Representation de matière sombre autour d'un point lumineux (2011) by Abdelkader Benchamma

Europe's biggest drawing fair opens next week

Drawing Now Paris, Europe's leading drawing fair runs 11 – 14 April in Le Carrousel du Louvre, Paris

Except for perhaps photography, drawing is the visual art that most of us practice most of the time, from childhood scribbles to idle phone-conversation doodles. Yet its place within the gallery system never seems to rank as highly as painting or sculpture.

France's annual Drawing Now Paris, helps to redress this. The four-day fair, now in its seventh year, is held in the city's Carrousel du Louvre, and is dedicated to all aspects of drawing. It brings together presentations from 85 galleries – around half which are French – to showcase the works of established and emerging artists, alongside more general public talks and presentations.
 

 

Untitled (2012) by Abdelkader Benchamma
Untitled (2012) by Abdelkader Benchamma

 

There's a wide range of styles on display, from hit US comic artist Frank Miller through to German minimalist Wolfgang Laib. This year has something of a Swiss theme, thanks to a little state sponsorship, as well as a more free-form exhibition, Imaginary Museum, overseen by Paris' contemporary gallery, Palais de Tokyo.

   

Untitled (2012) by Dan Miller
Untitled (2012) by Dan Miller

Elsewhere, works are grouped according to artist's age and prominence, while the fair's talks take in topics such as drawing's role in decorative arts and its place within graffiti. French artists Jerome Zonder, Damien Deroubaix and Françoise Petrovitch also offer a little insight into their own techniques in the fair's interview strand, About Drawing. There's also the Drawing Now award, with a prize EURO 5000; among the contenders are the British artist James Brooks, Paris gallery ALB's enigmatically entitled young contender The Kid, and Phaidon Vitamin D contributor Abdelkader Benchamma.

   

Humanity Is Overrated 3 (2012) by The Kid
Humanity Is Overrated 3 (2012) by The Kid

 

In sum, it seems like a great event for anyone with a taste for works on paper. To find out more, go here; for greater insight into the contemporary practice, do take a look at our books, Vitamin D and the forthcoming Vitamin D2; each presents a global survey of drawing today by reproducing the works of over 100 emerging artists.