Lafayette Anticipations opens to the public. Image credit: Galeries Lafayette.
French department store Galeries Lafayette will finally see the culmination of its bricks-and-mortar investment for the arts as it gets ready to open to the public.
Lafayette Anticipations, located on 9 rue du Plâtre in Paris, will open its doors on March 10. The building will act as a hub for its Fondation d’entreprise Galeries Lafayette, holding exhibits and workshops dedicated to the arts.
Opening anticipation
The department store is hoping to foster innovation and new ideas of creators and artists through architecture and events by opening its foundation in a public space.
Galeries Lafayette will open its doors to the 2,200-square-foot foundation building in Paris' Marais district.
Lafayette Anticipations was first announced in July. Located in a 19th century industrial building in France, the space will create a physical presence for the retailer's Fondation d’entreprise Galeries Lafayette (see more).
The building was designed by firm OMA and will featured a rotation of three to four exhibits a year. It will also house a series of performances and events that lean on discussion open to the public.
François Quintin, the foundation's executive director, will serve as the building's managing director.
Galeries Lafayette has stated that the building is designed with two contrasting themes, “desire for programmatic flexibility and the respect of strict and mandatory preservation rules.” The design relies on mobile platforms that can be manipulated based on the exhibit or event.
The space can be configured in 40 different arrangements.
There is separate space for exhibits and workshops, as well as an all-organic cafe named Wild & The Moon and a concept store. The store will feature ready-to-wear products and original accessories.
Lafayette Anticipations will open with an exhibit from American artist Lutz Bacher titled “The Silence of the Sea.”
“The opening of Lafayette Anticipations represents a new milestone in our group history, a symbol of the long-term and family commitment to promoting creation and our transmission values,” said Philippe Houzé, executive chairman of the Galeries Lafayette Group, in a statement. “With this Fondation, as in our stores, we embody our deep conviction that the company is an active member of the nation’s capital by making beauty accessible to the greatest number.
“We are very pleased to offer, in the heart of the Marais district, a new singular place in the cultural landscape of the capital which will further strengthen its attractiveness,” he said.