Alicja Kwade’s installation ‘brings the stars down’ onto Place Vendôme
Polish-German artist Alicja Kwade has adorned Place Vendôme with an interactive installation comprising natural stone spheres and concrete stairs, as part of the Paris+ par Art Basel ‘Sites’ project

In recent weeks, the French capital has been elevated culturally by the arrival of Paris+ par Art Basel. The newest iteration of the cutting-edge art fair brought together 156 leading French and international galleries within Grand Palais Éphémère, a temporary location while the Grand Palais undergoes renovations.
Beneath clear autumnal skies, I met the duo in front of The Ritz on the historic Place Vendôme where Sans described how, ‘This spectacular installation sets a dialogue between new structures combining natural stone globes and three concrete stairs with a set of 17 spheres, a recurring motif for the artist.’ Kwade added that ‘the staircases have a clear symbolic meaning. It’s about human nature - continually trying to elevate yourself, but then inevitably going down again.’ Her interest in power reflects the nearby column depicting Napoleon. ‘He was reaching for the stars and trying to elevate himself above everybody else. But I’m trying to bring the stars down onto Place Vendôme.’
Portrait of curator Jérôme Sans and artist Alicja Kwade at Place Vendôme with Kwade's new installation Au cours des mondes.
Before we met, I knew Alicja’s work from her Roof Garden Commission at The Metropolitan Museum in New York as well as the permanent collections of Paris’ Centre Pompidou and the Boros Collection in Berlin where she lives and works. The studio complex that she shares with artists like Olafur Eliasson is on a river in the East of Berlin. ‘To be honest, my favourite place on the planet is being alone in my studio at night’ says Kwade. ‘It is where I feel very happy and balanced.’
Although Kwade prefers to work alone, there is a natural sense of community in her work. As we spoke, we watched children play on her sculptures. As Sans describes, ‘her work is very engaging - those spheres are like magnets. From old to young - everyone wants to touch because it gives you strength.’ There is a natural friendship between artist and curator that felt almost balletic as we spoke. Sans describes how, ‘when I work with an artist, it is never once. We collaborate recurrently. It is never flirting, but the chance to push our limits together long-term and learn something new.’ They were united by their devotion to the project, but ultimately, as captured by Kwade, ‘You need people you admire and respect, that you trust and enjoy having around.’Kwade speaks eloquently about her devotion to public art and the joy it gives her to observe the sense of community and togetherness that her sculpture created. She confides, ‘I really believe in public art, especially nowadays, as a source of identification. The human scale of Au cours des mondes reflects the approach of Sans who described how he ‘never understood the works that I have to see from afar and not touch” and instead believes in sharing the experience of art as much as possible. Kwade continued, “For me, my work is about human nature - why we are what we are and behave as we behave and believe what we believe. How we create this society and this world as we think it is. This piece is about us spinning around on a globe, on a stone, and still ironically trying to figure out why we do that. We’re spinning around ourselves.’
Alicja Kwade, Au cours des mondes, 2022, installation view
Before we parted ways, we discussed how Paris+ par Art Basel has inspired many galleries, museums and curators to get involved. Kwade describes how, ‘culture is deeply embedded in Parisian society, which is beautiful. It is everywhere.’ She has perceived a newfound sense of collaboration. For example, the unmissable ‘Monet - Mitchell’ exhibition at Fondation Louis Vuitton, which creates a dialogue between the two celebrated artists, and the California Light and Space and Beyond exhibition at the modernist home of Benjamin Paulin and Alice Lemoine for which curator Lawrence Van Hagen collaborated with designers Paulin, Paulin, Paulin. Also, As Kwade continues, ‘For the city, it is the best possible outcome. You could see the opening of the fair was very busy. It was insane. It is reviving for Paris to bring people from all over the world. The city is excited. You can feel it.’
Sans concluded by reflecting on the project as ‘creating a point of connection and community’ and that rings true to the overall effect of Paris in its renewed contemporary art moment.
Alicja Kwade, Au cours des mondes, 2022, installation view
Alicja Kwade, Au cours des mondes, 2022, installation view
Au cours des mondes by Alicja Kwade, curated by Jérôme Sans will be on view at the Place Vendôme until 13 November, as part of the Sites program of Paris+ by Art Basel. parisplus.artbasel.com
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
The collections you might have missed this S/S 2026 menswear season
Between the headliners in Paris, Milan and Florence, a few off-schedule displays are deserving of honourable mention – from Martine Rose’s sexually-charged portrait of Kensington Market to Sander Lak’s appointment-only namesake debut
-
Meet artist Michael McGregor, using hotel stationery as his canvas
Michael McGregor unveils an exclusive postcard set made with notepads from The Luxury Collection properties in Minneapolis, San Francisco and Savannah
-
A nature-inspired Chinese art centre cuts a crisp figure in a Guiyang park
A new Chinese art centre by Atelier Xi in the country's Guizhou Province is designed to bring together nature, art and community
-
Wolfgang Tillmans brings a performative edge to bibliophilia at the Centre Pompidou’s library
As the Centre Pompidou’s library is emptied ahead of the venue’s five-year restoration, the German photographer moves in for a final fling of a Paris exhibition
-
12 things not to miss at Art Basel 2025
Art Basel is bigger and better than ever. Avoid overwhelm, follow our definite what-to-see guide at this year's event (19-22 June)
-
A song for the dead – Josh Homme on performing for six million souls in the bowels of the Paris Catacombs
A rock band, a brush with death and an underground tomb coalesce in haunting new Queens of the Stone Age film, ‘Alive in the Catacombs’. Wallpaper* meets frontman Josh Homme and director Thomas Rames
-
Meet the Art Basel Awards 2025 winners
The inaugural Art Basel Awards 2025 winners have been announced, celebrating a wide array of artistic practices shaping the future of art
-
The alternative art fairs championing emerging artists
The lower barrier to entry to these smaller and specialist art fairs make them hubs of grassroots creativity, allowing emerging names to establish a foothold in the industry
-
‘David Hockney 25’: inside the artist’s blockbuster Paris show
‘David Hockney 25’ has opened at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. Wallpaper’s Hannah Silver took a tour of the colossal, colourful show
-
Don’t miss these five artists at Art Basel Hong Kong
Art Basel Hong Kong – the glittering intersection of European curatorial expertise and Asia's money-fuelled art swagger – returns for its 2025 edition
-
Jack White's Third Man Records opens a Paris pop-up
Jack White's immaculately-branded record store will set up shop in the 9th arrondissement this weekend