Highlights to Look Out for at FAB Paris 2025

Under the luminous glass dome of the newly restored Grand Palais, an exciting new chapter for the Parisian art world is set to unfold. FAB Paris, the city’s premier multidisciplinary art fair, makes a strategic move to a new September date, anchoring itself firmly to kick off the buzzy fall art season. Born from the venerated Biennale des Antiquaires and Fine Arts Paris, the new fair, now in its fourth edition, brings together an eclectic mix of some 20 categories spanning fine art, furniture, antiquities, and jewelry. Here, an exquisite 18th-century commode can be viewed in a compelling dialogue with a masterwork of 20th-century Surrealism, a testament to the fair’s unique ethos that masterfully mixes the old and the new. 

“This new edition marks a great new chapter in the development of the fair,” says FAB Paris President Louis de Bayser. “September is a wonderful month for the arts in Paris, with international collectors, curators, and tourists converging on the city to take advantage of all it has to offer.” 

In an increasingly crowded art fair landscape, FAB Paris also sets itself apart with its commitment to absolute quality, upheld by an expert vetting committee that ensures every piece is of the highest standard. This year, there are 100 galleries taking part and alongside their dynamic presentations, the fair will be highlighted by special curated displays, including a showcase of some of the greatest French Art Deco furniture ever produced, an unprecedented display of the Musée Nissim de Camondo’s superlative collection of 18th-century decorative arts, as well as a landmark joint exhibition curated by leading art historian Jean-Hubert Martin.

Visitors will be immediately impressed by the masterful design with scenography thoughtfully conceived by acclaimed French designer Constance Guisset. Her concept responds directly to the Grand Palais’s Art Nouveau architecture, using her signature command of color and light to guide the viewer through the spaces, creating an experience that feels both grand and intimate. With 100 of the world’s most eminent dealers converging in one place, here are the six essential highlights to seek out.

1. The Reign of Female Visionaries 

This year, the fair celebrates the important influence of women on the history of art and design. Look out for an intimate, miniature bronze bust Head of Elsa Schiaparelli done by her close friend Alberto Giacometti in 1935 that is on display at the Brussels-based gallery David Levy. Don’t miss the exquisite portrait Geneviève Sophie Le Couteulx du Molay by Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Lebrun, best known as the portraitist of Queen Marie Antoinette and the aristocracy. In her memoirs, she described her model as “a pretty, very fashionable woman.” It is part of the collection of Musée Nissim de Camondo. Another highlight is a vibrant “Nanas” sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle at Opera Gallery. Created in 1995, the bold and powerful woman depicted boasts rounded forms in a joyous celebration of femininity. 

2. Art Deco Treasures  

One hundred years ago, “L’Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs” in Paris showcased the new, sleek style that became known as Art Deco. That exhibition ran from April to October 1925, attracted 16 million people, and solidified France as the arbiter of Western taste. As it celebrates its centennial year, a special exhibition by Galerie Vallois, which presents Art Deco objects from the most talented designers of this period, including Pierre Chareau, Paul Iribe, André Groult, Pierre Legrain, Albert-Armand Rateau, Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, Marcel Coard, and Jean Dunand. The undeniable star of the booth is surely the Dragons armchair by the Irish furniture designer and architect Eileen Gray This one-of-a-kind piece, with its intricately carved and lacquered wooden dragons, was originally created for the Parisian apartment of her patron Suzanne Talbot. Part of the private collection of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, it set a world record for an example of 20th-century furniture when it sold in 2009 for a staggering €21.9 million (about $28.3 million) at a Christie’s auction in Paris. 

3. The Musée Nissim de Camondo Revealed 

One of Paris’s most beloved historical sites, the Musée Nissim de Camondo is the re-creation of an 18th-century aristocratic residence in the heart of Paris that opened its doors in 1936, following the death of French banker and art collector Moïse de Camondo. The French Count bequeathed his home and exceptional collection of 18th-century decorative arts to the French State. As the museum undergoes an extensive two-year renovation, FAB Paris offers an unparalleled glimpse into this exquisite cache that has not been seen outside the house walls over the past 90 years. The 60-piece showcase has been conceived by the Paris artist and designer Alexandre Benjamin Navet. Don’t miss the 1788 Chiffonnière table by Jean Henri Riesener, which was commissioned for Marie Antoinette herself.

4. The ‘Beautés Désordonnées’ Joint Exhibition 

Curated by the esteemed art historian Jean-Hubert Martin, former director of the National Museum of Modern Art at the Centre Pompidou, this unprecedented show is a masterclass in the power of unexpected groupings. A unique collaborative project between five distinct galleries: 1900-2000, Brimo de Laroussilhe, Clavreuil, Didier Claes, and Georges Philippe & Nathalie Vallois, it features 140 works selected from their own collections. Look for the surrealist gouache Untitled (L’Évidence éternelle) by René Magritte, positioned in dialogue with a compelling and ancient Lobi statue from Burkina Faso, a pairing that transcends historical and cultural categories.

5. A Showcase of Artful Jewels 

The jewelry section is as brilliant as ever, bringing together both legendary houses and trailblazing independent designers. Debuting at the fair this year is Brazilian designer Silvia Furmanovich, who is presenting her latest collection, Kashmir. Drawing inspiration from the Indian region’s natural beauty, Furmanovich works with Kashmir’s most esteemed papier-mâché artisans—families who have passed down their mastery of this delicate, hand-painted technique for centuries—to create precious jewels worthy of an art setting. From Maison Riondet, discover the iconic 1932 Reverso watch, a piece of Art Deco history and a testament to timeless design. New York jeweler Seaman Schepps, meanwhile, is offering a pair of natural seashell earrings adorned with white diamond bands and capped with ruby ends, a classic design that has been a favorite since the 1940s, as well as a pair of Bodrum bracelets; one in gold and one in Burma jade and faceted ruby. 

6. A Live Restoration of a Painting by COARC – Ville de Paris 

For its first participation in FAB Paris, the Ville de Paris (City of Paris) is celebrating the materiality of art by presenting a live restoration of a painting by Hippolyte Lazerges, from the Sorbonne church. This intervention is part of the global restoration program of the decorations in this prestigious chapel built by Jacques Lemercier, as part of the public reopening project, led by the Ville de Paris and the Chancellery of the Universities of Paris, with the support of the World Monuments Fund.