BLOUIN ARTINFO caught up with Maurizio Canesso, president of Paris Tableau, to discuss the 5th edition of the fair, the state of the market and the outlook for the future.This is the 5th edition of Paris Tableau. Has the fair established itself as an essential event in the Old Masters field?MC: I believe so. There were about 6,000 visitors the first year, and this number has been increasing steadily since then. The Palais Brongniart provides a good setting for the paintings. Visitors come here because they are truly interested in Old Master pictures.We also create parallel events, which help the fair in acquiring more visibility and attracting an international public. This year, we organize a symposium discussing the origins of the taste for Baroque painting in America. It will be led by Keith Christiansen, Chairman of the Department of European Paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of New York.We might be getting insights from Bruno Frisoni, Artistic Director of Roger Vivier, who we asked to showcase an installation paying tribute to the Old Masters who have inspired him.There are 25 Booths including two frame dealers. There were some new arrivals and a few departures this year. Can you tell us more about the changes?MC: We welcome 5 new galleries, all of international reputation: Art Cuéllar-Nathan, Zurich; Giacometti Old Master Paintings, Rome; Moretti Fine Art Ltd, London; Rob Smeets, Geneva; and Stoppenbach & Delestre Ltd, London.The galleries Haboldt, Sarti, Coatalem, Derek Jones, David Koetser and Sankt Lucas will not participate in Paris Tableau this year for reasons of their own.For instance, Eric Coatalem is organizing show in his gallery of Faubourg-Saint-Honoré during the week of the fair.It seems that you have extended the fair to include 19th-century painting. How do you delineate the boundary?MC: Art Cuéllar-Nathan and Stoppenbach & Delestre Ltd are indeed more specialized in 19th-century painting. There is a widespread demand for works painted around 1820. We usually set the date of 1870 as a limit for the creation of the exhibited works, but it can be flexible.The borderline between Old Masters and early 19th-century pictures is not always very clear. Just look at some works displayed in the Louvre which could just as well be shown at Orsay! What we want, above all, is to preserve a classic spirit.Some fairs like Frieze Masters mix Ancient Art with more contemporary pieces. What do you think of that choice?I am not very keen on this idea and it is a fact that the Old Masters section is not doing very well at Frieze. I think there is no point juxtaposing Old Masters with contemporary art, unless you can prove a real connection between the works.With a new organization, the French Biennale is planned to take place in September of each year. How could the two events coexist? We can hardly imagine Old Masters dealers being able to participate to both fairs in such a tight schedule.MC: 2015 might be a transitional year. We’ll have to find a solution that is satisfactory to everyone. The Biennale has become very involved with luxury, especially jewels lately. If it intends to get more focused on Old Masters as it used to be 15 years ago, we’ll have to examine the issue.Paris Tableau runs from November 11-15 at the Palais Brongniart, Paris.
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