Fiac in search of values against the crisis

What remains is our love? The issue plane as a broken record on this 35th edition of the Fiac (International Contemporary Art Fair), refined as a recipe to cope with international competition by the duo Martin Bethenod, Commissioner General, and Jennifer Flay, artistic director. Sober by the news of the stock market, investors already assessing the discount their last purchases at the peak of the market - minus 25%? "Calculated Monday a large number of real estate - and leave the field free collectors always where art and money are not blood brothers.

paradox? Under the wind threatening to the financial crisis, the tour de force, which was to come to Paris the stars of New York and London, change abruptly context. Buoyed by the rise of contemporary art, this Fiac 2008 has opted for greater legibility at the Grand Palais, which is biased to one-man-show kings as net market Anglo-Saxon dominance. Christopher Wool, minimal and abstract, at Luhring Augustine, the terrible Chapman brothers, fed by Goya and the against-culture "british", in White Cube. Joan Mitchell, solar ode to painting, at Cheim & Read, to Wilhelm Sasnal, star of the Polish scene hanging monastic at Sadie Coles. Who will live?

Once removed the net guaranteed success, everyone is in the same starting blocks duty to defend its choices, its artists, its biases, its vision of art in sum . The walk is fresher, more personal, emerged as an obligation of results. "Pe-ut should be a huge drain to return to basics, move, replace the clocks on time. Art is like life. There are times when we must offload surplus and look who is really, "says the Brussels Hufkens Xavier (Antony Gormley, Louise Bourgeois and Bertrand Lavier), officially" optimistic "as many of its peers.

Well determined edition

The wind had shot the most relaxed haughty pillars of the London scene, last week at the Frieze Art Fair. It gives wings to visitors more conventional Fiac, comforted in their particularity yesterday "fashioned" to gauge contemporary art in the light of modern art. Although determined through the French cultural exception, this 35th edition and is directed Vieira da Silva, Queen of the maze (1908-1992), with Jeanne Bucher, a French sculptor inspired and forgotten, Etienne-Martin (1913-1995), In Marwan Hoss, a Hans Bellmer (1902-1975), Surrealist spirit, illustrator of Battle and subtle designer, gallery 1900-2000. The confrontation Calder, the sculptor magical simplicity (1898-1976), and Martial Raysse, a young man of 72 years talent tart draws in Paris Nathalie Seroussi, which outlines the construction of light wisp of Brazil, Ernesto Neto, in the structures of the late architect Andr Bloch in Meudon.

Collectors spontaneously find their way to beating heart (Bridget Riley, mobile and magical at Timothy Taylor). Immediate raid yesterday morning on the directory by Gilles Barbier, true to his esoteric world of words in bubbles and ribbons (new series ... In the Soup, and G.-P. N. gallery Vallois). Sales burst chandeliers for wire-edged crystals and symbolic of the Dead Sea to the Israeli Sigalit Landau (unique between 8 000 and 12 000 at Mennour Kamel), acute interest through the exhibition "Metamorphoses "On the Korean contemporary art to space-Louis Vuitton, on the false mummy Jeon Joonho which contemplates the storm through the crucifixion of Rogier van der Weyden (50 000 $ edition of 3, at Thaddaeus Ropac).

Yesterday morning, televisions were lining up to shoot the former Young British Artist Marc Quinn, exact contemporary of Damien Hirst, whose Kate Moss, in gilded bronze or white, the huge flowers have replaced Ptarade Impressionists-tricky at Hopkins Custot for their first Fiac. Many screamed outrage, but the business went well.

Until Sunday evening at the Grand Palais 12 hours to 20 hours at the Court Square du Louvre from 13 am to 21 pm and the Jardin des Tuileries 7 am 30 to 19 h 30.