Galleries, antique dealers, auction houses, museums, collectors, art lovers... From 6 to 13 June 2024, Paris will be bringing together Asian art enthusiasts from all over the world for the 7th edition of Printemps Asiatique (Asia Week Paris). This major international event will be a celebration of the richness of Asian art as France and China celebrate 60 years of cultural ties between the two countries.
In 2024, Printemps Asiatique promises to be more international than ever. One of the world's leading events promises to be an exceptional year: a record number of participants; the participation of major international dealers such as Gregg Baker, Carlo Cristi, Marcel Nies, Carlton Rochell and Iwona Tenzing; auctions scheduled throughout the week by numerous auction houses; a dozen museums represented and a rich cultural programme coinciding with the celebrations of 60 years of diplomatic relations between France and China.
With John Guy, Senior Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY), as guest of honour, Printemps Asiatique 2024 confirms the international turn taken in recent years.
In France, the Asian art market is doing well. In recent years, Paris has become the leading market for Asian art in the Western world, overtaking London and New York.
Building on this momentum, Printemps Asiatique, launched in 2018 on the model of Asia Week New York and Asian Art in London, is unique in bringing together antique and contemporary Asian art galleries and international cultural institutions for an entire week I n Paris around a shared calendar of exhibitions, auctions, tours and lectures.
This week-long celebration of the richness and diversity of Asian art gives art lovers and collectors the opportunity to discover major works available in galleries and auction rooms, as well as museum treasures. Its ambition is to assert the importance of Asian arts in France, particularly in its capital.
The Pagoda an exceptional venue
To welcome a growing number of participants, particularly the new international exhibitors (7 from Belgium, the United States and the United Kingdom), Printemps Asiatique is doubling its exhibition space by opening the 3rd and 4th floors of the Pagoda. Well-known to Asian art lovers the world over, this Chinese-inspired architectural gem nestled in the heart of the Haussmann-style Plaine Monceau arrondissement was the legendary home of the famous Chinese dealer and collector Ching Tsai Loo (1880-1957), better known as C.T. Loo.
Specialised French gallery owners and antique dealers will be welcoming their foreign counterparts to a joint exhibition.
"This is a truly emblematic venue," says Christophe Hioco. "We're delighted to be welcoming a growing number of exhibitors here, including some of the biggest foreign dealers who are strengthening their presence in Paris. Certain specialities are also making a comeback, such as Indian weapons and Indonesian textiles."
An international symposium and an exhibition at Guimet
From one edition to the next, Printemps Asiatique has strengthened its close collaboration with cultural institutions devoted to Asian art in France. In partnership with Printemps Asiatique, the Musée Guimet and its president Yannick Lintz, are organising the international symposium "Museums in the 21st century, Chinese collections in China and around the world, intersecting perspectives". With this unique event, which will be attended by eminent curators, museum friends and specialists in Asian arts, the Musée Guimet has chosen the week of Printemps Asiatique to mark the Franco-Chinese Year of Cultural Tourism, launched to celebrate 60 years of cultural relations between France and the People's Republic of China.
Leading curators and representatives of institutions will be present: Representatives
from the MET in New York and the Musée du Quai Branly; the director of the Hong Kong Museum of Art; the director of the Shanghai Museum; the founder of the Long Museum; the Asian Civilisation Museum in Singapore; the director of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and the Asia Society Museum; the former curator of the British Museum and the former director of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. During Asia Week Paris, the Musée Guimet will also be unveiling the exhibition "Au coeur de la couleur", displaying the porcelain collection of Richard Kan, a major Hong Kong collector and patron of the arts, accompanied by a hundred or so friends and members of his foundation.
Throughout the week, one event follows another to celebrate Asian art. It's also a very special week for the major auction houses, which are auctioning prestigious collections. After its tour of Asia in March and April, part of the incredible collection of Jules Speelman, one of the world's greatest collectors and dealers of Asian art, will return to Europe and go under the hammer at Bonhams-Cornette de Saint-Cyr in Paris on 11 June 2024 during Printemps Asiatique.
For the full programme and practical information, visit
www.printemps-asiatique-paris.com