A tribute to the foundator of the famous Marseille Gallery, the ARCA and the Art Dealers fair.
Roger Pailhas inaugurated his first gallery in Marseille (Cours Julien neighbourhood) in 1986 with a group show that gathered Daniel Buren, Gilbert Della-Nocce, Toni Grand, Jannis Kounellis, Sol Le Witt,
Mario Merz, and Bruce Nauman. In 1990, he opened a second space in Paris with a solo show by John Knight. In 1996 the Marseille-based gallery moved to the Vieux-Port (old harbour central neighborhood) into a 1,000sqm space. He closed the parisian gallery in 1998 and decided to focus on Marseille instead. In 1997 he created Art Dealers, an original contemporary art fair where he gathered, whithin the gallery's space, 8 new international galleries each year. Meanwhile, he participated in some of the most prestigious international art fairs such as
Art Basel, Fiac, and the Armory show, where he offered, with the complicity of his artists, among the most ambitious and adventurous booths. Samuel Keller himself said that Roger Pailhas' booths inspired the Statement section of Art Basel. The gallery and Art Dealers ceased to exist when Roger Pailhas passed away in 2005.
Jean Louis Maubant is the foundator of the Nouveau Musée and Institut d'Art Contemporain de Villeurbanne.
