ART IS A HUMANISM

SHOW OFF, the solo show art fair, ended its sixth edition on Sunday October 23rd at 8pm.

22 art galleries, including a half of foreign participants – coming from Switzerland, Luxemburg, the US and UK, Cyprus and Turkey – attended the event.

A few steps away from the Grand Palais, at the foot of the Alexandre III bridge over the Seine, thousands of amateurs, collectors, professionals and artists have visited SHOW OFF and the SHOW OFF Lab’ over 5 days. Over 170 journalists have been accredited, including a third from international media.

For the second time, SHOW OFF had entrusted its press relations to Communic’Art.

Successful sales for Flatland, Art Lexing and Laurence Esnol

Exhibitors have enjoyed the fair’s format and privileged location. Flatland gallery excelled with Carolein Smit, selling most of the artist’s ceramics. Collectors have bought many pieces from Quentin Sinh, featured by Art Lexing. Conrad Bakker’s stand of vintage records was truly a hit, drawing the public’s attention to Analix Forever. Buyers also welcomed the works of Rowena Hughes (ROOM London) and H. Craig Hanna (Laurence Esnol) with great interest, whereas galleries Toxic and Dix 9 achieved satisfying sales.

Show Off, a place to reflect on Art

With this condensed edition, SHOW OFF confirms its ambition to offer a platform for debate with two conferences held on artistic issues:

- a debate on artists’ political activism during the Arab spring, sponsored by Guy Boyer (Connaissance des Arts), with the participation of Olivier Poivre d’Arvor (France Culture), artists Emeric Lhuisset, Najia Mehadji and Elie Bourgély, as well as François Blanc (Communic’Art) ;

- and a conversation around Canadian artist Conrad Bakker, proposed by Barbara Polla (Analix Forever), with Paul Ardenne and Frank Perrin.

An enhanced programme at Show Off Lab’ and a new award for Young Talents

An enriched video programming, built in collaboration with young curators (Guillaume Lasserre, Mathilde Roman), special guests rarely shown on the art market (Grégory Chatonsky, Maurice Benayoun, Valéry Grancher), performances and signatures filled the SHOW OFF LAB’s agenda.

For the first time at Show Off, a monumental widescreen brought by Dropstuff broadcast digital artworks on the Seine banks, a partnership which will be renewed next year.

Emerging talents were also highlighted, thanks to the launch of the Grolsch Young Talents Prize, awarded to French artist Emilie Satre (Ladiray Gallery) for her paintings. The laureate received a € 2,000 endowment, and begins a long-term collaboration with the brand.

This sixth edition consolidates SHOW OFF position as a perennial event, acclaimed by collectors and the general public. In 2012, the fair will continue to diversify its contents, and develop the Show Off Lab’ programme of performances and conferences even further.

> Download the complete press release <

SAVE THE DATE !
7th edition of Show Off
18/21 October 2012
Port des Champs-Elysées – Pont Alexandre III
www.showoffparis.fr
Tél: +33 (0)1 83 62 25 67

Caption: French artist Emilie Satre (Ladiray Gallery) receives the Grolsch Young Talents Prize from Lydiane Magne (Grolsch)

Saturday October 22nd, an exceptional set of works by Yona Friedman, coming from the artist’s studio, will feature in the Contemporary Art auction organized by Cornette de Saint Cyr, at 8pm at Drouot-Montaigne.

This series, gathering 14 models and 21 archive boxes, is typical of the architectural work carried out by Yona Friedman since 1959.

It includes objects created for the project Bridges of Shanghai, estimated € 6,000 – 60,000.

Cornette de Saint Cyr has entrusted this auction’s press relations to Communic’Art.

An exceptional set of models and archives in the Contemporary Art auction held on October 22nd

On October 22nd, Cornette de Saint Cyr will put up for auction 14 models and set of models typical of the architectural work carried out by Yona Friedman since 1959, including major objects created for the project Bridges of Shanghai, estimated € 6,000 – 60,000.

21 archive boxes ranging from 1990 to 2005, containing the architect’s notes, texts, drawings, collages, and photographs, will also feature in the auction catalogue. Archives prior to 1990 are part of the Getty Research Institute (estimation upon request).

The October 22nd auction is organized by Stéphane Corréard, Head of Contemporary Art at Cornette de Saint Cyr, and will be auctioned by Arnaud Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Yona Friedman, architect of the ‘Spatial City’

A French architect from Hungarian background, Yona Friedman was born in 1923 in Budapest.  He was among the first to study the social dynamics of architecture, and set out the theory of Mobile Architecture, a  kind of mobility in which inhabitants are given a new freedom to model infrastuctures. Later on, he materialized this theory through the ‘Spatial City’ project.

Countless contemporary architectural projects still draw inspiration from his drawings, models and visionary patterns, showing the significant insights he brought by studying space and the city.

His close relationships with prominent artistic figures such as Pierre Restany, Jean Dubuffet or Gottfried Honegger, as well as his recent participation to several international artistic events (Lyon Biennial, Venice Biennial, Cassel Documenta…) make him a unique personality, at the croassroad of art and architecture.

> Download the press release <

Catalogue available 10 days prior to the auction – Exhibition at Drouot-Montaigne from Wednesday October 19th to Friday, October 21st, 11am to 7pm, and on Saturday October 22nd, 11am to 3pm.

Public auction on Saturday October 22nd - 15 avenue Montaigne – 75008 Paris, France

Cornette de Saint Cyr
 – 46 avenue Kléber – 75116 Paris
+33 (0)1 47 27 11 24 - www.cornette.auction.fr

Images: Yona Friedman at home, 2009. Left: Yona Friedman, Models (detail). Photo Fabrice Gousset.