A gallery in New York... or the state of contemporary art market in France

The Zürcher Studio, exhibiting works by the painter Marc Desgrandchamps, is one of the few French art galleries to have made its mark in the United States. Establishing this gallery in New York was a real assault course, but it came about because in France there were no opportunities for artists to show their work to an international market. The development of artistic creation is the result both of pure luck and necessity : luck because of meetings and the firm conviction that new artists will be discovered, and necessity because of the ambiance in which value can be nurtured and grow. France regularly complains about its position in the art market. The story of the Galerie Zürcher and the choices made reveal an insider’s view on this problem which is due to political, institutional and cultural factors. Given this situation, the inevitable outcome is that the price of the works will remain low, French artists will continue to go abroad, and galleries will have to be more inventive.