou. 2020-09-10. fr.
15. Tara Mulholland (23 October 2014), Paris Art Fair Strives for Bigger and Bolder New York Times.