This month, Paris puts itself on display: while there is ferment at the Grand Palais Éphémère for the debut of the contemporary art fair Paris+ par Art Basel (20-23 October), a series of collateral events will welcome visitors into more intimate settings, inside the walls of elegant apartments.
We can discover three of them, on an itinerary that starts at 7 Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, in the heart of the 8th arrondissement: an elegant home on three levels, inside a building in typical Haussmann style, hosting the 11th edition of Private Choice.
From 16 to 23 October, the mini-fair of art and design curated by Nadia Candet presents works by outstanding names – the Oda lamps by the German designer Sebastian Herkner, an armchair-sculpture based on the collaboration between the interior design firm PINTO and fashion designer Stefano Pilati – flanked by rising talents in a multidisciplinary dialogue of furnishings, decoration, lighting, abstract art, photography and fashion. The theme is “Lignes de Vie” to underline the multiple directions of the 50 artists on view.
Moving along the Seine to reach the 16th arrondissement, we reach 51 Rue Raynouard for the exhibition Genius Loci, L’Appartement d’Auguste Perret. This is again a private home (now heritage listed), of the French architect Auguste Perret (1874-1954), mentor of Le Corbusier and a pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete. Perret lived here with his wife until he died.
A masterpiece of Art Deco in wood and concrete, the building was designed by Perret in 1932; he resided on the 7th floor, with a spectacular view of Paris. From 15 to 23 October the apartment, which was a crossroads for his friends, artists, writers, intellectuals and musicians, hosts the works of 28 creatives (Francesco Vezzoli, Thomas Houseago, Rick Owens, just to mention a few), triggering short circuits and unusual connections.
Curated by Marion Vignal, the event marks a new step in the program of Genius Loci, an initiative that brings special projects by artists and designers into historic residences, from Venice to Los Angeles.
Shifting in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe, we find another design universe to be explored… and tasted. The appointment is on 20 October from 2 to 6 PM at 8bis Rue de Presbourg, the dwelling of Cherine Magrabi Tayeb, a collector and founder of the non-profit organization House of Today.
The project, which since 2012 has supported Lebanese contemporary design, presents Ceramic Banquet, Act I, a multisensory exhibition focusing on the world of table settings and the concept of socializing, addressed by the ‘functional sculptures’ of the Table Series by Lebanese designer Souraya Haddad. While discovering cups, vases, bowls and candlesticks in ceramic with sinuous volumes, visitors will sample the culinary creations prepared by the French-Japanese duo Balbosté. An experimental voyage through an encounter of traditions: the art of ceramics, and Lebanese hospitality.
 with three private homes open to the public to celebrate creativity in the wider sense of the term.){kind=link}