Fine Arts Paris Returns to the Grand Palais for September 2026 Fair

The capital’s cultural calendar shifts its focus to the monumental glass nave this autumn as Fine Arts Paris settles into its venue from September 19 to 23, 2026. The fair brings together roughly 100 galleries from around the globe, spanning some 20 artistic disciplines from antiquity to the contemporary era. Despite shifting names in past seasons, the event retains its drawing power among exhibitors, welcoming prominent international dealers alongside returning French names.

Grand Palais Architecture and the Urban Village Scenography

To accommodate the diverse offerings, decorator Charles Zana devised an immersive architectural concept for the exhibition space. He conceived the layout as an ephemeral city composed of three distinct villages linked by walkways and punctuated by open squares. This urban-style strolling experience allows visitors to discover artworks organically as if wandering through an actual neighborhood, complete with cozy carpeting designed to soften the monumental enclosure.

In the Parisian monument entirely redecorated for the occasion, the fair will welcome the cream of French and international gallery owners next week. Beware, masterpieces of all styles and eras… Solid as a rock. Despite successive name changes, Fine Arts Paris (formerly FAB) has lost none of its attractiveness to exhibitors and the public. No fewer than one hundred dealers from around the world have responded. Prestigious names ring out, such as Waddington Custot, Landau, or Galerie Chenel, which makes a notable return to a French fair. The perseverance of the organizers, who honor some twenty different artistic disciplines, is far from unrelated to this influx. “You have to know how to unite and then create a fraternal atmosphere, while bringing a touch of modernity,” explains its president Xavier Eeckhout.

Assets are not lacking. Let us first mention the cultural influence of the capital. “A true stronghold! Paris is no longer just a ‘museum-city,’ but also a ‘market-city’,” notes Hélène Bailly Marcilhac, who will present works by Renoir, Marquet, Picasso… The Grand Palais, which will host the festivities from September 19 to 23, should also prove attractive this year. “I imagined a scenography designed as an ephemeral city, composed of three villages linked by alleys,” confides decorator Charles Zana. “The idea is to offer visitors an almost urban stroll, where works are discovered along the way, as in a neighborhood. The goal: to make Fine Arts one of those great Parisian events where art, architecture, and elegance meet in a profoundly chic atmosphere.”

This architectural framework supports a broad array of specialties, with a particular emphasis on sculpture. Notable pieces slated for display include sculptures by François Pompon, Rembrandt Bugatti, Jean-Antoine Houdon, and Henry Moore, as well as portraits signed by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, or even Francis Picabia, as well as works attributed to Gustav Klimt, Marc Chagall, Joan Miro and Calder.

A Major Sponsorship and Prestigious Gallery Returns

Well anchored in September, under its original name Fine Arts Paris, erasing any reference to the former Biennale des Antiquaires, the art and antiques fair is regaining its strength under the new presidency of Xavier Eeckhout, an international specialist in animal sculpture from the beginning of the 20th century. “Fairs are an essential vector ensuring indispensable visibility for galleries. Fine Arts Paris is becoming the must-attend event, for dealers as well as collectors, in the international art market calendar and confirms the cultural vitality of Paris,” emphasizes the latter, delighted to have convinced insurer AXA, a historical patron of Tefaf in Maastricht, to become the official partner of the fair.

The exhibitor roster features high-profile debuts and returns, including Brimo de Laroussilhe (Middle Ages and Renaissance arts), Waddington Custot and Larock-Granoff (modern and contemporary art), and Chenel (Mediterranean archaeology). “We haven’t done a fair in Paris since the Biennale des Antiquaires in 2016. With all these decorators in support, a good energy is being created around Fine Arts Paris,” explain the directors of Chenel, who have reserved a few exceptional pieces for the occasion, including a bust of Apollo.

The Musée du Grand Siècle and Nouveaux Horizons

The Fine Arts Paris fair, which brings together a hundred art galleries from around the world, returns to the Grand Palais from September 19 to 23, 2026, for a new edition. Cultural institutions and emerging talent occupy key sections of the 2026 floor plan. The Musée du Grand Siècle, scheduled to open in 2028, will present its project and collections at Fine Arts Paris from September 19 to 23, 2026. The new art venue is dedicated to the 17th century, its history, its arts, its society, its literature, and its sciences.

Parallel to established institutions, Nouveaux Horizons arrives as a new space for young merchants and creators. This new space will bring together 10 stands of dealers who are starting their activity or have never exhibited in an international fair of this scale.

Designer Curations and Cultural Programming

Charles Zana was also entrusted with the scenography, which he “designed as an ephemeral city, composed of three villages linked by alleys and punctuated by squares.” He is also part of the pool of prestigious decorators and interior architects (Tristan Auer, Timothy Corrigan, Nathalie Crinière, Jacques Garcia, François-Joseph Graf, Constance Guisset, Edgar Jayet, Jean-Michel Wilmotte…) who have been asked to share their favorite works on the stands of the approximately 100 exhibitors.

Fine Arts Paris, a major multidisciplinary art fair covering all eras and specialties, from sculpture to portraits and jewelry, is back at the Grand Palais. For five days, from the 19th to the 23rd, a hundred renowned as well as emerging galleries will set up shop for the new edition of Fine Arts Paris, to unveil a selection of major works covering all areas of the art market as well as all eras.