What should everyone have in their bag when visiting an art fair?
Elodie Bringand: Their iPhone – but only to take photos of the works they love. Also, water and a Pschitt for fresh breath!
Hervé Mikaeloff: A map of the fair.
What would you recommend to those visiting Paris+ par Art Basel for the first time?
EB: They should attend the opening of the main sector, have a nice lunch break with friends, then return in the afternoon to discover the emerging galleries, and finish with a walk around the city to discover the public program at the Jardin des Tuileries, Place Vendôme, the Chapelle des Petits-Augustins, the Palais d’Iéna, and the Parvis de l’Institut de France. On the following days, I suggest seeing the exhibitions in the galleries and museums.
HM: I’d recommend that they take their time, look at French Modern art galleries or young galleries that you don’t see at other art fairs. Visit as many museum exhibitions as possible, such as Nicolas de Staël at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, Mark Rothko at the Fondation Vuitton, or the Prix Marcel Duchamp exhibition at the Centre Pompidou. See Urs Fischer’s Wave (2018) at Place Vendôme, but also his permanent work, L’Arc (2016), on the campus of Station F. And see the exhibition I’m curating at Guerlain, 68 avenue des Champs-Élysées, with 25 artists and more than 10 newly produced works on the subject of Les Fleurs du mal (1857) by Charles Baudelaire. The cultural offering of Paris is truly unique!
Which artists and galleries are you most looking forward to discovering in the 2023 edition?
EB: First, I’d love to see the great young French artists who are making waves internationally, such as Nathanaëlle Herbelin at Xavier Hufkens, Paul de Flers at Almine Rech, Pol Taburet at Mendes Wood DM and Balice Hertling, and Marguerite Humeau at White Cube and Clearing. And then there’s the bold emerging French gallery sans titre which is back for its second year at the fair with a solo show by Sequoia Scavullo. I’m looking forward to exploring the emerging gallery sector, including Gianni Manhattan and the Georgian gallery LC Queisser.
I’m also excited about the Paris openings of Hauser & Wirth and Mendes Wood DM, as well as seeing these two galleries at the fair, and in particular the artists Antonio Oba and Marina Perez Simão at the latter. Also from Brazil, I really like the program of Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, and I hope that the gallery will show the work of Marina Rheingantz on their booth. Lastly, during Paris+ par Art Basel, there will be an exhibition of Mamma Andersson at David Zwirner, whose work I love.
HM: I’m looking forward to seeing new pieces by artists I’ve been following for a long time, but I don’t like giving names at the expense of others. What’s certain is that the quality and the collectors will be there.
What are the most important factors when selecting artworks for a client?
EB: Firstly, I adapt to their taste and their themes, although I like to push them out of their comfort zone from time to time. Secondly, I let go of my own emotions and preferences in order to suggest strong works. I love it when artists are completely free – you can feel it in the work. As Deleuze said, art is the only counter-power in our ‘society of control.’ Finally, of course, I pay attention to how the artists’ markets are managed by their galleries.
HM: A collector must have guidelines. But after that, the quality of the work and its provenance, are among the most important criteria guiding an art advisor’s choices.
Could you share a secret of your profession?
EB: My secret is to only work with people whom I appreciate for their human and professional qualities, whether they are collectors, gallery owners, or other advisors.
HM: Being informed as far in advance as possible about the works that will be exhibited at fairs, in order to reserve them, if necessary, for important collectors. But I’m not the kind of person who puts works on hold for no reason.
What’s your advice on how best to discover the fair and the public program?
EB: Most people, and this is natural, are attracted by what they know. My advice is to force yourself to go for the unknown: that’s how you make great discoveries. Fairs are at least as much about discovering as they are about buying.
HM: To follow your sensibilities and your instincts, and be well informed about the artist’s reputation.
After the fair, where do you stop for a drink or dinner with your clients?
EB: I also do quite a lot of lunching (we’re in France, after all!) – usually at La Fontaine de Mars, Les Deux Abeilles (for ladies’ lunches), or L’Esplanade (convenient, because they always have last-minute seats on the terrace). I also often find myself having drinks at the end of the fair with friends who are gallerists or artists at Le Tourville. For dinner next door I adore Divellec, and for a chilled dinner with gallerists tired from the day, I take them to my favorite brasserie, Café Varenne.
HM: At the new cocktail bar, CRAVAN, at 165 Boulevard Saint-Germain.
Paris+ par Art Basel will take place from October 20 to 22 in the Grand Palais Éphémère. More information can be found here.
Published on September 22, 2023.
Caption for full-bleed images, from top to bottom: 1. Paris+ par Art Basel 2022. Photograph by Aliki Christophorou for Art Basel. 2. Artwork detail in Clearing’s booth at Paris+ par Art Basel 2022. 3. Balice Hertling’s booth at Paris+ par Art Basel 2022.