Culture News
Paris's Salon d'Automne opens at Place de la Concorde: 1,000 artists or 1,000 works?
The Salon d'Automne, the Paris art show founded in 1903, is open at Place de la Concorde from October 28 to November 1 for its 123rd edition. Paris guide Sortiraparis lists more than 1,000 works across 4,000 square metres, by artists of 50 nationalities, in 19 sections. This year's theme is literature, with writer Gilles Legardinier as patron. Tickets cost €16, or €8 at the reduced rate.
Arab News covered the show through one exhibitor: Saudi artist Fahad Salem Basodan, who is presenting “Barcode Echo,” a canvas on which a human face emerges from a maze of barcode lines. The paper says Basodan sees barcodes as a visual language for identity, memory and emotion, and that more than 1,000 artists from 50 countries are exhibiting.
“No hierarchy is imposed among the diverse arts.” — Sortiraparis, on the Salon's approach
Sortiraparis also recalls the Salon's history: it began on the Champs-Élysées and has been linked to fauvism, cubism and surrealism.
How each outlet framed it
- Arab News — national pride: a Saudi artist on a historic Paris stage.
- Sortiraparis — a visitor's guide: dates, location, prices, theme and history.
Where the numbers differ: Arab News says more than 1,000 artists are taking part; Sortiraparis says more than 1,000 works. Both give 50 nationalities. The two counts may describe the same show from different angles, since some artists may show more than one piece.
What we don't know yet: Sortiraparis does not give opening hours and advises visitors to check with the organisers.