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Opening times We're open: 10:00 - 20:45
Address24, rue de Sèvres, 75007, Paris
Cultural stroll on the Rive Gauche
Culture | 2018 JULY 31ST
DISCOVER THE BON MARCHÉ CONTEMPORARY ART AND ARTS DÉCORATIFS FURNITURE COLLECTIONS
Summer is finally here! Make the most of the summer break with a stop in La Rive Gauche and discover the Rive Gauche Modern Art Collection and the Rive Gauche Decorative Art Furniture Collection at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche.
To help you enjoy your stroll, Le Bon Marché has prepared a tour of the store featuring five colourful pieces of art or furniture which feel like summer!
Le Bon Marché : a cultural place
Geneviève Dangles & Christian Defrance,44 Saturne Chairs, 2015
Start your visit on the first floor, in the Womenswear Department, to admire the originality of the chairs with tropical patterns by Geneviève Dangles & Christian Defrance.
The 44 Saturne chair is one of the most emblematic pieces by French designers Geneviève Dangles and Christian Defrance. Designed in 1957, it was presented at that year's Salon des Arts Ménagers exhibition in Paris. Its tubular metal base makes it look like the chair is floating, and this is emphasised by the discreet way in which the ring on the backrest is joined to the circular seat. The shape of the chair is similar to the planet Saturn, which the chair is named after.
Its original lines, round shape and, above all, the slightly vintage, tropical patterns make it a playful and comfortable chair.
44 Saturne Chairs, 2015. Burov, Paris. Metal, foam, fabric 78 x 67 x 74 cm (height)
Pierre Paulin, F572 Chairs, 1967
Without changing floors, continue exploring by going to the lingerie department, where you will find the iconic F572 chairs by Pierre Paulin.
Pierre Paulin (1927-2009) was one of the most famous French designers in the second half of the 20th Century. His designs, which combine rigour and rounded organic shapes, vibrant colours and soft comfort, landed him the job of designing the furniture and layout of François Mitterrand's office in the Élysée Palace in 1984.
The F572 chair is characteristic of his work with its soft lines and full curves, which make the piece almost sculptural. This chair is a rare design piece as it was produced for only one year, between 1967 and 1968. Designed in bright and vibrant shades – red, yellow, orange – the F572 chairs can be seen at Le Bon Marché in lime green.
F572 Chairs, 1967. Artifort, Metal, foam, fabric 70 x 73 x 60 cm
Claude Viallat, untitlted number 34, 1984
Before going up to the second floor, stop to admire Untitled numéro 34 a painting by Claude Viallat. The artist from Nîmes, where he still works today, created in 1966 his "forme quelconque" shape, which is described as a small bone, which, over time, has become the signature of all his work. He tries to feature this shape repeatedly, in lines, while respecting the consistency of the spaces between the shape and the background shape on unframed fabrics: canvas sheets, sheets, parasol fabrics, etc.
Untitled n°34 represents all the radicalness of Claude Viallat's art, in which the matter which forms the pattern meets the harshness of the fabric to create vibrant colour combinations.
Untitled n°34, 1984. Acrylic on canvas 187 x 164 cm
You can also see Les Parasols by Claude ViallatLes Parasols de Claude Viallat on the ground floor of the store; they are being exhibited at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche as part of the Escale Rive Gauche exhibition
Carole Benzaken, (Lost) Paradise B, 2006
Then take the stairs to reach the central stairwells on the second floor, where you will find the painting (Lost) Paradise B by Carole Benzaken.
A movement artist, Carole Benzaken appeared on the art scene in the early 1990s. Her work involves transposing a photographic or film image into a painting. (Lost) Paradise B is part of a series of works of art that she painted between 2006 and 2009. The starting point for this work of art was a small advertising poster which the artist picked up. Struck by its beauty, she decided to give it a new life by transforming it into a very large canvas.
(Lost) Paradise B, 2006. Acrylic and oil on canvas, 207 x 293 cm
Shirley Jaffe, The Summer Flower, 1990
To conclude your Rive Gauche stroll, do not miss the canvas by Shirley Jaffe, which will surprise you with its movement and bright, contrasting colours.
Shirley Jaffe was born in New Jersey in 1923 and passed away in 2016, and she studied at the Cooper Union Art School in New York. After the Second World War, she moved to Europe, where she met many second-generation abstract expressionist artists. She then produced a painting based on movement, which led to very elaborate pictorial matter on large canvases. Her work then changed direction and she began to create more defined shapes highlighted by large, flat, brightly coloured shapes, which are reminiscent of Matisse's cut-outs. The Summer Flower, which was painted in 1990 during this second phase of her work, features a very structured composition with colourful geometric shapes.
The Summer Flower, 1990. Oil on canvas. 220 x 180 cm
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