FIAC, Paris

Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain, it was a lovely excuse to go to Paris. I was at Frieze Art Fair last week and this week I went to the FIAC. I had not been before but this year I decided to investigate Paris too. It is a treat to see really high-quality work. The art world is so multi-faceted, this seemed to be a window on wealth and window shoppers: there were those who were buying, those who were looking at them, those who were hoping to be looked at and even some who were there for the art. Sometimes I need to remind myself of the world outside my studio life. If the crowds felt too much or if it felt that some pieces were made primarily for the money then I could look upwards.

FIAC au Grand Palais

The ceiling

There was an upper floor with more galleries. Through a large entrance portal I was led up several flights of concrete stairs that felt more like a back fire escape and then I was through long corridors of small gallery booths, finally descending a staircase that revelled in its ostentation.

The sun was out and the day was so appealling. Waiting in the long queue in the sunned yellow dust surrounding the Grand Palais before the fair and seeing the blue glimpses of sky pouring from glazing made me long for outside. Two art fairs in eight days was quite enough for me. After a couple of hours I left to walk the streets of Paris back to the station and my onward journey. The streets smelt wonderful. Wafts of car fumes remind me of childhood experiences in the city. The big Haussmann designed streets split smaller ones and the light poured through the space while I crossed from deep shadows into further ones.