JUNE 2021 UPDATE
Paris
Samaritaine | Inaugurated June 23, 2021
Another development worth celebrating by Parisians and visitors alike is the opening of what can be called the “new” Samaritaine. It was founded in 1870 by Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie-Louise Jaÿ, with a first boutique at the Pont-Neuf. They expanded to include the now landmarked Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings that made the department store so iconic. This shopping & family destination of Paris was purchased in 2001 by luxury powerhouse LVMH. Closed in 2005, the new iteration, overseen by the award winning SANAA Agency, artfully melds contemporary architecture and restoration of the historic buildings and includes a socially diverse component—offices, subsidized housing and a child care center in the ancillary buildings that stretch two blocks between the Quai du Louvre and the Rue de Rivoli. The three main buildings house a department store, food courts and restaurants, and in the Art Deco building facing the Seine River a 72-room Cheval Blanc hote--which is scheduled to open September 7, 2021. An undertaking that would have made its founders proud. For more click here
Hôtel de la Marine | Inaugurated June 12, 2021
Having postponed its opening to the public from last July, this June,,the Hotel de la Marine is now finally open to the public. It is located on the Place de la Concorde right across the rue Royale from the legendary Hotel de Crillon. The former headquarters of the French Navy from the French Revolution through 2015, the 18th century palace is being restored to showcase the royal and state’s period furniture, tapestries and decorative objects to be displayed in the palace’s ceremonial ball rooms. For more click here
For our more detailed release, click here.
Bourse de Commerce |Collection Pinault | Inaugurated May 22, 2021
This new contemporary art museum first scheduled to open this January has finally made it's entrance on the Paris culture scene this May. Designed by architect Tadao Ando, it is housed in the former Commodity Exchange, the Bourse de Commerce |Collection Pinault in the heart of the city. The dome topped building with 3000 square meters of exhibition spaces will host the 10,000-piece Pinault art collection.
The opening exhibition is called "Ouverture" - opening in French and features works from 32 contemporary artists. Details here.
Musée Méliès | Inaugurated May 19, 2021
Film buffs will be happy to hear that the Musée Méliès at the Cinematheque Francaise in Bercy has opened its doors. Named for the pioneer film director and illusionist Georges Melies, the museum will retrace the history of cinema including such themes as the origins of visual effects to today’s most stunning special effects. For more click here. (French language only)
Manufacture de la Mode de Chanel | 2021
Paris will also welcome to its immediate suburbs an innovative project, The Manufacture de la Mode de Chanel, Northeast of Paris at the Porte d’Aubervilliers. Designed by architect Rudi Ricotti, the building will welcome all luxury crafts in one place, which means workshops of jewelers, bootmakers, embroiderers, glove makers and luxury ready-to-wear brands.
French Regions
Bordeaux | Bassin de Lumières | Re-opened May 19, 2021
You will be happy to hear that Bordeaux’s Bassins de Lumières has just re-opened, a grand digital and immersive exhibition space housed in 4 huge basins of the former WWII submarine base. Its two inaugural are still ongoing: « Gustav Klimt, gold and colour » and « Paul Klee, painting music” running concurrently with “Monet, Renoir, Chagall Journeys Around the Mediterranean” & and on the same theme an exhibit of Nice native “Yves Klein: Infinite Blue.”The neighboring Cité du Vin and recently opened Musée Mer Marine are all a 15mn tram ride from the city’s central Place de la Bourse. For more click here
Deauville | Les Franciscaines | Inaugurated May 12. 2021
After a relatively brief postponement, a new cultural venue has recently opened in the chic seaside resort of Deauville in Normandy. Known for its horse racing, photography and the American Film Festival, Deauville will also be known for Les Franciscaines, an innovative cultural center featuring a museum, media center and auditorium. It will be housed in former buildings used by Franciscan nuns since 1876. Les Franciscaines’ architectural rebirth will meld the historic building with ultra-contemporary elements and interiors. The museum’s collection will include 546 art works donated at his death by figurative painter André Hambourg—all of which were inspired by Deauville’s beautiful coastline known as the Cote Fleurie. An additional 100 paintings from the artist’s personal collection will be permanently exhibited including works from his contemporaries Marie Laurencin, Foujita, Van Dongen, and Derain. The city has also embarked on an aggressive acquisitions program to grow its collection with works by Eugène Boudin, Paul Signac, André Lhôte, Moïse Kissling, Raoul Dufy and others. For more click here
Fontevraud | Modern Art Museum of Fontevraud | Inaugurated May 19, 2021
The 12th century Fontevraud Abbey near Chinon and Saumur in the Atlantic Loire Valley has just welcomed this remarkable modern art museum, the private collection of Martine and Léon Cligman. These 900 works from the 19th and 20th centuries include paintings by Toulouse-Lautrec, Corot, Degas, Delacroix and Soutine, and sculptures by Rodin and Germaine Richier. They will be displayed in the Fannerie, the former stables of the mother abbesses. For more on the museum, the collection of Martine and Léon Cligman and the Fontevraud Abbey, click here.