April 20, 2021

The French and European flags at the entrance to the Elysée Palace. PHOTO BY ANDREA SAVORANI NERI/NURPHOTO VIA AP 

In March, the Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art, a trade association that comprises 310 French art dealers, sued the French government for permission to reopen during the third lockdown, which began on April 4. An administrative court has ruled that French galleries must remain closed throughout the country’s third lockdown, even though auction houses can stay open.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran, seen here at a recent press conference, told France’s Council of State that health regulations necessitated art gallery closures during lockdown. 

Photo by Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images. 

The French government was unmoved. On April 13, the Council of State dismissed the suit, saying in a statement that the closure of the galleries was necessary in order to contain the spread of the more contagious variants of coronavirus. In addition to auction houses, hairdressers, bookstores, record shops, and confectioners, among other businesses, are allowed to remain open during the lockdown, which is slated to last four weeks from April 4.

Marion Papillon, president of the CGPA, told AFP that she regretted the decision, saying, “The Council of State, while having recognized the serious attack on fundamental freedoms, does nothing about it.” She denounced that the Ministry of Health allowed the continued operation of auction houses as an “unfair” and “intolerable” source of competition for the galleries.  Their complaint also said that buying art online—a so-called “click and collect” model—was not a practical business model because a work of art is unique and collectors need to see it in person before deciding to acquire it.

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Marion Papillon,  president of the Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art . Photo Olivier Marty and Marion Papillon 

Auction houses aren’t the only businesses exempt from lockdown restrictions. The government has also made exceptions for bookshops, record stores, hairdressers, and chocolate shops, among others.

Members of the Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art. Photo courtesy of the The Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art. 

According to The Art Newspaper, roughly 33 percent of CPGA members saw a 50 percent decline in income over the past year, with 80 percent of French galleries reporting loss of business. France, where museums, bars, and restaurants have been closed since October, has the eighth-highest number of coronavirus-related deaths in the world, and has recently seen a rise in Covid-19-related fatalities, registering 300 such deaths in a twenty-four hour span on April 14.

The Arc de Triomphe in Paris. CHRISTIAN B'HMER/PICTURE-ALLIANCE/DPA/AP IMAGES