FAB PARIS 2025: When the Grand Palais Becomes a Theater of Wonders

There are events that mark a season, and others that define it. FAB PARIS 2025 undoubtedly belongs to the latter. Beneath the majestic glass roof of the Grand Palais, from September 20 to 24, art took on the air of a celebration, a manifesto, and a declaration of love.

A décor that breathes audacity

From the very first steps, visitors were captivated by the scenography of Sylvie Zerat, conceived from an original idea by Constance Guisset. Nothing static here—everything breathes movement. The Grand Palais is no longer just a setting; it becomes an actor, a partner in dialogue with the works.

Disordered Beauties: art without borders

It was impossible to remain indifferent before the exhibition Disordered Beauties curated by Jean-Hubert Martin. Here, a Lobi statue converses with a Magritte; there, a 16th-century Italian calligraphy rubs shoulders with a hyperrealist contemporary sculpture. The clash of eras becomes self-evident, and emotion takes precedence over chronology. This is an exhibition that unsettles, liberates the gaze, and reminds us that art, above all, is about sensation.

Art Deco in majesty: a centenary celebrated

This year, FAB PARIS carried a special resonance: the centenary of the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative and Industrial Arts, which gave its name to the Art Deco style. The Vallois Gallery, a newcomer to the fair, chose to mark the occasion with brilliance. Its spectacular stand brought together twenty masterpieces by Pierre Chareau, Paul Iribe, Eileen Gray, André Groult, Pierre Legrain, Armand-Albert Rateau, and Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann. A flamboyant celebration of a style that, a century later, has lost none of its modernity.

Jewelry and watchmaking also paid tribute: Maison Riondet presented a remarkable ensemble of historic Art Deco jewels and timepieces, proof that this movement infused elegance and innovation into every decorative art.

Modern masters and the French scene

Landau Fine Art (Canada/Switzerland) made a strong impression by unveiling fifty works by modern masters of prestigious provenance: two Picassos once owned by Kahnweiler, a sublime Magritte, alongside pieces by Chagall, Léger, and Giacometti. A veritable museum-quality fireworks display at the heart of the fair.

In a more intimate register, Connaissance des Arts and photographer Antoine Schneck presented, in preview, thirty portraits from the series 100 Studios, 100 Artists – The French Scene. Produced between 2015 and 2022, the project highlights the importance of the studio in an artist’s life. These multiple portraits, both sober and penetrating, will soon be published in a book directed by Guy Boyer, released by Éditions Courtes et Longues.

When art restores itself before our eyes

FAB PARIS 2025 also offered a rare moment: the live restoration of a painting by Hippolyte Lazerges (1817–1887), from the Sorbonne Chapel. Conservators worked before the public, answering questions while reviving the canvas. An initiative by the City of Paris, part of the broader reopening project for this prestigious chapel, carried out with the Chancellery of the Universities of Paris and supported by the World Monuments Fund.

A fair that is generous and engaged

FAB PARIS is not only a gathering for connoisseurs; it is also a place of openness. The Philanthropic ArsNova endowment fund, initiated by Taittinger, welcomed young people from the Apprentis d’Auteuil foundation. The IKMP association, inspired by Kylian Mbappé, invited youth from disadvantaged neighborhoods. And Dream to Heal (Rêver pour guérir) brought a moving human dimension by stimulating the imagination of hospitalized children.

My perspective

Leaving the Grand Palais, I carried with me the impression of having traversed an expanding universe—where centuries converse, styles respond to one another, Art Deco meets the contemporary, and emotion triumphs over erudition. FAB PARIS 2025 is not merely an art fair: it is a declaration of love to art, in all its diversity and vitality.