The Salon de Dessin, which has been running since 1991, celebrates its 32nd edition this year from March 20-25 at the Palais Brongniart which has been its home since 2004.
This is a select fair limited to 39 exhibitors for which is there always a high return rate (although there are four new names on the list this year).
It is nevertheless an international event with almost half the participants coming from beyond France. They bring a rich mix of works on paper spanning Old Master drawings to modern pieces, a small selection of which is pictured here.
The Salon always has a theme for its symposium and this year and next it will be travel drawings.
The two days of study and lectures will be led by Marco Simone Bolzoni, curator of Old Master and 19th century drawings at the Debra and Leon Black Collection in New York. This year the focus will be on the period from the Renaissance to the 17th century, while 2025 will cover the 18th century to the present day.
This is a rich seam for drawings enthusiasts to mine and a number of the exhibitors will also be bringing travel-related works to the fair to sell while others will include a focus on a particular artist in their displays.
The Salon always has loan exhibitions and this year there are displays of works on paper by Jean Dubuffet from the Fondation Dubuffet which celebrates its 50th anniversary as well as French drawings from the 18th to early 20th centuries from the collection of the dealer Katrin Bellinger.
Partner events
The Salon also works in partnership with the Drawing Now Art Fair, a younger event devoted to Contemporary works staged at the same time. This holds its 17th edition from March 21-24 at the Carreau du Temple exhibition space and will feature over 70 exhibiting galleries. The collaboration allows visitors to attend both events at a reduced price.
As well as the two fairs and numerous auctions taking place at this time, visitors to Paris during Drawing Week can take the opportunity to visit the off site events organised by the Salon du Dessin.
Around 20 different institutions take part in this, among them the Archives Nationales; the Bibliothèque Nationale de France; the Château of Fontainebleau and the Musée des arts Décoratifs. Further details on these events can be found on the websites below.
