Kamel Mennour - Avenue Matignon Gallery — À propos — Slash Paris

This spring, after more than fifteen years located a stone’s throw from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Kamel Mennour opens a third exhibition space on Avenue Matignon. ‘Nowadays, he says, ‘crossing the river is less common than catching the train for Brussels or London. I’m a Parisian at heart, which is why I wanted to open this new space on the Right Bank.’ This new space joins the tradition of cultural dynamism the area is known for. The Galleries Maeght, Iris Clert, and Mathias Fels, to mention only a few, have all been here since the mid-1940s.

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‘I want to become a part of this dynamic and the impetus towards showing contemporary creations once again in the 8th arrondissement. The nearby Grand Palais, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, and Palais de Tokyo remain major assets in helping to revitalise the area. The choice of this location starts with a sincere desire to create a programme of contemporary art that will throw a bridge between the two Banks.’

Kamel Mennour entrusted the conception of this new showcase to Pierre Yovanovitch, a longtime partner in the undertaking and himself a great amateur and collector of contemporary art. ‘From the start,’ Kamel Mennour explains, ‘I wanted the place to have an exemplary clarity, a true sobriety, both in its materials and its structure.’ ‘The challenge,’ according to the French interior designer Pierre Yovanovitch, ‘was to conceive and develop a radical interior architecture that would not distract from the strength of the artworks.’

At No. 28 Avenue Matignon, the large façade of the gallery consists entirely of glass framed in fine metalwork. This way, says Yovanovitch, ‘the barrier between contemporary art and the street, the public, fades away. The idea is to create a dialogue between the exterior and the interior; to simplify, to establish a new, open dialogue between the two spaces.’ This strong architectural gesture continues inside, where the volumes are organised around a play of transparencies and light. Imbued with serenity, Kamel Mennour’s new gallery links up harmoniously with the universe of his two other spaces and reaffirms his singular identity.

The 28 Avenue Matignon will host its own specific exhibition programme as well as projects in close resonance with those made especially for rue Saint-André des Arts and rue du Pont de Lodi , in the 6th arrondissement.