Auctions do not make an art market, merely a market out of art. Accordingly Paris remains the center of art that London pretends to be. To British bafflement, it is not only about money (though that too).

The Parisian atmosphere, though, is cordite tense. Both police and homeless people are more noticeable, though begging is not. Despite the overflowing restaurants, the resident flâneurs and tourist boulevardiers, there is a residual taste of the terror attacks earlier this year. The political climate is already in pre-election dysphasia due to the rise of populist parties across Europe, right and left. France doesn’t know yet whether it is after all a nation of xenophobes or the flag-bearer above the barricades.

The Grand Palais is the wonderfully absurd Art Nouveaux glass and ironwork exhibition hall where Fiac takes place – the most important art fair after Basel and TEFAF. Natural light filters into the vast hall, playing on paintings as the occasional bird flits in the rafters. The art is higher in quality than Frieze, as are the gallery displays – less loud, more consistent.

Artists and galleries from China were not overly represented, with the main presence being Vitamin Creative Space (Guangzhou and Beijing) and Edouard Malingue Gallery (Hong Kong), which will open its new Shanghai space next month. ShanghART skipped attending this year because of its move to major new premises the same week. More perplexing was the absence of Long March Space. Collectors from China were noticeable, particularly younger collectors, but the numbers were not great.

One of the standout displays of the entire fair was Vitamin’s exercise in understatement. Curated by Danh Vo at joint solo show with Liu Ye, there was not artificial lighting, so as the day waned, the booth was cast into shadow. The works by Vo and Liu were relatively small and sparse but to judge by visitors, the result was hugely successful. Also worth of special comment was Leandro Ehrlich “Changing Rooms” 2016, a hall of mirrors without mirrors, at Luciana Brito (São Paulo), and Wesley Meuris “The Agency c.o.“ at Jérôme Poggi (Paris)

Ai Weiwei had giant bronze tree stump at Galerie Max Hetzler (Berlin, Paris) and Kraupa-Tuskany-Zeidler (Berlin) had a solo-presentation of Guan Xiao’s installation at the London ICA last year. Ying Miao was shown at Galerie Nächst St. Stephen Rosemarie Schwarzwälder.

Underneath the Arches

fiac at the Grande Palais (there’s always some guy who thinks he simply MUST wear red trousers)

Danh Vo at Vitamin Creative Space – a cage not fit for purpose

Louise Lawler at Metro Pictures (New York)

Pierre Huyghe at Johnen Galerie / Esther Schipper

Chou Yu-Cheng at Edouard Malingue Gallery (Hong Kong & Shanghai)

Iván Navarro “Silent Listen” 2016 at Galerie Daniel Templon

Rooms and de ja vu

Reported sales were good, though for Fiac this is unsurprising. Sales in the satellite fairs were less robust, with numerous gallerists unhappy with Asia Now, though Paris International appeared to do better. Indeed, a number of galleries at Asia Now should really have been at Fiac, among them Tang Contemporary and Leo Xu Projects – note well, Fiac. Bank from Shanghai faired rather better at Paris International.

In the Petit Palais opposite the main fair, set amidst the permanent collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, was “On Site”, Fiac’s sort-of version of Basel’s Art Unlimited, with 36 individual artists, including Yu Honglei, whose double-screen video work “En Route” (2016) greeted visitors at the entrance to the exhibition hall (Antenna Space). It was a nice idea, if both a little grandiose and a little kitsch (but the French have a weakness for this, just as the English do for pictures of cows). Kehinde Wiley’s mannerist religious/political works are also on show in the Petit Palais. “Lamentation” continues until January 15, 2017. Wiley also gave a rousing speech praising gallerist Daniel Templon at the party celebrating 50 years of his gallery (a landmark to which we will return in a later article).