François-Henri Pinault‘s latest pet project will be revealed to the world. Following two similar venues in Venice, the Kering honcho’s prestigious new art gallery will swing open its doors in his hometown Paris, and given the man’s sizeable art collection, everyone is holding their breath. But one thing is sure, the setting is a magnificent one, or should we say a magnificently tweaked one, as the Bourse de Commerce has been given a striking makeover by acclaimed Japanese architect Tadao Ando.
The listed historic building, erected in the late 18th-century as a grain market and later home to the city’s stock exchange, features an impressive glass-and-steel dome which is placed on a rotunda decorated with painted panels depicting characters that symbolise North, East, South and West, and frescoes represent the history of trade between the five continents, all created by a string of reputable 19th-century French painters.
Now officially called Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, a three-tier concrete ring has been inserted which serves as the venue’s main exhibition space, but also encases a 300-seat auditorium and foyer below ground. Right on top of the ring, walkways and stairs run along the circular walls, providing access to both the two levels of exhibition areas encircling the rotunda and to the auditorium on the subterranean level.
Furnishings inside and outside the building have been designed by French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Pinault’s private art collection is quite impressive, featuring approx. 10,000 works by 380 modern and contemporary artists, including iconic names such as Mark Rothko, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Richard Serra, Louise Bourgeois and Willem de Kooning. Coinciding with the French president’s decree to reopen museums across France, the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection will finally be accessible to the public on May 22nd, 2021
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