Marketing your products and services
Market entry
A market visit or taking part in a contemporary art/craft event would be necessary to create a presence for your craft or artworks in France.
It may be possible to identify an agent or distributor at one of the art/craft fairs held annually or Austrade Paris can advise you on where your products might best fit into the French market.
While a gallery will probably want to see real life samples or examples of work it is also advisable to have a current online catalogue with high quality resolution images of your arts or crafts that potential galleries and agents can refer to in the first instance.
Musée du Quai Branly (arts and civilisations from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas)
This major indigenous arts and crafts project in France recently opened, with paintings and indigenous objects from Australia in the collection. The project includes 40 synthetic polymer paintings, 230 barks from Arnhem Land communities, and more than 1400 objects such as weapons, boomerangs and sculptures.
The artists include:
- Lena Nyadbi (WA)
- Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford (WA)
- Judy Watson (Qld)
- Gulumbu Yunupingu (NT)
- John Mawurndjul (NT)
- Tommy Watson (WA)
- Ningura Napurrula (NT)
- Michael Riley (NSW)
The artists were selected following extensive consideration and assessment from around Australia by the museum and curatorial team.
Other art events held include:
Art Paris 2005 – www.artparis.fr
(Every year in March)
International exhibition of contemporary art in Paris at Grand Palais.
Contact: contact@artparis.fr
In 2006, 108 galleries participated (including one Australian). Visitors are from France and overseas. The next event is 27 March–2 April, 2007.
Foire Internationale d’art contemporain (FIAC) – www.fiacparis.com
(Every year in October)
International exhibition of contemporary art in Paris at Grand Palais and Cour Carrée du Louvres.
Contact: fiac@reedexpo.fr
Next event TBA
Maison & Objet – www.maison-objet.com
(Twice a year in January and September)
At Parc des Expositions Paris Nord-Villepinte
Global gifts and decorative articles exposition for professionals. Has been operating for 10 years. 76,249 buyers coming from 120 countries (including 49,246 French buyers) and 2990 journalists.
Contact: info@maison-objet.com
Next two events Spring-Summer collections in 2006 from 1–5 September
Autumn Winter Collections in January 2007
Distribution channels
For the French auction market, price levels are gradually slipping. In October 2004 they dropped by 11 per cent in two years due to the accelerating globalisation of contemporary art.
In 2001, the French Government stopped legally protecting the 450 licensed domestic auctioneers against foreign competition. The two international auction giants Christie’s (€117 million in 2004) and Sotheby’s (€52 million in 2004) have increased their market share. Tajan is the French leader (€65 million in 2004).
The other main auction rooms on the French market are:
- Piasa
- Millon
- Drouot, Gros&Delettrez
- Beaussant-Lefevre
- Art Curial - partnership between three French auctioneers
There are about 1200 galleries in France to promote new artists and contemporary art (150 contemporary galleries). French contemporary galleries have a small structure with the director’s role being very important in his choices and projects in order to become a reknown gallery (only 20 per cent employ over two people).
Sixty per cent of French galleries only sell to individuals and 80 per cent of French contemporary art galleries export.
Around 400 professional and public exhibitions are held per year in France. Concerning secondhand and antique dealers, they are 15,000 in France.
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