Martine Robin & Jérôme Pantalacci 

Martine Robin :

While our collaboration goes back a long way, this is the first time we open our fairs simultaneously. Paréidolie used to open a day after Art-o-Rama to give it priority, as it had been in the area for a long time. However, following requests from both gallery owners and collectors, we decided to synchronise the events. We’re also delighted to welcome the third photography fair in Marseille, Polyptyque.

Jérôme Pantalacci :

This renewal wasn’t a particular goal but rather a natural development. The growing internationalisation is also linked to our selection committee, composed of the Parisian gallery Sans Titre, other labels and collectors from Austria, Spain, Italy and the United States. Our committee attracts galleries from all over the world. As the NADA fair arrives in Paris, I think that more American dealers will be interested in coming to Art-o-Rama, which gives them the chance to meet French collectors whom they can see again two months later, during the big Art Basel Paris fair. Our fair offers collectors a platform to forge links and expand their network.

Martine Robin :

Each year, we try to have a high percentage of new galleries, while remaining loyal to those who have been with us since the beginning. Some of them come back after several editions, like Alain Gutharc, and we also have young dealers making their debut like Stella Rouskova and Galerie PJ. We see ourselves as a launching pad for galleries that will potentially exhibit at the Drawing Now fair subsequently. 

Martine Robin :

Our collectors showed up, and it is important to bear in mind that we have very active buyers in Marseille. Despite the challenging period, there was quite a refreshing Olympic Games effect that lifted everyone’s spirits. The start of a new season is always an interesting period, it’s a clean slate, the record is clear and we can all start afresh. We are lucky to have a solid community of collectors at our fair, they have supported us for eleven years and are crucial for ensuring stable sales.

Jérôme Pantalacci :

Our format had a tendency, perhaps more so back then, to emphasise experimentation over ‘finished objects’. While in the beginning collectors were less inclined to come and buy art in Marseille, things have changed and the market has earned a more assertive position. We always welcome a lot of young dealers and this time we have notable participations like that of the Georges-Philippe et Nathalie Vallois gallery, which is marking its first participation with a very specific project by Julien Berthier. 

Jérôme Pantalacci :

Gladly, this year we launched the Rendez Vous du Design et de l’Art Contemporain Prize, named after the artistic association based in Marseille. Similarly to the Roger Pailhas Prize, which grants a contemporary art gallery the possibility of getting its stand reimbursed, this new award will offer a stand to a design gallery, thus further fostering the presence of this field in our fair. While this medium works differently, we can see that Marseille is very interested in design. Many designers are based here and a design festival will soon be set up in the city.

Martine Robin :

They allow us to strengthen the core values that shaped the way we originally conceived the fair. Drawing is also closely tied in with the history of the Château de Servières, where we exhibit, and to the programme I’ve been putting on there for 25 years. I’ve always favoured drawing because I love this medium. Even when artists adopt a different practice, drawing remains very present. It’s a light art form, which can be purchased on a modest budget but can also grow in scale and attain higher prices, ultimately proving to be a favourite medium. I’d also like to mention the Déjà Prize, which highlights the work of former students from art schools in the South of France and gives six of them the chance to be exhibited at the fair.

Jérôme Pantalacci :

We are situated between Spain and Italy, and we always feature galleries from those countries. Being based in Marseille, we are inherently entangled with the Mediterranean.

Martine Robin :

We’re based in a region that is home to many artists, collectors, foundations and private venues. The ball got rolling thanks to Marseille 2013, and Manifesta further encouraged artists to set up here. Initially, the major reason was financial, but then it all grew on a global dimension! Artists no longer see the city simply as a springboard, they want to stay here, even if the market is, for no, mainly through fairs. Private foundations and venues support our work.

Jérôme Pantalacci :

Perhaps… we do indeed benefit, just like the German capital, from quite a strong economic field and powerful local collectors. In fact, this year marks the twentieth anniversary of Les Mécènes du Sud, which has supported our three fairs in Marseille: Art-o-rama, Paréidolie and Polyptique.