The necessary reconfiguration of the players in the French artistic scene

The hype that has accompanied each edition of the contemporary art fair Art Basel Paris for the past three years, like the opening of major private foundations, should not mask the profound doubt that has gripped the French art scene. The slump in galleries, 85% of which are pessimistic about the future, the loss of influence of French artists or artists working in France, not to mention their popularity on the international market, are fueling a sense of melancholy.

Commissioned in March by the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, the report by Martin Bethenod, published Friday, July 25, makes this observation. According to an estimate by the Professional Committee of Art Galleries, barely 1% of the artists presented at the Art Basel Miami Beach fair, which each year prescribes its taste to North and South America, belong to the French scene. And according to the Wondeur IA- Le Quotidien de l'art study , in 2023, only 1% of the artists shown in all galleries and institutions in the United States have France as their home base.

With his experience in both the public and private sectors, Martin Bethenod, formerly of the Centre Pompidou, former delegate for visual arts, director for twelve years of François Pinault's Palazzo Grassi after having hosted the FIAC, advocates a reconfiguration of the French scene. The work begins with the audacity to raise the colors. For some influential critics, the very notion of a French artist aroused suspicion of identity, while other cultures claimed more of their roots. "To speak of a local artist is defamatory, of a national artist, it is soporific. An artist does not exist if he is not an international being," the art critic Paul Ardenne quipped a few years ago.

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