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 has been entrusted with our new Parisian gallery, taking on the conversion of 26 bis rue François 1er, a neo-classical hôtel particulier that formerly housed La Maison Decour, a decorative arts gallery, until the 1940s. Speaking from his studio on Place Saint Georges, Luis Laplace explained, ‘Christophe found the space, this amazing space in the heart of Paris. It’s a very beautiful building, with a very Parisian character.’

Committed to both maintaining the building’s integrity and celebrating its history, at Hauser & Wirth Paris, Laplace used locally sourced materials 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. Here, Laplace shares his thoughts on conservation, the creation of gallery spaces, and on Paris as a city where art is combined with the art de vivre.  

On his relationship to art  
I was always sensitive to art since my youth, to art, theatre, cinema, ceramics, sculpture, several forms of art. I’m very interested in working with artists—we do a lot of collaborations. We invite them to participate in our project. We mix architecture and art.   

On creating Hauser & Wirth Paris  
I think it’s very important to create a space that responds primarily to the city, not to the location, and then to the gallery’s personality as well. All of this will be on view in the gallery, in the space. The original idea was to create a space that, above all, would allow Paris to be seen, that would respond to the Parisian vernacular. There are many elements that are very Parisian: architectural elements, features related to the way of entering the space—the entrance, the foyer, the stairway.  

On conserving the building’s original features 
The stairway is a good example of an element of the gallery which we restored. We invited Martin Creed to come up with a project and work with us. This stairway is a typically Parisian stairway and Creed worked with its language … I think it’s important to show that spaces blend, that spaces converse with each other, that there is no clear boundary. It was an opportunity to show a kind of collaboration between architecture and art. We don’t know where one begins and the other ends. 

On Paris as an artist’s city 
I think Paris is a very inspiring city for artists, primarily because of its light, its open spaces and all of the views. It’s a very emotional city. I think it’s a strong city. 

Learn more about Laplace