Exterior of Hauser & Wirth Paris. ‘Henry Taylor. FROM SUGAR TO SHIT,’ is on view through 7 January 2024 © Henry Taylor. Photo: Nicolas Brasseur
Laplace Restoration of Hauser & Wirth Paris Recognized in Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024
Hauser & Wirth Paris by Laplace sees the architecture studio named Best Restoration Kings
Laplace has been recognized by global design authority Wallpaper* with the Best Restoration Kings award for their work on our Paris gallery which opened its doors in October 2023. The Wallpaper* Design Awards celebrate the best of the best from the previous year and highlight ‘unique and unexpected objects and experiences that make our material lives more meaningful.’ Since 2005, the awards have recognized work by architects and designers including OMA, Herzog & de Meuron, Hermès, Celine, Sabine Marcelis, Tadao Ando and Adjaye Associates among many others.
Founded in 2004 by the Argentinian-born architect Luis Laplace and his French partner, Christophe Comoy, the Paris-based architecture studio Laplace has been a longstanding collaborator of Hauser & Wirth. Following projects in Somerset, Menorca and other gallery locations, Laplace was entrusted with our new Parisian gallery, ‘breathing new life into an 1877 hôtel particulier near the Champs-Elysées’ that formerly housed La Maison Decour, a decorative arts gallery, until the 1940s.
Luis Laplace and Christophe Comoy. Photo: Ambroise Tezenas
‘Luis Laplace is very strong at turning an existing building into a great space for art, but keeping the spirit,’ says Marc Payot, President of Hauser & Wirth. Committed to both maintaining the building’s integrity and celebrating its history, Laplace used locally sourced materials at Hauser & Wirth Paris, to maintain the authentic elements of the space, with any interventions—such as Martin Creed’s installation on the historic spiral staircase—focused on a merging of artist and architecture.
Our Paris gallery continues Hauser & Wirth’s longstanding commitment to the adaptive conservation of historic buildings. In this case, this included the reinstating the double-height, six-meter-tall ground-floor gallery and conserving authentic elements of the space, including the spiral staircase and its original handrail. Speaking from his studio on Place Saint Georges, Luis Laplace says, ‘Christophe found the space, this amazing space in the heart of Paris. It’s a very beautiful building, with a very Parisian character.’
Martin Creed, Work No. 3839, 2023 © Martin Creed. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2023. Photo: Nicolas Brasseur
Installation view, ‘Henry Taylor. FROM SUGAR TO SHIT,’ Hauser & Wirth Paris, 2023 © Henry Taylor. Photo: Nicolas Brasseur
Materials were selected to reflect and amplify the building’s historical luster, including the distinctive Croix Huyart stone used for the entranceway of the gallery, which is used in the construction of most historical buildings in Paris. The principal story of the façade has neoclassical detailing, including a series of three four-meter-tall arched windows and banded rustication, and the upper stories have Corinthian pilasters, balconies and scrolls with a balustraded terrace above.
Other collaborations between Hauser & Wirth and Laplace include the current creation of a new London flagship gallery in the former Thomas Goode building in Mayfair, the creation of an art center on Isla del Rey in Menorca from disused former naval buildings and the conversion of a listed 18th-century farmstead into Hauser & Wirth Somerset that opened in 2014. In the 2022 Wallpaper* awards, Hauser & Wirth Menorca received Best Art Destination in recognition of the work undertaken to repurpose Illa del Rei’s ‘architectural gem’ into an art center comprising a gallery, outdoor sculpture trail, education lab, restaurant, gardens and boutique with sustainability as ‘a core mission.’
Inside Luis Laplace’s Paris atelier, the architect shares his thoughts on conservation, the creation of gallery spaces and Paris as a city
Hauser & Wirth’s inaugural exhibition in Paris debuted new works by critically acclaimed Los Angeles artist Henry Taylor, including over 30 paintings, sculptures and works on paper that encompass the remarkable breadth of his practice. On 20 January 2024, French artist Hélène Delprat’s first exhibition with Hauser & Wirth, ‘MONSTER SOUP,’ will open in our Paris gallery.
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Learn more about the award on Wallpaper*
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