Subtle shifts at boutique fairs in Paris

Paris

THE Paris art market, though far smaller than that of New York and London, is where collectors go for specialty events and dealers they cannot find anywhere else.

Drawings and design have been traditional Parisian strengths, and this week the boutique fairs Salon du Dessin, Drawing Now Paris and the Pavilion of Art and Design Paris, celebrated significant anniversaries.

Whether this model can thrive at a time when buying art, for many, has become more about investing than collecting - and when the top end of the market has taken a dip - is an open question.

The hundreds of French and international visitors who crammed into the Palais Brongniart, the old Paris bourse, on Tuesday night for the preview of the 25t…