Our Students at Art Paris 2025

On a bright spring day in April, over 40 international students from IESA's Bachelor’s and MBA programs attended one of Europe’s most significant art events: Art Paris 2025. Hosted in the newly restored Grand Palais, the fair welcomed 170 galleries from 25 countries, offering a rich, global panorama of modern and contemporary art.

For our students, as future professionals in the art world, it was an invaluable opportunity to experience the pulse of the current art market, engage with leading curators and gallerists, and critically analyze the trends shaping contemporary artistic discourse.

Organized as part of their coursework, this educational visit was led by IESA professors Daniel Lesbaches, Fabienne Bideaud, and Guillaume Lefevre, who provided guided tours and expert commentary. Their insights offered students a deeper understanding of the curatorial strategies, market dynamics, and artistic practices on view.

Art Paris: Program and Vision

Art Paris continues to distinguish itself not only through its scale, but also through its thoughtful thematic programming, which encourages deeper engagement with the works on display. This year’s edition featured several key sectors that sparked lively discussions among students.

"Immortelle" – A Focus on Figurative Painting in France, curated by Amélie Adamo and Numa Hambursin, revisited the vibrant landscape of French figurative painting. Adamo, a writer and independent curator, and Hambursin, general director of MO.CO. (Montpellier Contemporain), previously co-curated Immortelle in 2023. For Art Paris 2025, they presented a new analysis, this time considering historical context and intergenerational dialogue through a selection of thirty artists. For students interested in curatorial studies and art history, this was a compelling opportunity to explore how figurative painting evolves while remaining rooted in tradition.

Equally impactful was "Hors Limites", a curated section by Simon Lamunière featuring 18 international artists exploring hybridity, identity, and cultural fusion. This resonated deeply with students studying post-colonial theory, gender discourse, and global contemporary perspectives. The sector’s embrace of multidisciplinary and experimental approaches highlighted the fluid boundaries between mediums and concepts in today’s art.

The "Promesses" sector, dedicated to emerging galleries, offered students insight into the challenges of launching a gallery, building a roster, and breaking into the art fair circuit. Focused on bold vision and young talent, this was particularly relevant for aspiring dealers, curators, and future gallerists at IESA.

A new addition in 2025 was the sector devoted to French Design, showcasing the intersection of contemporary art with functional design and interior aesthetics. For students with an eye on crossover markets, from collectible design to art fair merchandising, this was an inspiring and informative feature.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

For many students, Art Paris was their first experience attending a major international art fair. While visually engaging, the visit also offered a behind-the-scenes look at how fairs operate. Students were encouraged to assess booth layouts, consider gallery positioning, note pricing strategies, and observe how galleries present themselves to different types of buyers.

Many took the initiative to network with gallery staff and artists, practicing professional communication and building confidence in navigating the commercial side of the art world. Professors facilitated post-tour discussions to help students unpack their observations—evaluating curatorial coherence, commercial intent, and the delicate balance between cultural vision and market viability.

A Gateway to Professional Practice

Visits like this are integral to IESA’s hands-on approach to arts education, where real-world experience complements classroom learning. From curation and community building to gallery management and press relations, these moments serve as living laboratories for professional development.

Art Paris 2025 was more than an art fair, it was a transformative experience. It allowed students to witness the global art scene in motion, connect theory to practice, and envision their future roles within this dynamic and ever-evolving field.

As the Grand Palais buzzed with collectors, curators, journalists, and art lovers from around the world, our students left inspired, informed, and ready to take their place in the art world.