“There used to be a general feeling that France was sort of dead and dusty, that there wasn’t much going on, but in the past 10 years or so, the way the country is perceived has changed, as has the way the French perceive their own situation,” says FIAC director Jennifer Flay. While the traditional art-collecting base in France has remained steady, a younger generation in fields like fashion, publishing, and medicine have also started acquiring works. Their interests, however, veer toward the artists of their own age group. Launched last year by FIAC’s organizers as an official satellite, Officielle is designed to serve these younger collectors while offering a space for newer galleries to develop their programs and artists. “Collectors, too, have more confidence and are more willing to put themselves on the line now than in the past,” says Flay. She traces the renaissance to the emergence of spaces like Palais de Tokyo and Fondation Louis Vuitton, combined with the prominence of artists like Pierre Huyghe and Dominique Gonzalez- Foerster, who established themselves internationally in the 1990s and paved the way for younger artists like Cyprien Gaillard and Neïl Beloufa. From October 21 to 25, this year’s edition of Officielle brings nearly 70 dealers to Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et du Design, including Chicago’s Andrew Rafacz Gallery, showing Norman Zammitt, and Selma Feriani Gallery from Tunis showing Maha Malluh. Meanwhile, FIAC runs October 22 through 25 at the Grand Palais, with other venues throughout Paris forming the Hors les murs program. Newcomers among the 175 galleries: Tanya Bonakdar, Landau Fine Art, Galerie Buchholz, and Callicoon Fine Arts.
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