If you happened to stop by the Private Choice preview cocktail in Paris on Saturday night, you would have had a hard time believing the apartment was actually a giant mise en scène. And the cinematic comparison makes a nifty double entendre; more than a century ago, the family of film maverick George Méliès occupied this building, adjacent to the city's garment district (his father was a successful bootmaker).
As a follow-up to last year's impressive staging – like this one, coinciding with the international contemporary art fair Fiac – Private Choice founder and project director Nadia Candet has asserted her curatorial taste on a residential space where a wide variety of artworks, furniture and design objects come together as a unified whole. Minus the Le Corbusier staircase, the lustrous Andrée Puttman light fixture and a few other pieces drilled into walls, everything is available for purchase. And yes, this includes the site-specific Felice Varini geometric perspective painting that will be custom re-created for the prospective buyer (at €50,000, it also happens to be the priciest item).
Candet has arranged the work in inspired juxtapositions: César fingerprint gold and platinum-accented china with Patrick Jouin for Puiforcat silverware; Zaha Hadid's vases for Lalique within arm's reach from Sacha Walchkoff's teal astrakhan armchair for Pouenat. Connecting several pieces is a subtle theme of orientation. Above the upper-level entryway, for instance, Melik Ohanian's neon art sign flashes '(T)HERE'. An 'X' marks the centre of Claude Closky's 'Ici [Here]' carpet in the library, positioned beneath Didier Faustino's 'Threesome Where' seating sculpture.
The inaugural edition showcased established and emerging artists separately, said Candet during an early walk-through. This year the integration makes a noticeable difference – particularly in the way people interact with the space. Some mingled around the Valentin Loellmann dining-room seating, as if in a home environment; others peeked intently into the bathroom to watch video art screened onto the turquoise wall. What they saw: a young duo that goes by the name None Futbol Club affixing 'Just Married' signage and tin cans to the back of a public bus.
The projection might have been smaller than the vanity mirror, but the effect underscored that this was no ordinary house. Like in a gallery, several pieces had already been marked by red dots.
Connecting several pieces is a subtle theme of orientation. Above the upper-level entryway, for instance, is Melik Ohanian's neon art sign '(T)HERE', from a 2006-2014 edition of five. On the sideboard are works by Florence Doléac and Claude Closky.
In a video screened onto the turquoise wall of the bathroom, a young duo called None Futbol Club affixes a 'Just Married' sign and tin cans to the back of a public bus. The 'Nao' stool is by Studio Katra.
Didier Faustino's 'Threesome Where' seating stands on a rug by Claude Closky. The artwork on the wall behind is 'James Turrell Evolution 2', 2014, by Nicolas Delprat.
A site-specific geometric perspective painting by Felice Varini will be customised for the prospective buyer. At €50,000, it is the priciest item for sale at Private Choice. On the sideboard is 'Bright Cells' by Hitomi Uchikura.
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
Contemporary artist collective Poush takes over Château La CosteMembers of Poush have created 160 works, set in and around the grounds of Château La Coste – the art, architecture and wine estate in Provence
-
‘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
-
Jack White's Third Man Records opens a Paris pop-upJack White's immaculately-branded record store will set up shop in the 9th arrondissement this weekend
-
‘The Black woman endures a gravity unlike any other’: Pharrell Williams explores diverse interpretations of femininity in ParisPharrell Williams returns to Perrotin gallery in Paris with a new group show which serves as an homage to Black women
-
What makes fashion and art such good bedfellows?There has always been a symbiosis between fashion and the art world. Here, we look at what makes the relationship such a successful one
-
Architecture, sculpture and materials: female Lithuanian artists are celebrated in NîmesThe Carré d'Art in Nîmes, France, spotlights the work of Aleksandra Kasuba and Marija Olšauskaitė, as part of a nationwide celebration of Lithuanian culture
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this weekInvesting in quality knitwear, scouting a very special pair of earrings and dining with strangers are just some of the things keeping the Wallpaper* team occupied this week
-
Tom Wesselmann’s enduring influence on pop art goes under the spotlight in Paris‘Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann &...’ is on view at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris until 24 February 2025
