アートバーゼル、仏パリで開催へ　ＦＩＡＣ会場グランパレで

【パリＡＦＰ＝時事】フランス当局は２６日、パリの美術館「グランパレ」の１０月の使用権入札で、現代美術展「アートバーゼル」が落札したと発表した。契約期間は７年。グランパレでは５０年近くにわたり、国内最大級の国際現代アート見本市「ＦＩＡＣ」が開催されていたことから、仏アート界に衝撃が走っている。（写真は資料写真）
　パリでは美術館が相次いで開館し、ライバルの英ロンドンが欧州連合（ＥＵ）離脱したこともあり、「芸術の都」の名を取り戻しつつある。
　グランパレなどの美術館を管理する仏当局は、ギャラリー（画廊）やコレクター、アーティストらからアートフェアの改革を求める声が上がったことを受け、通常ＦＩＡＣが開催されていた１０月と別の写真展が開催されていた１１月の枠の入札を実施した。アートバーゼルを手掛けるスイス企業ＭＣＨが昨年１１月、突然１０月枠に応札した。
　ＭＣＨは、米メディア王ルパート・マードック氏の息子で、富豪の投資家ジェームズ・マードック氏が支配株主となっている。
　今回の入札には、マードック氏の強い後押しがあったとされる。
　アートバーゼルのグローバルディレクター、マーク・シュピーグラー氏はＡＦＰの取材に、「ジェームズ・マードック氏は非常に熱心で、できる限りの支援をするとしている」と話した。
　パリの小規模ギャラリーは、ＦＩＡＣの展示スペースの３分の１ほどを割り当ててもらっていたことから、今回の決定に不安を募らせている。
　地元ギャラリーが加盟する協会の代表は「大手への集中という、フランス以外のアート界でも起きている大きな流れの一環だ」と話した。
　仏当局は、アートバーゼル主催の見本市でも、地元ギャラリー向けの展示ブース価格は「爆発的には上がらない」と約束している。
　グランパレの会場は現在リノベーション中で、２０２４年の完成までは仮会場で開催される。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/01/28-11:56）

The French art world was shaken Wednesday by news that the Art Basel fair has swooped in to replace France's own, long-running FIAC at the Grand Palais in Paris.
The shock decision comes at a time when Paris is regaining its place as a pre-eminent centre for art in the world, helped by a slew of new museums and the impact of Brexit on its main rival London.
FIAC (Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain) has been running for nearly half a century as France's leading international art fair, almost all that time at the Grand Palais, the illustrious glass-and-steel exhibition hall on the Champs-Elysees.
But it has lost its slot for the next seven years following a surprise bid in November from Art Basel, the international market-leader that is part-owned by billionaire investor James Murdoch and already has annual fairs in Basel, Miami and Hong Kong.
RMN-GP, the French authority that oversees several museums including the Grand Palais, responded by putting FIAC's October dates up for tender along with the Paris Photo fair in November, both owned by French-Dutch group RX.
On Wednesday, the authority announced its decision to grant the art fair slot to Art Basel's owner, the Swiss firm MCH.
Paris Photo will, however, remain in RX's hands.
- 'Dynamism' -
Murdoch, son of the media mogul Rupert, holds a controlling stake in MCH, and was reportedly a key driver behind the takeover move in Paris.
James Murdoch is very enthusiastic about this project. He will help us in every way possible, Art Basel's global director Marc Spiegler told AFP by phone.
No other town in Europe has this combination of art market dynamism and cultural importance, he added.
We want to make a very strong fair at the highest international level and create ties with different cultural sectors such as cinema, fashion, music and design.
FIAC had warned of the danger of handing its slot to a huge global player like Art Basel.
The decision worries small galleries in Paris, who were strongly supported by FIAC with around a third of the slots every year.
It is part of a wider shake-up of the terrain, beyond just France, with a concentration in the hands of the big players, said Marion Papillon, head of the Paris galleries association.
- 'Not just a satellite' -
Chris Dercon, president of RMN-GP, said there was pressure from gallery owners, collectors and artists to come up with more innovative models for art fairs.
Nothing can compare to Art Basel's address book at a time when Paris is regaining a strong place globally in contemporary art, he told AFP.
RMN-GP insisted that the new fair would not be just a satellite of the Basel fair and that it will have its own branding, yet to be decided.
They also vowed to ensure that the price of a stall at the new fair would not explode for local galleries.
FIAC attracted 75,000 visitors during its last full edition in 2019, and 46,000 for a reduced edition in October due to the pandemic and refurbishment of the Grand Palais.
The 2022 and 2023 editions of the fair will be held in the temporary Grand Palais behind the Eiffel Tower, before moving to the original site after work is completed.