An Exclusive Interview with the Founder of Asia NOW Paris
Interview by CITY Magazine VIP
Paris has always been the capital of artistic revolutions.
Yet every autumn, during the city’s celebrated art week, another destination captures the attention of collectors, museum directors, curators and cultural visionaries from around the globe. It is not simply an art fair—it is a conversation between continents.
For more than a decade, Asia NOW Paris has become Europe’s leading boutique fair dedicated exclusively to contemporary Asian art and its diaspora. More intimate than the global mega-fairs yet equally influential, it offers collectors a rare opportunity to discover emerging talents alongside internationally acclaimed artists in an atmosphere defined by elegance, curiosity and meaningful dialogue.
Behind this remarkable cultural platform stands Claude Fain—art collector, philanthropist, medical doctor and passionate advocate for artistic discovery.
Meeting Claude Fain during Paris Art Week feels less like interviewing a businessman than sharing an afternoon with a collector whose greatest luxury is knowledge. Soft-spoken, thoughtful and deeply passionate about art, he speaks with the conviction of someone whose life has always been shaped by creativity.
CITY Magazine VIP:
You originally trained as a medical doctor, yet today you are internationally known as an art collector and the founder of Asia NOW. How did this journey begin?
Claude Fain:
“My story really began long before medicine.
I was born into a family of dressmakers, where artistic creativity was simply part of everyday life. My aunt, Rose Mett, founded the Torrente fashion house, while her brother, Ted Lapidus, had already created one of the most influential French fashion brands. My parents were also major figures in the ready-to-wear industry, and they passed on their knowledge, discipline and appreciation for craftsmanship.
Fashion taught me that beauty is never accidental. It is created through vision, patience and attention to detail.”
CITY Magazine VIP:
When did visual art become your greatest passion?
Claude Fain:
“My father was an extraordinary collector. He collected post-war artists—the second generation of great abstract painters of the 1950s, including Serge Poliakoff, André Lanskoy and many Russian artists who had settled in Montparnasse.
From the age of seven, he regularly took me to visit their studios. Imagine being a child surrounded by artists discussing colours, composition and ideas. Those experiences educated my eye long before I understood their importance.
At school I loved drawing and, until my final year of high school, I won every first prize in art.
Looking back, I realise that living among artworks shaped not only my taste but my way of thinking.
The eye is like blotting paper—it absorbs, remembers and interprets everything it encounters.”
CITY Magazine VIP:
Yet you chose medicine before art.
Claude Fain:
“Medicine and collecting are not as different as people imagine.
Medicine teaches observation, patience and listening.
Collecting requires exactly the same qualities. You learn to observe carefully before making decisions. You develop humility because every artwork has its own story.
Although I practised medicine, my heart never left the world of art.”
CITY Magazine VIP:
What inspired you to create Asia NOW?
Claude Fain:
“For many years I travelled throughout Asia and discovered extraordinary artists who deserved greater visibility in Europe.
At that time there was no fair in Paris dedicated entirely to contemporary Asian art and its diaspora.
After I created the concept of ASIA NOW, my daughter, Alexandra, suggested that we build this new art fair together. Like me, she grew up surrounded by our family’s art collection and by the many artists who regularly visited our home. Our house was always an ‘open table’—a welcoming place where artists, collectors and friends gathered to exchange ideas.
Having been immersed in that creative environment from an early age, Alexandra naturally developed her own passion for contemporary art. Creating ASIA NOW together became not only a professional adventure but also a wonderful family journey, continuing a tradition that has been passed down through generations.
We wanted to create something different—not another enormous commercial fair, but a carefully curated platform where galleries, artists, collectors and institutions could genuinely meet.
Asia NOW was born from curiosity rather than commerce.”
CITY Magazine VIP:
More than ten years later, Asia NOW has become one of Europe’s most respected art fairs.
Claude Fain:
“That makes me very proud.
Each edition reflects the incredible diversity of Asia. There is no single Asian identity. Every country brings its own history, traditions and contemporary perspectives.
Our mission has always been to amplify these artistic voices while encouraging meaningful conversations between cultures.”
CITY Magazine VIP:
Walking through Asia NOW feels very different from larger international fairs.
Claude Fain:
“That is intentional.
We wanted visitors to slow down.
Art should never feel rushed. Collectors should have time to meet artists, speak with gallery owners, attend discussions and truly experience the works.
The atmosphere matters just as much as the artworks themselves.”
CITY Magazine VIP:
What can visitors expect during Asia NOW?
Claude Fain:
“Every edition brings together outstanding galleries representing artists from across Asia and the global Asian diaspora.
Alongside exhibitions, visitors enjoy curated talks, collector conversations, performances, installations and discussions with museum directors, curators and leading voices from the international art world.
It becomes a meeting place where ideas circulate as freely as artworks.”
The Atmosphere: Where Paris Meets Asia
Unlike the vast scale of some international art fairs, Asia NOW offers an experience that feels refined, intimate and deeply curated.
Most of important galleries in the world present works ranging from contemporary painting and sculpture to digital media, photography and immersive installations. Throughout the fair, collectors engage directly with artists, while museum professionals, designers, architects and luxury brand executives gather for conversations that continue over private dinners and receptions across Paris.
The atmosphere is one of quiet sophistication—less about spectacle and more about discovery.
Beyond the Fair
For Claude Fain, collecting is not about ownership.
It is about responsibility.
As a philanthropist and lifelong supporter of artists, he believes that collectors play a vital role in preserving cultural dialogue for future generations. His vision has helped establish Asia NOW as far more than an annual event. It is a platform that connects East and West through creativity, encouraging new generations of collectors to look beyond familiar names and embrace fresh perspectives.
As Paris continues to celebrate its position as one of the world’s great cultural capitals, Asia NOW reminds us that the future of art is increasingly global—and that curiosity remains the greatest luxury of all.
For Claude Fain, that journey began in the studios of Montparnasse as a seven-year-old boy learning to see.
Today, through Asia NOW, he invites the rest of the world to see with him.
