Hot on the heels of a successful fourth edition, FAB Paris – France’s premier fair for art and Antiques – announces its rebranding as Fine Arts Paris, taking its name from one of the two bodies that launched the fair in 2022. The decision to set aside the “Biennale” reference reflects the fair’s confident transition into an annual rendezvous, now firmly anchored at the Grand Palais each September, and opening Paris’s art season.
This announcement coincides with the appointment of Xavier Eeckhout as the fair’s new president. The esteemed Parisian sculpture gallerist succeeds Louis de Bayser who has guided the fair since its inception and will continue to support its development as a member of the board of directors.
Xavier Eeckhout, President of Fine Arts Paris said: “I would like to thank my friend Louis de Bayser and the board of directors for the trust they have placed in me. Together, we will continue to work hand in hand to shape the future of Fine Arts Paris, ensuring that professionalism and collegiality remain the cornerstones of the event. Our ambition is to establish the fair as an unmissable date on the international art market calendar — for dealers and collectors alike — and to further strengthen Paris’s position on the global art scene.”
Landmark
An international specialist in early 20th-century animal sculpture, Xavier Eeckhout established his gallery in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in 2018, following ten years in the Drouot district. His gallery represents the great masters of the period – Pompon, Bugatti, Sandoz – as well as Artus, Le Bourgeois, Lémar, Petersen, Guyot, and Godchaux. For the latter, he co-authored the catalogue raisonné with the artist’s grandson (Faton, 2021).
Eeckhout was the first art dealer to stage an exhibition dedicated to the forgotten female animal sculptors of the 1930s, brought to light through his landmark publication Sculptrices (2023).
He has participated in international fairs for over fifteen years, including TEFAF Maastricht and Fine Arts Paris. Xavier Eeckhout is a member of the Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art (CPGA), the Syndicat Français des Experts Professionnels en œuvres d’art et objets de collection (SFEP), and the Royal Chamber of Belgian Antiquarians.
Collecting
The fifth edition of Fine Arts Paris will be held at the Grand Palais from 19 to 23 September 2026, with the Musée du Grand Siècle as guest of honour. Set to open in 2026 within the historic Domaine de Saint-Cloud, west of Paris, the institution is the world’s first museum devoted to the 17th century. The museum celebrates the art of collecting, with at his heart, a remarkable collection of drawings, paintings and objects, donated by the eminent art historian and former director of the Louvre, Pierre Rosenberg.
Fine Arts Paris is France’s premier fair for art and antiques and Paris’s sole multidisciplinary event of its kind. Building on a seven-decade legacy rooted in the Biennale des Antiquaires, it upholds a tradition of excellence while embracing a contemporary approach attuned to the dynamics of today’s art market.
The fair was launched in February 2022 to unite the synergies, expertise, and international prestige of two renowned French events: La Biennale des Antiquaires and Fine Arts Paris. The first two editions took place at the Carousel du Louvre and the Grand Palais Ephémère. In 2024, the fair moved to the newly-restored Grand Palais, its permanent venue.
Fine Arts Paris is organised by the Agence d’Événements Culturels (AEC), the team behind the Salon du Dessin. AEC previously oversaw Paris Tableau and managed the 2017–2021 editions of Fine Arts Paris at the Palais Brongniart.
Fine Arts Paris
5th edition, 19th-23rd September 2026
Grand Palais – Avenue Winston Churchill, Paris 8ème
finearts-paris.com
