CASV International Art Tour - Paris 2014 in Review
Introduction
“Lunar Asparagus” by Patrick Laroche,
photo by Holly Marie Armishaw
When most people think of “Paris” and “Art” together, they typically think of the Louvre. And while the Louvre is a great treasure of historical art, it is not what identifies the Paris art scene today. Paris is a major international city that is over 2000 years old. It has seen more art movements than most of us can list and it continues to influence the art world today. Just as at the ‘fin de siecle’ of the 19th century exerienced, Paris maintains the ability to attract top international artists who exhibit in their many prestigious and often cutting-edge and non-traditional venues. At every major international art fair, such as those put on by Frieze or Art Basel, Parisian art dealers have a clear and strong presence. Powerhouse dealers from other countries also flock to establish a presence in Paris – drawing in big names like London’s Gagosian, NYC’s Marion Goodman and Salzburg’s Thaddeus Ropac. With three major international art fairs per year – FIAC (Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain), Art Paris and Paris Photo, and with the latter two establishing annual venues in L.A., Paris is a major hub on the European and international art markets.
I first began journeying to Paris in the summer of 2000. Captivated by it’s charms, complex history and brilliant cultural style, I have returned many times since then with increasing frequency and duration. As an artist myself, exploring the contemporary art scene has always been at the top of my list of priorities with every visit. So, in 2013 when I found myself on the Board of Directors of the CASV (Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver), with a program of annual trips, I knew that we had to go to Paris! Convincing enough members to sign up for our most expensive trip to date was much easier than I was warned that it would be. The difficult part was going to be establishing enough connections on the other side of the world, in another time zone, through a language that I still am nowhere near mastering. On Boxing Day of 2013 I sat down to work at my computer and spent the next 5 months there. By May, I had more invitations from Parisian hosts than I could possibly accommodate for our program. Finally, during the first week of June 2014 myself and a dozen other members/collectors from the CASV met up in Paris for 5 intensive days of sampling the Parisian art world.
Drawing upon the diverse range of offerings, our program included a sampling of private collection visits, discussions with important art patrons, studio visits with emerging, mid-career and established French artists, private tours of major exhibitions at both experimental and privately funded art institutions by their directors and curators, and an overall “behind the scenes” look at the Parisian art world. Despite our intensive program, I was able to offer just a “taste” of all that Paris has to offer. It is much too diverse to capture in its entirety in such a short period of time. However, I am confident that we did capture the “essence” of this great city and it’s dynamic art scene. Even with it’s vastness and diversity, we were pleased to see a lot of connectivity between our various hosts, demonstrating that there is indeed a strong sense of community there.
It is my hope that this tour and its documentation will inspire increased relations between art professionals and collectors from both Canada and France.
- Holly Marie Armishaw (July 1st, 2014)
I first began journeying to Paris in the summer of 2000. Captivated by it’s charms, complex history and brilliant cultural style, I have returned many times since then with increasing frequency and duration. As an artist myself, exploring the contemporary art scene has always been at the top of my list of priorities with every visit. So, in 2013 when I found myself on the Board of Directors of the CASV (Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver), with a program of annual trips, I knew that we had to go to Paris! Convincing enough members to sign up for our most expensive trip to date was much easier than I was warned that it would be. The difficult part was going to be establishing enough connections on the other side of the world, in another time zone, through a language that I still am nowhere near mastering. On Boxing Day of 2013 I sat down to work at my computer and spent the next 5 months there. By May, I had more invitations from Parisian hosts than I could possibly accommodate for our program. Finally, during the first week of June 2014 myself and a dozen other members/collectors from the CASV met up in Paris for 5 intensive days of sampling the Parisian art world.
Drawing upon the diverse range of offerings, our program included a sampling of private collection visits, discussions with important art patrons, studio visits with emerging, mid-career and established French artists, private tours of major exhibitions at both experimental and privately funded art institutions by their directors and curators, and an overall “behind the scenes” look at the Parisian art world. Despite our intensive program, I was able to offer just a “taste” of all that Paris has to offer. It is much too diverse to capture in its entirety in such a short period of time. However, I am confident that we did capture the “essence” of this great city and it’s dynamic art scene. Even with it’s vastness and diversity, we were pleased to see a lot of connectivity between our various hosts, demonstrating that there is indeed a strong sense of community there.
It is my hope that this tour and its documentation will inspire increased relations between art professionals and collectors from both Canada and France.
- Holly Marie Armishaw (July 1st, 2014)
