It is called the Marais because it was originally just a swamp on the banks of the Seine. It could be a district in itself. It is content to be a district straddling the 3rd and 4th arrondissement. But the prestige of the Marais goes well beyond its borders.
Firstly because it is known for being a festive place for the LGBTQ community. At the same time, it is also the Jewish quarter of Paris.
This mix between the quiet obsolescence of the day and the electric nightlife gives it an unparalleled charm. Contemporary art gallery owners have decided to complete the picture precisely here, in its cobbled streets, because it has long been an affordable neighborhood and is still very busy.
Art flourishes best in diverse environments.
Here are the must-see art galleries in the Marais.
THE MOST FAMOUS GALLERY: THADDAEUS ROPAC
Thaddaeus Ropac is a veteran of the artistic world. A fallen artist, never accomplished, as he describes himself, he falls back on the art gallery to maintain a link and a dynamic with the artists. The mission of a gallery for him is to allow the artist who works for months on a work in the studio, to change context and show himself to the public. Like a birth, a coming into the world. The relationship of trust is developed over time, as with Georg Baselitz with whom he has worked for decades. It ensures that it offers the ideal space for the exhibition of these paintings or sculptures which have never encountered any other gaze than that of the artist.
Meet in the Marais at 7 Rue Debelleyme , Paris 3rd.
THE REAL MARAIS GALLERY: PERROTIN GALLERY
You will have to cross the small stone arch at 76 rue de Turenne and enter the courtyard to discover the famous Emmanuel Perrotin gallery . He too is a veteran of the profession. And always in the Marais.
He likes to walk there, he loves its renewal, the vitality of its streets. It receives between 400 and 450 people per day who come to admire its exhibitions.
As he rents spaces during Fashion Week, and is known internationally, he receives stars from all over the world. You now know how to satisfy your curiosity, for entertainment and for art of course, by attending, why not, one of its famous openings.
THE MOST FRENCHY GALLERY OF DANIEL TEMPLON
In his early days he was with Saint-Germain. Installation in the cellar of an antique dealer. It was in the 60s. He presented young artists without having any training, without even having ever visited a museum.
However, he managed to communicate, to reach the press. And to sell works. Trust is then built with the artists. It goes from the cellar to the store, then finally to rue Beaubourg, when the Center Pompidou was only a project. He smelled the right opportunity to be seen and, at the time, became the largest gallery in Paris. The Templon gallery.
Inspired by the galleries of Madison Avenue in New York , he introduced American artists to the French public. He introduced Pop Art . But admits to exhibiting mainly French artists and loves discovering the next stars of the profession.
GALERIE YVON LAMBERT: 50 YEARS OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Initially located on rue Vieille du temple, in the heart of the Marais. He produced what he calls “museum exhibitions”, historical exhibitions which launched artists who are now recognized. He likes the provincial side of the Marais district.
Friend with Basquiat , the artist entrusted him with a rare exhibition of his works.
He sees the other gallery owners setting up shop and persists in saying that contemporary art is not in the 19th or 18th as they say everywhere, it is always here. In the Marsh.
However, his passion for books devoured him and he decided to stop his mono-activity as a gallery owner to settle in a new Parisian space, rue des Filles du Calvaire, still in the Marais.
Today it is a space of conviviality which offers to see. Rare books, a bookstore, a library and always a gallery: painters, sculptors, emerging or established. The Beaux-Arts concept store, so to speak.
A TASTE FOR BEAUTY IN THE MARAIS
Le Marais has dozens of galleries, also specializing in contemporary photography for example, like the Gadcollection gallery, or in urban art. The international programming of the Center Pompidou allows individuals to enjoy virtual or classic exhibitions and a museum open to all on several levels.
Your cultural Paris is not limited to the surroundings of the Marais and you should not miss a visit to the Quai Branly Museum of Primitive Arts , nor that of the Orsay Museum
Only then will you have a vision of the French cultural panorama.
