artmonte-carlo’s 8th Edition: High Quality Art Meets Market Hesitancy

Pauline Loeb in the alleys of artmonte-carlo 2024 © artfairmag

Despite mixed feedback from exhibitors, who lamented weak sales and more timid collectors than usual, the 8th edition of artmonte-carlo kept its promise of quality. Directed for the first time by Charlotte Diwan, the former communications director of the artgenève group who took over from Thomas Hug in July 2023, offered an excellent array of modern and contemporary art, with a very wide price range.

Visiting artmonte-carlo on a day trip from Paris was already ambitious, but when both flights there AND back are delayed by over two hours, it becomes a full-on mission impossible! The helicopter in Nice still allowed me to visit – at breakneck speed – this 8th edition of the fair.

Arriving at the Grimaldi Forum, the fair unfolds in the basement, with 27 galleries and 3 art and publishing spaces this year. A few local galleries stood out from their very international peers, notably the excellent Galerie Retelet, which presented a solo show of Alexander Calder with gouaches on paper, canvas and sculptures, or Moretti Fine Art, which has three spaces in Monaco, London and Paris. Several heavyweight galleries with spaces in Monaco were also part of the fair, such as Hauser & Wirth, Almine Rech or Galleria Continua.

Wandering through the aisles, my eye was immediately drawn to a pair of feet in retro heels by Swiss pop art painter Peter Stämpfli. Galerie Vallois cleverly hung this large monochrome canvas next to a bright blue wall where colorful works by Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) and Jacques Villeglé (1926-2022) stood out.

The Galerie Lelong stand was also very successful, featuring an incredibly powerful canvas by Cameroonian painter Barthélémy Toguo, another in a wonderful fuchsia – “Seated Under the Clouds” – by Fabienne Verdier, a very recognizable elongated bronze head by Jaume Plensa, works on paper by the pioneer and initiator of urban art in France, Ernest Pignon-Ernest, and finally a large standing bronze hare by English sculptor Barry Flanagan.

But let’s save the best for last with this incredible Pablo Picasso canvas, nearly 2 meters long, offered by New York gallery Van de Weghe for over 10 million euros. ‘The Painter and his Model’, painted in 1964 and signed in the lower left, depicts Picasso, his palette barely sketched out, in front of a reclining nude woman, probably Jacqueline, the painter’s last companion. Not yet sold on the opening night, let’s hope this incredible canvas can find its place in the collections of a public institution.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Le Peintre et son Modèle, 1964. Oil and Ripolin on canvas. 130 x 195 cm. Featured by Van de Weghe gallery at artmonte-carlo 2024 © artfairmag

Art Dealers Interviews

While the presentation of the fair had to be skipped due to lack of time, I didn’t want to rush through the interviews. I obviously questioned Pierre Ravelle-Chapuis, director of Van de Weghe, about the aforementioned Picasso canvas. At Hauser & Wirth’s stand, director Federica Beretta helped me better understand Jenny Holzer’s work, which is incidentally the subject of an exhibition at the Guggenheim Bilbao running until September. At Lisson Gallery, I talked with director Louis Hayward about the talented Ryan Gander and his mysterious draped mirrors. More sculpture at 193 Gallery where founder César Levy explained to me the fabrication technique of a Stainless steel piece by Aldo Chaparro. Finally, I loved delving into the heart of Alexander Calder’s work, with Augustin Nounckele, Associate Director of Galerie Retelet.

How Much Does It Cost?

Quite varied prices this time, reflecting what the galleries were offering, even within the same stand. A still affordable price for Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu, whom 193 Gallery was offering at exactly €10,000. I love these portraits of women who blend perfectly with backgrounds of traditional patterns and vibrant colors. Already less accessible, a cleverly disorderly still life that Almine Rech was pricing at $60,000 before tax. For seasoned collectors, this perfectly balanced canvas by Fabienne Verdier, at €200,000 including tax at Galerie Lelong & Co, or this pair of ‘Slow’ feet by Peter Stämpfli at Vallois, priced at €280,000, perfect for foot fetishists, but not only!

This edition of artmonte-carlo, the first steered by Charlotte Diwan, offered stands of undeniable quality. However, a tense international context and modest attendance, perhaps due to a very late date in the fair calendar, didn’t allow galleries to sell up to their expectations. Let’s hope that exhibitors will continue to support this small but high-quality fair by renewing their participation in 2025.