In Paris, the results of the first week of reopening art galleries

Audio 02:33

By: Muriel Maalouf

After seven weeks of closure, the art galleries opened their doors last week in France. What impact has the coronavirus pandemic had and how is the future shaping up?

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In the Marais district of Paris, not far from the Pompidou Center, a number of contemporary art galleries are concentrated. The Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, first established in Salzburg and recently in London, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year in Paris. The gallery defends more particularly German and American artists and opens again to collectors and visitors, after having tried to keep in touch by Internet. "  Both the online mediums that have developed are great, but they will never replace the physicality of the works,  " says Bénédicte Burrus, the gallery director.

More autonomous artists?

Nathalie Obadia has two spaces in the swamp in Paris and another in Brussels. She defends many French artists including Laure Prouvost who represented France at the Venice Biennale last year. According to Obadia, it is precisely a certain fringe of artists that will be privileged today: “  We will perhaps have a few more artists who are autonomous in their creative process. So, these are the painters, the designers, the sculptors ... Those who were not obliged to be dependent on external production workshops. Those who are not obliged to have very high production costs.  "

"It takes time to look at a work of art"

Before the pandemic, globalization was in full swing and the art market knew no borders. Baudoin Lebon, who favors photography in his gallery, doubts the interest of the fairs galore. “In  recent years, in fact, the number of fairs, 300 or 400 in the world, is no longer possible, because it takes time to look at a work of art, it takes explanations. It is not by seeing a thousand or two thousand works in the day that one can buy a work. Suddenly, this caused more and more "flashy" products, easy to look at, and which turned art to something else: more towards design or decorative art than art, even if I radicalize a little ...  "

The crisis and solidarity

Ultimately, will the crisis have an impact on the existence of multiple art fairs? In any case, today, it affects galleries in general, and of course the youngest are the most affected. "  There are some very good initiatives that have been put in place, for example the online hosting of young galleries," explains Bénédicte Burrus. We decided to host Jeune Création, an artists' association, in September, in Pantin. This will allow them to show and possibly sell their work. I find that it is also an important aspect of this crisis: solidarity. "

Solidarity that will perhaps save the most vulnerable.

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