The French art fair Paris Internationale will expand to Milan in 2026, it was announced earlier this week.
The inaugural edition is slated to launch in the Italian city next April, coinciding with the Miart fair. The exact location and number of participants have not yet been confirmed. Nerina Ciaccia, the fair co-founder, says: “We're not just aiming for a one-off edition, but to establish a lasting presence and community in Milan that aligns with our values and approach to the art market.”
Speaking to the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, Tommaso Sacchi, a councillor for culture of the city of Milan, said: “This upcoming Milan edition will be an opportunity to strengthen exchanges between artists, galleries and institutions across Europe.”
Meanwhile the eleventh edition of Paris Internationale, which champions emerging galleries, opened yesterday in the French capital. The fair this year takes over in a new venue on the Champs-Elysées, hosting 66 galleries until 26 October.
The San Francisco gallery Climate Control is participating in the fair for the first time. “I’m spreading the gospel,” says the gallery founder Nicolás Colón. “We really wanted to be in Europe and Paris Internationale is the most appropriate fair [for us].”
The gallery is selling a series of etchings by Lima-born artist Alonso Leon-Velarde priced at $1,450 each, framed. A sculptural piece by the US artist Noah Barker, Suspended Base Countervailing Superstructure (circa 1960), 2025, is priced at $6,000.
Other dealers are feeling bullish about the fair’s prospects this year. The London-based dealer Amanda Wilkinson is taking part in the fair for the fourth time, showing a series of works by the late UK artist Milly Thompson, with price points ranging from £6,000 to £18,000. “I come back to this fair because there’s a good community here. There are many different art worlds with a market for everyone,” she says.
The established, Austria-based Galerie Krinzinger is participating in the fair for the first time. “We had to be in Paris; it’s a very good marketplace,” says Manfred Wiplinger, a representative of the gallery, which is showing works by Monica Bonvicini and Toni Schmale priced between €4,500 and €50,000.
Asked about the market slowdown, he adds: “It’s a general problem which determines the fairs you want to take part in and the marketplaces you want to be in.”
Niru Ratnam gallery from London is showing a series of works by the artist duo Laila Majid and Louis Blue Newby, priced between €2,000 and €14,000. “There are lots of international collectors here. The ones I talked to were comparing Paris favourably to Basel [the Swiss fair] rather than London,” Ratnam says. “I actually think London and Paris will coexist rather well as they are different enough in vibe to offer two different art experiences.”
The French fair's expansion is the latest boost to Milan’s art capital credentials. In September, the Austrian dealer Thaddaeus Ropac opened a new gallery in the city after the Italian government implemented a reduced 5% VAT on the sale and import of art, the lowest rate in the European Union.