Just two weeks ago, the ousting of the long-established FIAC from its traditional October exhibition site in the Grand Palais by the organizers of Art Basel caused an uproar in the Paris art market.
The move was played by Chris Dercon, head of the state museum company Rmn-Grand Palais.
It has now become known that the antiques dealers' "Biennale" in Paris, which has existed since 1956 but has been weakening for years, and the "Fine Arts Paris", which was founded just five years ago, are merging into a new fair that is strengthened by the connection and is to take place annually in November.
Chris Dercon once again pulled the strings behind the scenes - this time, however, with an undeniably constructive result that was pleasing to art dealers and the public alike.
It had been deplorable in recent years
The first edition will take place in November this year in the Carrousel du Louvre.
From 2023, the fair can move back to the Grand Palais - first to the provisional Grand Palais Éphémère on the Field of Mars, finally in 2024 to the restored Belle Époque building on the Champs-Élysées.
The provisional – not very elegant – double name “Fine Arts Paris et la Biennale” shows that this is a marriage of convenience, the contract will initially run for five years.
Until now, the Paris Biennale had been sponsored by the Syndicat National des Antiquaires (SNA) association and had gradually lost in importance, among other things due to disagreements among the dealers.
A group of dealers split off and founded Fine Arts in 2017.
Since then, local and international traders have had to decide which of the two trade fairs they want to go to.
The future event will be able to build on the successful times of the Biennale again.
In the future, the SNA will recede into the background, while the Fine Arts trade fair companies will become the organisers.