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Un grand marché au Grand Palais - The Open College of the Arts

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Un grand marché au Grand Palais

 Think local art fair, multiplied by a number with several zeros, and you have the ‘Paris Photo’ event, which takes place annually – in Paris, obviously – but which will happen twice next year – once in Los Angeles, less obviously!  It is a gathering of ‘the great and the good’ of the photo art world and this year was the fair’s second visit to the Grand Palais. It is a splendid location, just off the Champs Élysées, and close to the spectacular Pont Alexandre III.  In the style of the film festival or the awards ceremony, the red carpet is rolled out; though, as an ordinary ‘punter’, you only get to walk on it as you leave the event.

Paris Photo is, in essence, a market.  High class photo art galleries and book dealers set up their stalls to sell their wares to those in the market to buy.  And these are, generally, very expensive wares for sale to investors with very big bank balances.  One might, for example, pick up a 23×15 inch print of a Helmut Newton photo, one of ten, for $90,000; or a set of 70 August Sander prints for 2.8 million euros; or, for us cheapskates who prefer something contemporary, an Alec Soth print (38×48 this time, so good value by the square inch) for just $13,000.  The latter had two red spots, which I assume had the same meaning they would at the local art fair! It’s called ‘Michelle’ and is on this page.

With over 125 galleries and about 25 book publishers present, it is a big show.  Books were well represented, with the Paris Photo-Aperture Photobook Awards shortlist on display and available to leaf through, a special exhibition of the work of Bernd & Hilla Becher, as well as stands from the likes of Steidl & Aperture.  And speaking of the Bechers, it was quite something, on the afternoon of the first day, to sit in on a 90 minute discussion between Thomas Ruff, Hilla Becher, and Christopher Philips, curator at the International Center of Photography in New York – all part of the entry price and there were 2 or 3 such sessions on each of the days.  This idea of being part of one of the biggest photo art events of the year was certainly a major reason for going.  You don’t see much that is cutting edge; a lot is ‘recycled’; and, in general, you will only see a limited selection of any artist’s work; but the quality and breadth of what is on offer must be without parallel.  You might even bump into the occasional legend, such as …

… Bruce Davidson …

 

… or William Klein.

 

I did find myself questioning the relevance, to contemporary photography, of this extravaganza, with its soaring VIP lounge and well-heeled movers and shakers.  The vast majority of the work on display is from past or well-established artists; and only some of it is actually new work.  I must admit, it is tempting to see it as an irrelevant, elitist market.

Perhaps though, on reflection, it could be highly beneficial that photography has its profile raised in such a significant and public manner.  The fair spawns many spin-off events around Paris – at major galleries such as Jeu de Paume (Manuel Alvarez Bravo), smaller specialist galleries such as Le Bal (Paul Graham – and a gallery well worth a visit), and associated events such as the Nofound Photo Fair (held in a former car parking space & very firmly focused on the genuinely contemporary), to name just three.  Without the big event, it is unlikely that all of these would be happening in one place at the same time.  If a major fair draws in attention and funds from which support can trickle down to the new and the up-and-coming, maybe that’s no bad thing?  Hmmm … not sure I’ve resolved that question!


Posted by author: Stan

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