We’ll always have Paris… and Paris will always have great contemporary art! Now, with the arrival of new galleries that’s true even more than before. It was so much fun to explore them. So, let’s take a little walk around the City of Light and let me share my favorites.

BOURSE DE COMMERCE - THE PINAULT COLLECTION

The latest addition to the Parisian contemporary art scene, The Bourse de Commerce/Pinault Collection opened its doors to the public in May 2021 and has been drawing in the arts crowd ever since. The former grains trading exchange was beautifully restored and then transformed into a contemporary art house by the Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando, Agence NeM / Niney and Marca Architects, the Pierre-Antoine Gatier Agency and Setec Bâtiment. It now houses the contemporary art collection amassed by Francois Pinault, the French retail magnate.

Currently showing its inaugural run of rotating exhibitions, the Bourse rotunda (now with Ando’s signature concrete core) opens to reveal the melting wax sculptures of Urs Fischer. While I have seen his work before, there was something interesting watching the main piece - Fischer’s replica of Giambologna’s ‘The Abduction of the Sabine Women’ - drip and morph into a set of stalactites draped over the classical shapes. The other scuptures - an airline seat or a plastic chair - provide an interesting counterpoint to the historical centerpiece and look positively surreal in various stages of disrepair.

Moving into the perimeter galleries, there are contemporary works from Betrand Lavier, David Hammons, photographs by Cindy Sherman, Martha Wilson, Louise Lawler, and yes, THAT Richard Prince (I guess you know how I feel about his work now!) and others.

Of course, the architecture itself is a star here. I loved the marriage of the classical and the modern and the light pouring in through the glass cupola. If you like contemporary art and architecture, add this gallery to your travel list.

FONDATION AZZEDINE ALAïA

Venturing out into Le Marais, fashion and photography lovers should make a beeline for this exhibition that brilliantly marries the striking fashions created by Azzedine Alaïa and the moody black and white photographs of Peter Lindbergh that capture them. After meeting in 1983, the designer and the photographer worked closely together throughout the rest of their lives. The well curated exhibition was inspired by the foundation’s photography collection and shows how the photographs and the clothes mirror one another, melding into a timeless, exquisitely crafted artistic capsule. I loved the show and the former glass factory space that houses the foundation. It’s on throughout the fall and I hope you can make it there. It was sublime.

LE MARAIS GALLERIES

Since we are in Le Marais already, let’s stay in this interesting, vibrant and artful part of town. The neighborhood is dotted with funky boutiques, beyond-cute restaurant terraces (I am looking at you, GrandCoeur) and is also home to great contemporary art galleries.

Gallerie Emmanuel Perrotin

A gallery player, Perrotin is an international gallery chain that prides itself on offering vibrant and creative environments in which to experience art. Perrotin's Paris gallery occupies an eighteenth-century mansion, with three gallery spaces and the gallery has been expanding into additional locations nearby. With a roster of over 50 international artists, including Julio Le Parc and Takashi Murakami, you’re bound to find something interesting. Currently, the gallery is showing the works of John Henderson, Gahee Park and Lars Von Trier.

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

Thaddaeus Ropac is a part of a larger gallery group founded by the Austrian gallerist of the same name back in 1981. The Parisian location opened in 1990 and the team added a second location in Pantin in 2012. The gallery specializes in international contemporary art, working with the artistic heavyweights such as Antony Gormley, Alex Katz, Anselm Kiefer, Donald Judd, Robert Mapplethorpe, Robert Rauschenberg or Andy Warhol. Currently, the Le Marais location is showing works that let you rediscover a different, less typical aspect of Robert Mapplethorpe’s work.

Laure Roynette

The Laure Roynette gallery showcases the work of influential French and international artists and is moving beyond simply showing the work into organizing additional experiential elements - installations and performances. Current show on display is the graphics works of Robert Le Heros.

Papillon Gallery

Created in 1989 by Claudine Papillon, the gallery is recognized was for its cutting-edge programs. Its constantly expanding team aims to support artists from abroad such as Javier Perez, Luka Fineisen or Tatiana Wolska, while also promoting the French art scene at the same time.

AND ONE MORE THING…. GAGOSIAN LE BOURGET

Now we’ve ventured out of Le Marais. But the gallery is now showing the work of one of my favorite contemporary sculptors, Richard Serra, so I needed to add it to your Parisian contemporary art itinerary. If, like me, you appreciate large rolled steel made beautiful, make your way to this hangar-like space and take it all in. Richard Serra, The Transmitter, runs through early 2022.

SEE ART, STAY WITH ART

Paris has a million hotels and it can be hard to pick one. Here are a couple that caught my eye.

Hotel Bowmann

Hotel Bowmann is in the Haussmann area so it’s perfect for those who want to explore the reopened Galleries Lafayette with its renowned cupola. My friend nailed it when she described the design as a “beautiful Laduree macaron.” Yes, with its velvety sofas and gold detailing, it is a little over the top (says the minimalist here!) but it never veers into crazy, sprinkles in some modern design gems and always manages to feel contemporary, comfortable and fun.

Cour des Vosges

How can you not dream of waking up in Cour des Vosges with its to-die-for location overlooking one of my absolute favorite spots in all of Paris: Place des Vosges? It’s dreamy, from the picturesque courtyard that’s made for enjoying your petit-dejeuner to the modern but warm and inviting interiors and killer views.

There are more galleries to cover but I will save more exploration for the next trip. À la prochaine, Paris!