The maiden edition of FIAC, then called Salon international d'art contemporain, was held in 1974 in the disused Bastille railway station. The event changed its name to FIAC and made its new home at the Grand Palais in 1977.
A regular October event, it soon became an international meeting point for gallery owners, collectors, specialists and amateurs of modern art, contemporary art and design. During the 1980s, FIAC opened its doors to photography.
In 1993, the closure of the Nave led FIAC to find new temporary homes. However, when the Nave reopened, it was, in 2006, the first art exhibition to return. In doing so it attracted numerous gallery owners, many of them from other countries, and 120 galleries which, that year, presented promising young artists and some of the biggest names in modern art: Pollock, Picasso, Warhol, Calder.
For the 34th edition in 2007, FIAC welcomed 179 galleries from 23 countries. This edition was marked by the arrival of prestigious new talents, and specific sections including monographic exhibitions (Picabia's erotic works, Dubuffet, Matta, Josh Smith) or twin exhibitions (Joan Mitchell/Louise Bourgeois, Warhol/Fontana/Moffet, Serra/Chillida), and a number of outstanding works by artists like Picasso, Soulages, Basquiat, and Martin Barré. Finally, the installation of the design sector, facing the modern and contemporary galleries, enabled an exciting dialogue.
The 35th edition of the FIAC contemporary art show was held at the Grand Palais from October 23 to 27 2008. This time, 113 galleries were represented. In a break with tradition a number of galleries chose to focus on truly personal projects that took the form of small monographs or one-man shows, offering the opportunity to catch up with the works of artists like Vieira da Silva, Étienne Martin and the Chapman brothers. The exhibition was immensely successful with attendance up by 20% on 2007.
Modern and contemporary art will be well represented at the 36th edition of FIAC, to be held from October 22 to 25 2009, with 114 galleries in the Nave including 29 new exhibitors from Europe and the USA.
In 2009 for the first time, a joint presentation of major modern works will be staged at the Grand Palais over an area of 300 m2, by and at the initiative of 8 international galleries including some of the most prestigious in the world, offering dealers a place at the heart of the art market. The initiative has been named "modern project" and its originality is emblematic of a concept that is key at the Grand Palais: the avant-garde.
The paintings, sculptures, photos and designs will be hand-picked to enthral professionals and the general public alike. The success of the initiative was testified by the attendance at this year's edition: 80,000 visitors compared with 65,000 in 2008.
The latest edition of FIAC, the must-attend event on today’s creative arts calendar, was held from October 21 to 24 in the Nave. True to FIAC’s underlying principles, the 37th edition presented a balanced panorama of modern and contemporary art and emerging creative talents. In 2010, 24 countries were represented, including FIAC newcomers like Japan, Mexico, Korea and the Irish Republic, with 195 galleries showing selected works. The display in the Nave continued right through to the Grand Palais projection room which provided a venue for performances and talks.
For four days, contemporary art came alive at the Grand Palais. The FIAC 2010 fair was acclaimed by the press as “the best for 20 years”; and the public turned out en masse! With over 85,000 visitors, attendance was up by 6% on 2009, another rise after last year’s massive leap of 23%.
For four days, from October 20-23 2011, FIAC drew gallery owners, collectors, museum curators and directors, and personalities from the art world. FIAC constantly seeks to innovate and, in 2011, again broke new ground. This year, the event attracted 168 galleries from 21 countries, specialised in modern and contemporary art, and the selection process was more demanding than ever. For its 38th edition FIAC brought all the exhibiting galleries together under the same roof in the Nave of the Grand Palais. Some outdoor projects were however displayed in the Tuileries Garden and the Jardin des Plantes.
This year again, the international event was acclaimed by the press, the daily Le Figaro running the headline: "A High-Quality FIAC”. The show equalled the previous year’s attendance.
