In an effort to control the spread of coronavirus, on Sunday night (March 8) the French government announced it intended to prohibit any event that brought together more than 1000 people at any one time.
Previously, gatherings of up to 5000 had been permitted.
The organisers of the Salon du Dessin, scheduled to be held at the Palais Brongniart in Paris from March 25-30, say the new rules need not impact the niche collecting fair. However, in order to comply with the latest restrictions, the staff will maintaining a rolling count of visitors, ensuring that numbers do not exceed 1000 at peak times such as the preview.
Among the works that exhibitor Nathalie Motte Masselink from Paris will be taking to the ‘Salon du Dessin’ is this 8.5 x 7.25in (22 x 18.5 cm) pen and ink drawing of a young man looking over his right shoulder by Guercino (1591-1666) which is priced at €85,000.
Last week Paris’ book fair Salon du Livre was among the planned events that were postponed. With visitors expected from 50 countries, the event scheduled for March 20-23 was cancelled due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus.
