Eva et Ad̬le РAll Photos by Caroline Claisse exclusively for Art Observed
The doors of the Paris-based FIAC fair closed today, concluding what was called a “smooth” edition of the fair by several observers, notching considerable sales, and an increase in the overall attendance of the fair, reaching a total count of 73,550 visitors over the course of the four day event. “This is a great success. Fiac has spent 40 years in style,” Jennifer Flay, fair artistic director, told Le Point. “Paris has regained strength in terms of the art market,” she said.
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Pace Gallery
Initial sales proved particularly strong for the 40th edition of the fair, with many galleries reporting sales of everything on hand.  A monumental iron sculpture by Ai Weiwei, which was an early favorite of the fair, managed to find  a buyer, as did fellow Chinese art star Yue Minjun’s Tao Laughter sculpture, pulling in a price of $880,000.  Sculpture did particularly well across the board, in fact, with Jean Dubuffet’s monumental work Welcome Parade, exhibited outside the Grand Palais, sold for $6 million.  Contemporary canvases also sold well, including a Jean-Michel Basquiat piece that sold for €5 million.  The young painter Oscar Murillo also sold well, selling one of his works at the David Zwirner booth.
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Pace Gallery
Even following up on the immensely publicized Frieze, the fair held strong sales throughout its run, welcoming in major French collectors, among them François and Arnault Pinault, who were seen wandering among the aisles of the fair during the Tuesday preview.  With a markedly subdued air compared with some the comparable festivals worldwide, FIAC managed to maintain a buyer-first atmosphere, while showing an impressively strong collection of works.
Duane Hanson, High School Student (1990-1992) and Damien Hirst, Beautiful, I Pushed the Controls and Ahead of Me Rocket Blazed, I don’t Want to be a Dead Artist Painting (2005) at Van de Weghe Fine Art
Art Observed was on hand over the course of the week, and took a photographic survey on the week’s events.
Kader Attia at Nagel Draxler
Matthew Marks Gallery
Takashi Murakami, The Future Will Be Full of Smiles! For Sure! (2013) and Jean-Michel Othoniel, Sans titre (collier aquamarine) (2013) at Galerie Perrotin
Giuseppe Penone, Propagazione (2011) at Marian Goodman Gallery
Tony Cragg, Cubic Early Form (2011) Marian Goodman Gallery
Claire Morgan, Triple penetration (2013) Galerie Karsten Greve
Sadie Coles
Richard Jackson, Big Fat Pig at Vallois
Karin Sander at Galerie Nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder
Xippas
Jitish Kallat, Syzygy 2 (2013) at Galerie Daniel Templon
Georg Baselitz at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac
Galleri Nicolai Wallner
Germaine Kruip, Movement (White/Black/Mirroed) (2013) at Parra & Romero
New Galerie
Semiose Galerie
Frank Elbaz
Adrien Missika, Botanical Frottage (2013) Peres Projects
Ugo Rondinone and Sharon Ya’ari at Sommer contemporary art
Martin van Zomeren
Pedro Reyes at Labor
Clearing
Ramiken Crucible
Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler
Brian Jungen at Catriona Jeffries
Campoli Presti
Blake Rayne, Untitled (2007) at Campoli Presti
Ryan Gander, Self Portrait XI (2012) gb agency
—D. Creahan
Read more:
“Wrecked Ferrari Sells for $250,000, Basquiat $5 Million” [Bloomberg]
“Scenes From the International Contemporary Art Fair in Paris” [NY Times]
“Art Trends That Made Us Feel Some Type of Way at FIAC” [Complex]
“Success for the 40th Edition of FIAC” [Le Point]
