From March 27 to 30, 2025, the Salon du Dessin Contemporain will be held at the Carreau du Temple in Paris. Now in its 18th year, Drawing Now will showcase the great artists of the last 50 years.
Calling all art lovers! Created in 2007 by Christine Phal and directed by Carine Tissot, Drawing Now Paris is the first contemporary art fair in Europe dedicated exclusively to drawing, and focuses on drawings by the greatest artists. Find out more.
Several spaces dedicated to drawing
The Carreau du Temple, in Paris’s 3rd arrondissement, unveils the Salon du Dessin from March 27 to 30, with the presence of over 70 galleries and 300 artists. Drawing Now Paris is organized into several spaces. The first floor, around 30% of the event’s surface area, is home to renowned galleries offering a focus on one of the artists they accompany.
In the Insight sector, located on floor -1, the focus is on immersion in an artistic universe. This area features works by one or two lesser-known French and international artists.
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Finally, still on level -1, the Process sector reveals projects that combine drawing with a variety of media, such as photography or animation, or with disciplines such as architecture, pedagogy, writing, language and history. It’s a way of pushing back the boundaries of drawing and marrying it with the arts. This surface is presented in partnership with the FRAC (Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain) Picardie and the CNAP (Centre National des Arts Plastiques).
Who will win the Drawing Now Prize?
Among the galleries present are Antoine Dupin, Martel, Galerie Maubert, Galerie Wagner, Wilde and Lullin + Ferrari.
The exhibition “Codes dessinés: notations urbaines, écritures intimates”, to be discovered during the Salon, features artists such as Ben, Carolyn Carlson, Jean Dupuy, Jean-François Bory and Werner Büttner.
As in the past 14 years, the Drawing Now Prize will be awarded to an artist presented at the show. The name of the winner, who will receive an endowment, will be revealed on March 26 at 6.30pm during the event’s vernissage. The nominees are : Mélanie Berger (1979) represented by Archiraar Gallery; Susanna Inglada (1983) via Maurits van de Laar; Farah Khelil (1980) (lilia ben salah); Violaine Lochu (1987) (ANALIX FOREVER); and finally Roméo Mivekannin (1986) (Galerie Eric Dupont).
Talks and interviews
“Drawing Now Art Fair instills a spirit of exploration and discovery, while at the same time staging a major exhibition of contemporary drawing under the glass roof, punctuated by talks and performances,” states the city of Paris on its website.
Indeed, throughout the weekend, curators, institutional directors and independent artists are invited to explore the landscape of contemporary drawing and art in general through a variety of themes, including talks and artist interviews.
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On Thursday, visual artists AurelK, Mbaye Diop and Farah Khelil, as well as Odonchimeg Davaadorj (visual artist) and Andrea Busto (director of the Ettore Fico Museum) will discuss a range of topics. Performances by M. Lohrum, Dom Bouffard and Violaine Lochu will be unveiled.
On Friday, it’s the turn of Alice Maher (visual artist), Claudine Grammont (head of the Cabinet d’art graphique at the Centre Pompidou) and Nathalie Chaix (director of the Musée Jenish, Vevey) to discuss this art form. Didier Rittener (visual artist), Claire Le Restif (director of Crédac), Katharina Ammann (director of the Aargauer Kunsthaus) and Marianne Burki (independent curator and artistic director of TaDA, Textile and Design Alliance) will address the question of “writing about drawing differently”.
On Saturday, Claire Gilman (curator and head of the Acquavella department, modern and contemporary drawings) will ask “From space to archive: how drawing informs art exhibitions and collections”. Elene Usdin (visual artist) will be invited to talk about her career, and Violaine Lochu will put on a new performance.
The program will run concurrently with the Salon du Dessin, from March 26 to 31 at the Palais Brongniart, and the Printemps du Dessin, from March 20 to June 21.
See also: [Video] Interview : At FAB Paris, Hélène Bailly brings Picasso, Miro and Picabia into dialogue
Featured photo : © Le Carreau du Temple
