La Biennale - Paris

Two years agao, Karl Lagerfeld made a friendly wager with the Chinese art gallerist Christian Deydier :
If the dealer was reelected president of the Syndicat National des Antiquaires, the fashion legend would accept the position of official "scenographer" for the Syndicat's marquee event, the Biennale des Antiquaires, which takes over Paris's Grand Palais September 14 through 23.
"He saw the design, and he said "It's good but not good enouth for the Biennale"" recalls Deydier. Now that Deydier is back on top, the Chanel designer is developping his plan to create an early 20th century Parisian bazaar in the glass-domed building (which also played home to the fashion's house dramatic show this spring, pictured at right). Snagging Lagerfeld as creative director is just part of Deydier's strategy to revitalize the biennale and keep it competitive with annual fairs like TEFAF Maastricht. He's also undertaking a global tour, stopping in more than 20 cities across China, Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S., to promote the event with collectors and tastemakers. "This fair is the most important in the world, but because it is a biennale, people forget," says Deydier. "We're trying to make them feel the need to come."

La Biennale des antiquaires présentée à Taïwan

蕭萬長副總統晚間出席「天工合一巴黎古董雙年展（BIENNALEdesANTIQUAIRES）...
蕭萬長副總統晚間出席「天工合一巴黎古董雙年展（BIENNALE des ANTIQUAIRES）」交流晚宴時表示，此為臺法文化藝術交流的盛會，是一項心靈與美的饗宴。
副總統致詞時談到，「巴黎古董雙年展」由「法國國家古董聯合會」（Syndicat National des Antiquaires）舉辦，是全球首屈一指的博覽會，展覽彙集了世界高級珠寶、頂級藝術品及古董收藏品等；第一屆雙年展於1962年在法國巴黎大皇宮 舉行，至今已有50年歷史，今年9月14日至23日，將再度在大皇宮盛大舉行第26屆「巴黎古董雙年展」。

France's oldest decorative and fine arts fair, the Biennale des Antiquaires, is planning to create a mini version in Hong Kong as the thriving art market in Asia, notably in China, is the world's biggest.
The biennale is also strengthening its Asian connection by inviting Hong Kong's Wallace Chan Sai-ying to be the first Asian jeweller to exhibit at the Paris fair in September.

Christian Deydier, president of fair organisers and art dealers association Syndicat National des Antiquaires (SNA), said plans were being considered to hold a small fair in Hong Kong featuring about 20 dealers.
He said another option would be to show five or six rooms by different designers, each featuring pieces from various exhibitors.
Chan said it had always been his dream to showcase his works at the Paris fair, which sets stringent entry criteria for exhibitors. He hoped his presence would introduce Chinese jewellery and its philosophy to the world.
A native of Fujian , Chan was a sculptor before turning to jewellery when he mastered techniques of using titanium in his sculptural jewellery. His works are sought after by notable collectors, and he designed the wedding ring of Canto-pop star Faye Wong.
Chan said he would take about 50 pieces to the Paris fair, including his HK$200 million Stilled Life, a brooch in the shape of a cicada made of jadeite, yellow diamonds and other gems to portray the philosophy of Zen, which in Cantonese and Putonghua is pronounced the same as "cicada" .
"Chinese culture has high regard for the cicada, which represents wisdom and enlightenment," said Chan, who believes that craftsmanship is indispensible in any artistic creation.
Deydier said that no decision on the format of the Hong Kong show had been made. SNA was also planning to launch a mini fair in Istanbul, Turkey.
If the plan goes through, Biennale des Antiquaires' mini-version will be an addition to Hong Kong's thriving art market that is attracting more international galleries to the city and includes a number of art fairs and auctions throughout the year.
But Deydier said that the mainland was not the only attraction of locating a fair in Hong Kong. Collectors from elsewhere in the region including Southeast Asia and Taiwan are also among the target audience.
China's booming art market has drawn the attention of Western dealers of antiques and fine art in the past year. At last year's Fine Art Asia, a number of dealers of Western antique furniture exhibited in Hong Kong for the first time in the hope of finding a new market.
Deydier said some "nouveau riche" mainland buyers seemed to be more interested in setting auction records rather than caring about what they were buying. But that was not the right attitude, he said.
"You have to like it. Art is not for investment. It's something that you have to live with," he said.
He said art dealers must have integrity. He said works from SNA dealers came with a 25-year guarantee. If there was a fault with the piece, buyers could get a refund right away.

vivienne.chow@scmp.com

When he's not designing Chanel's or Fendi's newest collection, collaborating with Net-a-Porter or even redesigning France's highway worker uniforms, Karl Lagerfeld is almost certainly working on his next project.

A global group of esteemed guests both from the US and France, gathered at the French Consulate last week to celebrate the official announcement of the Biennale des Antiquaires which is set to take place on September 14th through the 23rd. Fashion Designer and Renaissance Man, Karl Lagerfeld will be the Scenographer this year. Peter Marino, who attended the event with Juan Carlos, will share double billing with another world renowned designer, Jacques Grange, by creating some of the most remarkable and noteworthy booths one will ever find at a furniture fair. Over 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the fair. This year show will also be held at the landmark Grand Palais - Le salon d'honneur which has been closed since 1940.

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