Art Paris Cancels 2020 Edition And Will Return in April 2021 in the New Ephemeral Grand Palais on Paris’s Champ de Mars

Following the French government’s latest announcement banning all public gatherings until mid-July 2020 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 22nd edition of Art Paris, Paris’s major spring fair for modern and contemporary, initially to be held from 2—5 April and postponed to 28—31 May, has finally been cancelled.

As the Art Paris team explains: “We wanted to keep our hopes up until the very last minute, and were working on a hypothetical final postponement of the fair at the Grand Palais from 1—5 July – which would have given French galleries the chance to meet their collectors after a spring period of complete standstill. However, and very regretfully so, we now find ourselves obliged to forgo the 2020 edition – a leading Paris art gathering that would have brought together 150 galleries from 20 countries, with a double focus this year on the French contemporary art scene and the emerging hubs of the Iberian Peninsula. We will nevertheless implement various measures to service both exhibitors and audiences in the coming weeks. The fair will be moved entirely online and, as soon as the confinement measures end, a dedicated Art Paris – Hors Les Murs visitor experience across Paris will be proposed to wider audiences. Our aim is to showcase the work of those galleries that have accompanied and continue to accompany and place their trust in us – an essential role at a time when both they, and the artists that they represent, are particularly vulnerable and in need of our support.”

Art Paris will return for its 23rd edition from 7—11 April 2021. It will be the first fair to take over the ephemeral Grand Palais on Paris’s Champ de Mars, a vast contemporary temporary structure designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte conceived to host events in Paris until the Grand Palais reopens after renovation works and to coincide with the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Art Paris and its team extend their heartfelt and sincere thanks to all those who have supported the 2020 edition, including the galleries; artists; cultural institutions; media partners; and companies. They also wish to express their profound solidarity and address their thoughts to all who are fighting the virus and to the victims of the global pandemic.