In a press release issued by Paris Tableau on Friday, November 13, the organisers explained the thinking behind the move to join the Biennale at the Grand Palais from September 10-18, 2016.
They praised the decision by the Syndicat National des Antiquaires (SNA), the French dealers' association that runs the Biennale, to make the fair annual. This, plus the appointment of an independent vetting committee under Henri Loyrette, and "important changes at SNA", were all cited as "positive signs of the revival of Paris as the capital of the arts".
Paris Tableau, set up in 2011 by a consortium of Old Master dealers, said they would be bringing their expertise to the Biennale. They anticipate the symposium, which has characterised Tableau since its inception, will continue as part of the Biennale's programme.
The SNA for their part want to strengthen the role of Old Masters at the fair, a sector which has been under-represented in recent Biennales.
Paris Attacks
Paris Tableau closed on Saturday, November 14 following the tragic events in Paris the evening before, but reopened for the final day.
Paris Photo, the city's dedicated photograph fair, which was three days into a five-day run at the Grand Palais, closed prematurely and did not run on November 14-15. A selection of participating Parisian dealers announced that they would show works from the fair in their own galleries instead and would stay open on the weekend of November 28-29.
Auctioneers Artcurial postponed their photo auction scheduled for November 14 until November 21, while Christie's postponed the second part of their Shalom Shpilman sale, scheduled for the same day, until November 20.
