Chair

Adelaide Duarte (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa) and Marta Pérez-Ibáñez (Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid)

Panellists

Stefano Baia Curioni (Università Bocconi, Milan), Laura Forti (Università Bocconi, Milan), and Giada Pellicari (IULM University, Milan), Ginevra Addis (Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca), Elisa Consentino (Viasaterna Gallery, Milan), and Sarah Hibbs (RMIT University, Melbourne)

Turbulence in Paris: an Analysis of the Birth of Paris+ par Art Basel and the End of FIAC

Stefano Baia Curioni (Università Bocconi, Milan), Laura Forti (Università Bocconi, Milan) and Giada Pellicari (IULM University, Milan)

This research investigates the new ecosystem of contemporary art fairs in Paris, focusing on some pivotal events such as the beginning of Paris+ par Art Basel, the new venue by MCH group-Art Basel, and the end of FIAC, a well-known historical French art fair. 

In 2021, after the pandemic, the Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais (Rmn-GP), a company responsible for the Grand Palais program, announced a public tender process for the timeslot in Autumn usually devoted to FIAC, Foire International d’Art Contemporain, started in 1974. 

In the art world, a sudden turmoil happened when MCH Group won that competition for a seven-year contract that cost them 10.6 Million Euros (Brady, 2022). It was a moment accompanied by sensational, roaring titles on the press such as “fair wars”(Brady, 2022), “palace coup”(Brown, 2022), and “earthquake” (Adam, 2022), with a consequent protest by the RX Group, owner of FIAC along with Paris Photo and Art Paris. 

Art Basel is widely considered to be a preeminent venue for influential collectors and the “place to be” for gallerists who aim to sell art at top prices, covering a significant part of their annual sales (Stefano Baia Curioni, Marta Equi Pierazzini and Laura Forti, 2020, p.7). In addition, this fair is an intriguing model that has grown over time, thanks to the institutionalization of this cultural event, and its emergence as a business brand. This aspect is signified by the existence of a selection committee, its relationship with key institutions and investors (Schneider, 2023), the presence of international exhibitors, and the definition of an important curatorial direction that, over the years, has given rise to new venues in Miami (2002), Hong Kong (2013) and, most recently, Paris (2022). 

Therefore, Paris+ par Art Basel is a major case to analyze because it becomes a litmus paper of a new, keen interest towards Paris as a European center for the art system, reflecting France's position as the fourth largest market worldwide (McAndrew, 2013, p. 17). At the same time, this event comes at a time when major investments have been strengthened in the city by international, contemporary art galleries opening their new venues, like David Zwirner, Thaddaeus Ropac, Tornabuoni, Hauser & Wirth, White Cube, Massimo De Carlo, Continua, and a young and prominent Mariane Ibrahim, along with remarkable collections inaugurating public museums, such as Bourse de Commerce by François Pinault and LV Foundation. 

For this reason, we are developing a combination of a quantitative and qualitative research, including bibliographic analysis, interviews and critical theory, associated with the development of a database consisting of large number of data pertaining to galleries and artists exhibiting at: FIAC 2019, FIAC 2021, Paris+ par Art Basel 2022, Paris+ par Art Basel 2023. 

With the aim to understand the crucial points that led to this new ecosystem, we will focus our data analysis on the volatility of the galleries participating in these editions, along with a research on the artists and their positioning in the contemporary art system. 

For instance, Julien Creuzet (1986) a French-Carribean artist based in Paris, who exhibited in all the four editions examined, will represent France in the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024.

The South African Pavilion evolution at the Venice Biennale: Towards gender and racial equality?

Ginevra Addis (Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca) and Elisa Consentino (Viasaterna Gallery, Milan)

The increasing relevance of South African artists both in the market of SADC (The Southern Africa Development Community) countries and in the Western world calls for more attention to be paid to the study of the market for these artists. Recent publications in relation to the South African market show how the influence of curatorial power and the exhibition of South African artists at the Venice Biennale have increased the interest of art institutions and the market in these artists. Furthermore, the increasing studies on the 2030 SDGs which interrogate all fields, also calls for the art market to address these goals. This paper intends to examine the evolution of the South African pavilion at the Venice Biennale from its first participation in 1950 to the present day by investigating how the South African pavilion has approached over time: 1) the issue of gender balance and 2) especially that of race, issues that are currently addressed by the 2030 SDGs – by analysing the works and artists exhibited. South Africa's first seven participations in the Venice Biennale (1950 to 1962) saw the presence of only white artists, while there were few black artists present from 1964 to 1968. The very long years of exclusion due to the cultural boycott (1962-1993) did not pass in vain. During this period, the new South African ruling class committed itself to promoting a renewed image of South Africa, based on the ideal of the 'Rainbow Nation', in which its people live together in harmony, in a melting-pot of customs, languages, communities. In 1993, South Africa was again invited to participate in the Biennial and was offered the opportunity to show the work done thus far internationally. Subsequently, South Africa managed to present a gender and racial balanced exhibition every two years - albeit with an interruption between 1995 and 2011.

Understanding disparities between the primary and secondary art markets in Australia: The Venice effect and its implications for artists’ career trajectories

Sarah Hibbs (RMIT University, Melbourne)

In contrast to the thriving success of various antipodean cultural exports like music, fashion, and wine, the Australian contemporary art market has often been characterized as an underachiever (Challis, 2019). A myriad of factors have contributed to this underperformance, including geographical isolation, policy constraints, limited government investment, and the impacts of the global pandemic (Archer, 2023).

The Venice Biennale is one of the most venerable and esteemed markers of institutional approval within the contemporary art world. An artist’s participation at Venice is widely accepted as a signal of prestige and, by extension, would be expected to correlate positively with an artist's market success (Velthuis, 2011).

However, a recent study has shown that the career impacts of Venice Biennale participation are shaped by other factors, including the artist’s gender, the stage of their career, and whether they are from a peripheral or core art country (Johanson, 2022). This re-evaluation of the ‘Venice Effect’ prompts questions about its influence on the market value of Australian artists specifically. Does participation in the Venice Biennale have measurable benefits on an Australian artist’s market, and if so, does it exert a comparable impact on both primary and secondary market prices?

The Venice Biennale represents a natural experiment to measure the effect of international critical success on an Australian artist’s market by comparing career outcomes both pre and post appearance at Venice. This research employs mixed methods using qualitative and quantitative data and techniques to examine whether and how appearance at the Biennale impacts artist’s careers. Success is reflected by indicators such as an artist's primary and secondary market prices and exhibitions. Focusing on artists who have exhibited within the Australian pavilion since 2000, the research will also consider other factors that may have a measurable impact, such as an artist’s gender and career stage when exhibiting.

This builds on recent work that examines the Venice Effect in relation to an artist’s exhibition activity level (Johanson, 2022). There is a notable absence in the current literature of comprehensive analyses of artist prices. Research is often limited to the examination of auction prices, primarily because of the opacity of information pertaining to primary market sales. The rearch includes a novel methodology using Cultural Gifts Program (CGP) valuations in conjunction with publicly available auction data to extrapolate primary market prices.

The quantitative component of the mixed-methods approach will predominantly utilize descriptive statistics, statistical inference techniques, and multiple regression modeling. Qualitative generative interviews will be conducted to gather in-depth primary data. This primary data will undergo thematic analysis to inform individual case studies and facilitate cross-case comparisons.

The research has the potential to form a basis for advocacy and policy formation and may be of interest to policy makers including the various levels of Australian Government, government bodies such as Creative Australia, as well as industry advocates including the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA), and A New Approach.