The bigger space at the new FAB Paris venue meant that as well as taking a stand the 20th century and Art Deco design specialist Galerie Anne-Sophie Duval was able to show an entire Art Deco period bathroom.
Located in the exhibition space at one end of the building, it generated a great deal of interest at the fair.
The octagonal bathroom with a cupola ceiling, stone bath and sink and a gold and black mosaic floor was by the interior designer and decorator Armand-Albert Rateau and inspired by antique Byzantine models. It was made as a specific commission for the home in Neuilly of the Dubonnet family known for the famous aperitif.
Spatial awareness
FAB Paris, which emerged last year from an amalgam of the relatively young Fine Arts Paris and the much older Biennale des Antiquaires, moved to a more spacious location for its second edition.
It opened with a private view on November 21 for a six-day run at the Grand Palais Ephémère.
This large temporary structure on the Champ de Mars is the venue for all the events that normally take place at the Grand Palais itself, which is currently undergoing renovation. For FAB Paris it represented a move from the underground space of the Carrousel du Louvre off the rue de Rivoli which had been the Fine Arts Paris home since 2019.
The Grand Palais Ephémère is an impressively large open structure with views towards the Eiffel Tower at one end and it can take a number of exhibitors in comfort. This meant that FAB Paris’ 110 participating galleries (a 30% increase over last year) all had spacious stands and wide aisles with good sight lines.
All the exhibitors that ATG spoke to at the event were pleased with the new simple but elegant layout, feeling it was an improvement on the more limited space in the Carrousel du Louvre and it was good to be able to look out at a view. The increased roll-call had brought in a bigger and broader range of disciplines and this too was welcomed as it gave a more varied feel to the overall display.
Many dealers had taken advantage of the space to set out interesting displays, such as Didier Luttenbacher with a chronological range of Sèvres ceramics from the 1880s to 1950s; Galerie Sismann’s prominently displaying a large Byzantine marble capital from Constantinople; Jean-Christophe Charbonnier’s stand of Japanese armour and arms.
Around 5000 people attended the vernissage on November 21 which included a visit from President Macron, his wife Brigitte, the culture minister Rima Abdul-Malak and various other names in the official cultural world.
In all over 20,000 visited FAB Paris over the course of its six day run. Sales were made from the outset and continued afterwards with others under discussions as the fair ended.
Among those enjoying good results was the Paris animalier dealer Xavier Eeckhout, who sold 13 of the 20 pieces he had on display at prices ranging from €5000-230,000; the sculpture specialist Trebosc and Lelyveld, which sold five works at the beginning of the fair, and Galerie Alexis Pentcheff with nine paintings selling to several new customers.