This article is part of the Artnet Intelligence Report Year Ahead 2024. Through in-depth analysis of last year’s market performance, the new edition paints a data-driven picture of the art world today, from the latest auction results to the artists and artworks leading the conversation.
What three words describe the state of Paris’s art market?
Booming. Energized. Refreshing.
What was the most surprising development in the Parisian art market in 2023?
The opening of international galleries in Paris such as Mendes Wood DM and Hauser & Wirth is helping to revitalize the city and place it once again at the heart of the global art market. This dynamic was initiated in 2022 with the arrival of Paris+ par Art Basel, replacing FIAC. Museums have presented major exhibitions in recent months (Rothko, Mike Kelley, Van Gogh, Nicolas de Staël), helping to raise the city’s profile internationally. Auction houses also achieved good results in the fields of design and contemporary art.
What needs to change for Paris’s art market to reach the next level?
Paris needs to be able to sell works of greater value. French collectors must also support this renewed interest by opening their collections to an international public. International galleries, museums, and collectors need to give more support to the French art scene, and it’s essential that galleries setting up in Paris represent more French artists, who have somehow been isolated from the international market. Finally, the private sector must increasingly support the public institutions that contribute to France’s influence in the cultural scene.
Paris+ par Art Basel has reignited the Parisian art market. This year, the fair will relocate to the recently renovated Grand Palais. Courtesy of Paris+ par Art Basel.
What do you make of the continued narrative that Paris is poised to overtake London in the art market hierarchy?
Tax-wise, France has the lowest VAT in Europe, which is a great advantage for Europeans buying in Paris. London is very isolated but has a large international audience that travels there because of the language. Frieze London and Paris+ are taking place one after the other. In the future, galleries and collectors are likely to make a choice between the two. Paris is waking up and trying to get back to what it was at the turn of the 20th century, with many international artists coming to work here. I think Paris, with the reopening of the Grand Palais and the 2024 Olympic Games, has all the ingredients to be at the forefront.
What do you hope to see more of in Paris in 2024?
I hope collectors will reconsider the use of a good art advisor. Unfortunately in France, collectors always think that having an advisor is a tax on top of the price already negotiated. I have been trained since the ’90s in the United States, where collectors see the advantage of having a professional to protect them from their impulses, help them get priority on works in galleries, and give them real advice. I also hope that with all this new energy happening in France, some very good French artists will be more supported by French institutions and galleries and, of course, be recognized on the international scene.
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Chantel has a special focus on beauty & portraiture. She developed a passion for visual storytelling whilst working as a photo assistant, armed with over 10 years of experience she embarked on an adventure of her own.
Her photographic style is cinematic, dreamy & intimate. Chantel loves experimenting and playing with different lighting techniques and styles. Her work has a beautiful crossover from soft and gentle to bold and dynamic and she just loves a POP of colour.
Chantels’ commissions include shoots for Revolution Beauty, Stylist, Grazia, Hunger, Tush and Schon! magazines. Her portfolio also features portraiture for titles such as The Guardian Saturday & The Sunday Times Magazine. As a black female photographer, she is aware of the lack of people like her in front of and behind the camera, and she strives to strike a more inclusive balance within her work.
We sat down with NERD’s beauty photographer Chantel to chat through her favourite projects, her creative push and the importance of diversity and representation not only in her work but also on set.
Chantel> I began my career exploring fashion photography. I was captivated by Tim Walker’s portraits. I love his wonderful, creative use of lighting and oversized props to enhance his images. Honestly, I began shooting beauty due to a lack of finding a brilliant fashion stylist, which is extremely important in fashion. To my surprise, I find so much joy in shooting beauty and portraits and wouldn’t look back. I love photographing all skin types well and capturing the realness of a person.
Chantel> There are many favourites of mine; however, if I had to choose one, it would be my ‘Synthesis’ series. I love this series because it’s not merely a portrait, but a collaborative piece involving makeup, hair, styling, and art direction. I shot the portraits alongside still lifes, which were then collaged together by the art director to form a new portrait, hence the title ‘Synthesis.’ These portraits have received much praise and recognition.
Chantel> Representation is extremely important to me; being seen makes a huge difference in this industry. I address this message wherever I can. I also ensure that I have a diverse team, whether in front of or behind the camera. This diversity is reflected in my portfolio and the stories told through my work. I notice the significance of subtle surprises from models who recognise me as the photographer, and the fact that the majority of assistants who reach out to me are women of colour. They see themselves in me, which is deeply rewarding. Additionally, I strive to pay my expertise forward in various ways.
Chantel> Yes, I love playing with light. The shoot where I pushed myself the most was in my ‘Art of Glass’ beauty series. For this series, I held different vases in front of the lens, creating a beautiful spherical viewpoint of the image that I simply could not recreate in post-production.
Chantel> I absolutely love all types of puzzles whether it’s jigsaws, escape rooms, sudoku, or any puzzle where I have to solve something, I get so excited and even more when I complete it.
See more from Chantel here.
