The 14th European Contemporary Art Fair in Strasbourg, ST-ART 2009, is underscoring its distinctiveness. More than ever before, the keyword is energy!

The energy behind tracking down artists and galleries in tune with the modern world, who capture the mutations of our times and write new pages in the history of art.

The energy behind persuading a new public that art is open to everyone.

The energy behind inspiring the passionate enthusiasm of new collectors and renewing the fervour of seasoned collectors - without whom artists and their artworks cannot survive.

Strasbourg is a major historical crossroads of Western cultures and is now home to European art movements that open a gateway to the entire world. ST-ART gives a voice to a broad range of artistic expressions firstly by selecting around 100 galleries on the contemporary, international art scene and secondly through a dialogue, in place since 2008, by playing host to a European city and its artists.

This year, the arrival of art critic and historian Patrick-Gilles Persin as the Artistic Director of ST-ART, has given the Fair a fresh impetus which will be translated by a greater presence on the European scene.

ST-ART 2009 – 5 days dedicated to discovering an art that is firmly rooted in its times through a selection of around 100 fervent, enterprising gallery owners. This is where Europe is building its cultural future, with Strasbourg attracting not only regional and Parisian galleries, but also galleries from Germany, Turkey, Switzerland, Denmark, Hungary, Luxembourg, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Tunisia, South Korea and Japan.

ST-ART is aiming to form a discreet, but necessary, bridge between visitors and artists. Since it was founded, ST-ART has encouraged the first-time purchases by new collectors with prices averaging between €1000 and €10,000. From the very outset, quality requirements have also ensured that ST-ART has received the progressive backing of many collectors from France and abroad.

Running parallel to the Season of Turkey in France (1st July 2009 – 31st March 2010), Istanbul will be ST-ART 2009's guest with 2 major events: the presence of 5 of the most influential Istanbuli galleries translates the teeming cultural life and artistic emulation which have inspired the Golden Horn over past 15 years.
The exhibition entitled Meeting Europe – Istanbul will bring together some 250 artworks by more than 25 contemporary Turkish artists.
Organised by Apollonia, this exhibition, which is part of the Meeting Europe cycle inaugurated at ST-ART in 2008, is a logical follow-on in the spirit of the Fair opening its doors to European countries since 2005.

A ST-ART 2009 exclusive: exhibition by Atelier 3. This exhibition will illustrate the amazing revolution conducted by Atelier 3 since the beginning of the 1970s in the art of tapestry.

“ People are always jostling to order their incredible works, and their innovative and imaginative technical prowess continues to shake the craft world, which all too often is held back by its traditional ways. ”

Among the artists who have accepted the transposition of some of their artworks by Atelier 3 on display at ST-ART are Robert Combas, Bengt Lindström, Pierre Alechinsky, Arman, Philippe Druillet, Bernard Cathelin, Man Ray and Asger Jorn/Wemaëre.

For the 2nd year running, CRAC Médias Forum will be piloting a space given over to video creation and digital creation techniques based on photographs and pictures, called the Arts Video Forum.

At the historic heart of the Rhineland cultures, engraving and etching will be the subject of a retrospective retracing the techniques and history of etching from the 15th century to contemporary works organised by the gallery Estampe from Strasbourg.

Glass in metamorphosis will end the international glass biennial in Strasbourg (14th October – 30th November 2009) with an exhibition set up by ESGAA in the presence of galleries defending contemporary glass art.

Enjoy your visit!