Emmanuel Perrotin, these are not only a contemporary art gallery in Le Marais and a handful of others around the world: New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai. Above all, it is a trajectory that we like, a success story. In two decades, this Montreuil-born son of a bank employee and a stay-at-home mother has become one of the most prominent gallery owners on the world contemporary art scene. And that without a network, without fortune, without any diploma.
It all began when this young man born in May 1968, who parties non-stop, takes on odd jobs, from courier to wedding videographer. He dreams of being a screenwriter but a night owl friend who, like him, assiduously frequents Bains Douches, takes him to her father's gallery. This is the revelation.
Perrotin, whose artistic culture stops at the Impressionists, learns that the galleries are usually open between 14 and 19 p.m. Schedules perfectly compatible with the life of a bambochard who wakes up late. So, when a few months later, he met a SciencesPo student who opened a gallery in the Marais, he became its assistant, then the communicator.
But, in 1990, our daring self-taught artist set out on his own: he opened his own gallery. It fits him like a glove: he has nose, optimism and energy to spare. Between him and his artists, relationships of trust are established. Among those he helped to flourish, some became global stars: Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, Marina Abramovic, John Arleder, and still others. Today, the Perrotin gallery represents around fifty big names including Pierre Soulages, Sophie Calle, Takashi Murakami, Xavier Veilhan and Pharrel Williams. Just that !
D’OTHER LOVERS OF THE MARAIS
A meeting with the philosopher Charles Pépin
Philosopher, writer, successful author, professor at Sciences Po and at the Lycée de la Légion d'Honneur, Charles Pépin, who bears a royal first name twice, logically lives in the former district of Charles V, i.e. -say in the Marais. For having traveled up and down (“It’s by walking…
Librairie 0fr., the temple of “cool”
The Ofr bookstore. is so open to the world that it spills onto the sidewalk. Rue Dupetit-Thouars, the books spread out on the tables on either side of the entrance give an idea of what awaits customers behind the window: ultra-trendy fashion magazines, design magazines...
Emily in Paris… and Bruno in the Marais!
In Emily in Paris, he is Luc, the kindly “nerdy” colleague of the American heroine of the Netflix series. A specimen of Parisian hedonist who explains to young Emily, newly arrived in a luxury marketing agency in the capital, the codes of the world of work in France...
NOW ON
LE MARAIS MOOD
History of the Marais: an exhibition and a catalogue
In the publishing world, nothing remarkable has been published about the Marais for years. That has now been rectified with Ciel, mon marais! (an illustrated history of the neighborhood), a book self-published by Christelle Gonzalo, a mad lover of Paris and the Marais who runs the bookstore…
Jazz at 38Riv: October highlights
The 387Riv Jazz Club, located in the Marais district of Paris, is an intimate and warm venue dedicated to jazz. Known for its hushed atmosphere and live performances, it attracts both local and international musicians. The club, located at 38 rue Saint-Martin, offers regular evenings where improvisation…
Joachim du Bellay’s coffin found under Notre-Dame!
Amazing! The coffin of the poet Joachim Du Bellay was identified in the archaeological excavations carried out under Notre-Dame…
