6 Highlights to Look Out for at Fine Arts Paris 2026
From a daring new fair layout conceived by Charles Zana that reimagines the Grand Palais as an architectural stroll to the best of vintage and contemporary jewelry, here are the most exciting highlights to look out for at the fair’s fifth edition
After a long summer, the fall cultural calendar in Paris reawakens this week as Fine Arts Paris transforms the magnificent Grand Palais. Directed by Xavier Eeckhout, the fair’s fifth edition gathers 100 international galleries across fine art, antiquities, high jewelry, and 20th-century design. From a daring new fair layout that reimagines the Grand Palais as an architectural stroll to a rare preview of France’s next major museum, here are the most exciting highlights to look out for.
Charles Zana Conceives an “Ephemeral City” in the Grand Palais
Abandoning the rigid grid of conventional art fairs, acclaimed French interior architect Charles Zana has masterfully redesigned the interior landscape of the Grand Palais. He has created an “ephemeral city” structured around three distinct villages linked by winding residential avenues and open plazas. The layout invites visitors to slow down and experience the fair as a stroll on a Parisian promenade, where masterworks reveal themselves organically—as if stumbled upon while exploring a quiet historic quarter.
Fabienne Verdier Collaborates with France’s Historic Manufacture de Sèvres
In a fascinating dialogue between abstract painting and ancestral savoir-faire, French artist Fabienne Verdier unveils more than 100 original porcelain pieces created alongside the famed Manufacture de Sèvres. Marrying Sèvres’ 280-year-old ceramic legacy with Verdier’s sweeping, calligraphic brushstrokes, the collection of “Diane” plates and vases merges her physical, gestural energy with the house’s iconic, deep bleu de Sèvres.
An Exclusive First Look Inside the Future Musée du Grand Siècle
Two years ahead of its anticipated 2028 inauguration at the Domaine de Saint-Cloud, the future Musée du Grand Siècle offers Fine Arts Paris fairgoers an exclusive first look at its holdings. The centerpiece is a curated ensemble of 40 key works donated by the former Louvre director Pierre Rosenberg, celebrating 17th-century French classicism through rare paintings, bronzes, and decorative arts spanning the reigns of Henri IV to the Sun King.
Fresh Artistic Perspectives Celebrated in Debut “New Horizons” Sector
This edition of Fine Arts Paris marks the debut of “New Horizons,” a new sector spotlighting 11 emerging international dealers and contemporary makers making their major fair debuts. Notable galleries to explore include Arthur Lesueur of Galerie Drake, specializing in 18th-century Chinese export porcelain; Serge Liagre of Villa Rosemaine, offering rare antique textiles; and Gina M. Woitke of AEON, bringing an irreverent, modern eye to historic fine jewelry.
Sculpture Takes Center Stage
Under the guidance of fair director Xavier Eeckhout—who is himself a specialist in early 20th-century animalier sculpture—three-dimensional works take on a commanding presence throughout the fair. The offerings span millennia, moving from antiquity to modernism. Newcomer Galerie Chenel presents a beautiful 1st-century BC Roman marble Koré, Galerie Nicolas Bourriaud exhibits a 1911 Rembrandt Bugatti bronze fawn, and Landau Fine Art showcases Henry Moore’s carved black marble Reclining Figure: Curved (1977).
Artful Jewelry in the Spotlight
Jewelry once again goes under the spotlight at Fine Arts Paris 2026, presented as a medium of pure artistic expression, with exceptional vintage and contemporary creations. Highlights include AEON’s 1960s–70s woven 18-karat gold ribbon bracelet by Jacques Lenfant for Atelier Georges Lenfant; Bernard Bouisset’s c. 1950 Sterlé Paris ring starring a dramatic 10-carat Colombian cabochon emerald and a spectacular 50-carat platinum diamond bracelet. VKD Jewels presents an oval-link 1940s Bulgari gold bracelet, a c.1970 André Vassort for M. Gerard textured gold-and-diamond ensemble, and vintage Sterlé Paris citrine earclips. Frédérique Mattei, meanwhile, presents a nomadic Collier unique crafted from bronze and crystal beads beside her gemstone-studded Heritage Ring. Rounding out the highlights is Isabelle Langlois and her 2026 Marie Antoinette–inspired Fireworks Emotion brooch and mint tourmaline cocktail ring.