After exploring the galleries of eastern Paris, let’s head west to a part of the capital that is constantly reinventing itself – from Place Vendôme to Place de l'Alma. The 8th arrondissement has been gaining traction like never before. But before we move towards Avenue Matignon, let’s take a look at the storied Left Bank. Saint-Germain, the historic home of the Paris art world, is still buzzing with life. Jazz bars and bookshops have vanished, giving way to luxury shops, but the galleries have held out, and the rue de Seine and its tributaries remain an essential artery in the Parisian ecosystem, gathering a lively mix of Modern and contemporary, non-Western arts and design.


Galerie George-Philippe & Nathalie Vallois is one of the pillars of the Saint-Germain scene. Having opened in 1990, it seems a natural part of the neighborhood, where one of its two founders, Georges-Philippe, grew up. Today, it preserves a balance between the Nouveaux Réalistes, who made Saint-Germain a meeting place in the 1960s, and the very contemporary. The owners have opened another space, at 33 rue de Seine, to present the work of contemporary artists and special projects. Kamel Mennour arrived rue Mazarine in 1999, before moving to the first floor of a magnificent mansion rue Saint-André-des-Arts. Then, on the strength of his successes with Anish Kapoor, Daniel Buren, and Camille Henrot, he expanded into the surrounding area, opening two annexes on rue du Pont de Lodi, a stone’s throw from the Seine. Hervé Loevenbruck joined this new generation in 2001, establishing himself in the tiny rue Jacques Callot. In 2019, he, too, diversified, opening Loeve&Co with Stéphane Corréard, on rue des Beaux-Arts, with a program dedicated to historical artists and offering a fresh take on the secondary market. Only meters away, one can also visit the ‘pocket museum’ that is galerie 1900–2000, founded by Marcel Fleiss in 1972 on the advice of Man Ray. Today, his son David carries on his love of all things linked to Surrealism, and the gallery’s expertise remains unsurpassed.
A stroll through Saint-Germain-des-Prés will bring plenty of Modern art. Enthusiasts of Serge Poliakoff, Nicolas de Staël, or Vladimir Baranov-Rossiné will be delighted to find that these three 20th-century luminaries can be found at Galerie Le Minotaure, Galerie Zlotowski, and Applicat-Prazan. But in a sign of the times, despite his attachment to the neighborhood, director Frank Prazan has given into the siren calls of today’s most coveted gallery hub: avenue Matignon.
This is where you’ll find the real revolution in Parisian cartography. In just a few years, the chic streets around the Elysée Palace have been transformed the galleries, who deserted them over 80 years ago. The only one which remained from that time is Galerie Lelong & Co, heir to the prestigious Galerie Maeght on rue de Téhéran. ‘The avenue Matignon area had fallen into disuse when Christie’s decided to set up there 20 years ago,’ recalls Prazan, who was in charge of the auction house at the time. ‘This helped to restore its role, as did Sotheby’s move opposite the Elysée Palace.’ There was nonetheless a touch of surprise when Gagosian opened a rather modest space in 2010, behind Christie’s, on rue de Ponthieu. Their only neighbor back then was Tornabuoni Art, a bastion of Italian Modern art who had just arrived from Florence, Italy. Today, they seem like visionaries. Kamel Mennour crossed the Seine in 2016, to open his fourth Parisian space, ‘a contemporary cabinet of curiosities,’ designed by Pierre Yovanovitch. Marais dealers got curious, and several of them opened annexes on the same avenue, attracted by the clientele of the luxury hotels that abound there.
Emmanuel Perrotin tested the waters in 2020 with a small space at 2 bis avenue Matignon, before taking over a private mansion next door, dedicated to the gallery’s secondary market business. Almine Rech followed. Then came Nathalie Obadia, who took up residence two years ago on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, in a former bank. ‘It seemed essential to me, at a time when Paris is completely opening up,’ she says. ‘Between Hong Kong, London, and New York, Paris was the only city without galleries in the business and luxury districts, the only one with such a decentralized position.’ She is delighted with the decision: ‘It’s very easy to access for foreigners, as well as for the many Parisians who work in the area, or who live in the 16th. And the proximity of luxury hotels and stores is a big plus!’ The Grand Palais, the future home of Paris+ par Art Basel, due to reopen next year, is another bonus. ‘However, there’s no question of limiting ourselves to showing expensive, established artists in Saint-Honoré, and reserving young experimental artists for our space near Pompidou: I cross-fertilize, and it works,’ adds Obadia. ‘Here, I have a whole clientele of secondary market amateurs that I didn’t reach before,’ she concludes.


The same ambition applies to Mariane Ibrahim, located a stone’s throw from Perrotin. ‘The district is no longer devoted solely to established galleries selling at high prices on the secondary market, but makes way for contemporary creation,’ says gallery director Laura Turcan. ‘We are very proud to offer work by young Afro-descendant artists in the heart of the 8th district, at accessible prices, and to do so in an elegant, experiential way. Thanks to the recent arrivals, Matignon is really becoming an itinerary, and a destination. The collective energy is in its infancy, but it has great potential. And the impromptu visits are of incredible quality!’ she says. The major international galleries couldn’t miss out on such an opportunity. They’re beginning to flock to the area; White Cube, which will reopen its small space in mid-October after renovations and Skarstedt is adding to its spaces in New York and London. ‘The quality of our visitors is extraordinary, and these opportunities to interact are a real privilege,’ says Maria Cifuentes, Skarstedt’s Paris director. ‘In this city of breathtaking cultural power, we’re rediscovering our identity, but in a Parisian way.’
Today, it’s hard to find any available space around Matignon. So go West! The opening of Hauser & Wirth on rue François-1er, in the splendid mansion that once housed the Europe 1 radio station, is a strong indication of what lies ahead. Cutting-edge London gallery Modern Art will soon be setting up shop not far away, upstairs at 3 place de l’Alma (by appointment).
Further north, High Art has for some time now called Pigalle home, occupying the former apartment of composer Georges Bizet. Was there a missing link between east and west? Here it is, in the elegant form of Place Vendôme. Gagosian has inaugurated a large space there and the arrival of Esther Schipper in 2022 was a game changer as well. After a few months open, followed by a period of intensive renovation, the Berlin-born gallerist reopened her upstairs space. ‘It’s an opportunity to deepen the myriad connections we have with the French scene, but also with collections and institutions,’ says the woman who grew up in Paris and calls it her second home. For four years, she searched and searched in the Marais, until she found this inner courtyard at 16 place Vendôme. ‘We were seduced by the splendid setting, its central location, and proximity to exceptional institutions. A unique place! And the incredible success of last year’s first edition of Paris+ par Art Basel reinforces our belief that the city is once again becoming the hub it was in the 19th and 20th centuries.’


Emmanuelle Lequeux is a writer based in Paris.
Published on September 21, 2023.
All images and videos by Aliki Christophorou for Art Basel.
Caption for images, from top to bottom: 1. Flashing miniature Eiffel towers on the Champ de Mars. 2. Galerie Georges-Philippe et Nathalie Vallois, rue de Seine. 3. Place de l’Institut. 4. View on Rue de Seine. 5. View of the banks of the Seine. 6, 10. Grand Palais. 7. Perrotin. 8. Applicat-Prazan. 9, 11. Exhibition view of Ian Micheal at Mariane Ibrahim, avenue Matignon. 12. Place Vendôme.