The art market action moves to Paris this week with FIAC. Reuters gets these interesting comments from the fair’s organizers to the effect that Europe’s financial restraint has left it in a stronger position:

“Paris was also a bit less abnormal than the other big centres,” FIAC director Martin Bethenod said. “There was less of a boom but by the same token there’s been less of a bust.”

But the organizers hasten to add that this is no art-for-art’s-sake event:

“The market is what makes the event, it’s the fuel that runs the machine but if it were no more than that, we wouldn’t really be able to maintain the interest,” Bethenod said.

FIAC Draws Contemporary Art Focus to Paris (Reuters)