Having outlined Thierry Bigaignon’s project of a new gallery in Paris and revealed the name of the photographer slated to inaugurate the gallery’s first exhibition, in this third interview we will learn more about his choice of the gallery’s location: rue Charlot in the Marais. Somewhat unusually, the gallery will occupy the second floor of a mansion (“hôtel particulier“). Although this is fairly common in New York, few Parisian galleries dispense with a storefront. Is it an advantage or an inconvenience? Only time will tell.
We will accompany Thierry Bigaignon over the next six weeks, until the gallery opening in June 2016.*
Where will the Thierry Bigaignon Gallery be located? Could you tell us a bit about the place?
The Thierry Bigaignon Gallery will be located in Paris in the 3rd Arrondissement, at the heart of the Marais district, in a magnificent mansion, known as the Hôtel de Retz, at 9 rue Charlot. An open space of 70 sq. meters, without any corridor or nooks and with an over 3-meter-high ceiling, will, I think, help highlight the works, which was of course my primary concern.
Have you visited a lot of different locations before making your choice?
Quite right! In fact, I’ve had this project at the back of my mind for several years, and besides the fact that I needed to wait for the right moment, I also knew I had to find the right place. So I have, indeed, viewed a lot of places, then for a long while contemplated one just across the street from the MEP (Maison Européenne de la Photographie). The location was enticing, but the space seemed too cramped. And then, with prices being what they are in Paris, I had to pass over a lot of locations due to the high rent or the cost of the lease. In the end, I went to see this space in the Hôtel de Retz, and I thought straight away it would be the ideal location for my gallery. Things moved quickly from there!
What guided you in your choice?
I thought that this place offered a good compromise between location, price, size, and layout. In addition, since it was a second-floor space, I was also concerned about accessibility. Between a cramped space next to the MEP or a larger space on the second floor, it was a Cornelian dilemma, but in the end I said to myself this would not be an insurmountable obstacle. As a matter of fact, the Hôtel de Retz has a splendid 700-sq meter space dedicated to contemporary art that already attracts many visitors (Le Passage de Retz), and my gallery’s programming will be posted in the courtyard and visible from the street. I found these two elements very reassuring and so my mind was made up.
How does the space measure up to the placement of the gallery?
It’s sort of a hybrid space: it is open to the outside, accessible to everyone, but it’s also elevated, which offers collectors a greater sense of privacy, confidentiality, than conventional locations. It’s also a place that I want to look contemporary, even while tucked into a 17th-century townhouse. This “hybrid” aspect seemed to me to square perfectly with the gallery’s location. Lastly, for my gallery to one day become the “pearl of the Marais,” location was essential. Set in the Haut-Marais, near the intersection with rue du Perche, and between the future Fondation Cartier-Bresson, the Picasso Museum, and the Perrotin Gallery, I could hardly ask for a better location!
* Come back next week for another interview with Thierry. If you have any questions you’d like to ask him, don’t hesitate to share them with us via email — [email protected] — and we will include them in our next interview..
EXHIBITION
Vertical Horizon
Ralph Gibson
From June 10th to August 27th, 2016
Galerie Thierry Bigaignon
Hotel de Retz – Bâtiment A
9 rue Charlot, 75003 Paris
France
http://www.thierrybigaignon.com
http://www.ralphgibson.com
