Do French Artists Export Well?

In December 2015, an article published in Apollo asked a daring question: "Why are there no Young French artists?" This much-respected English-language magazine clearly forgot to reboot its old software! Because it's now been a long time since French artists were decreed "official", with income from the FRACs (regional contemporary art funds), or listed with public institutions' purchasing commissions. It's been ages since the French scene was considered too intellectual, designed for museums not the market, fatally local and non-international. "When people used to talk about French artists, this reflected France's position in the global market," says Nathalie Moureau, a cultural economics specialist. Today, there's definitely a difference between France's standing in the global contemporary art market (barely 2.4 % of bids, according to the Artprice…