Although the organisers previously announced the fair would go ahead but limit the numbers attending to no more than 1000 people at any one time, the new restrictions on public gatherings in France has now led to the rescheduling.
Thirty-nine galleries specialising in Old Master, Modern and Contemporary drawings were due to take part.
While larger events such as TEFAF Maastricht in the Netherlands and Art & Antiques for Everyone in the UK have either closed early or were shelved, the postponement of the Salon du Dessin shows that new rules are now impacting even a niche collecting fair such as this high-end but highly specialist event.
Scheduled to be held at the Palais Brongniart in Paris from March 25-30, the fair is now in its 29th year and attracts collectors, curators, scholars and connoisseurs from all over the world.
The event is now scheduled to run from May 28-31 at the same venue.
In a statement, the Salon du Dessin organisers said: “Faced with the health situation caused by Covid-19 and in our concern to preserve the health of exhibitors, teams and visitors, the fair’s organisers have decided to postpone the Salon du Dessin.
“The fair will now therefore take place at the same time as Art Paris and Drawing Now, thereby reproducing the international cultural synergies that the French capital would have enjoyed this month.”
The fair’s director Louis de Bayser said: “We have been following the government’s recommendations very closely and our decision has been taken in consultation with our partners and exhibitors. We will be doing everything possible to ensure that the Salon du dessin 2020 is a success.”
The specialist auctions that are scheduled to coincide with the Salon du Dessin are currently scheduled for later in March at the time of writing.
Earlier this month, PAD Paris Art + Design was rescheduled from April 1-5 to May 12-17, while the Paris book fair Salon du Livre was also postponed. With visitors expected from 50 countries, the event had been due to run from March 20-23.
