Albert Marquet, Porquerolles, Fort of Saint Agathe, 1938-1939

I have always been intrigued by Galerie de la Présidence, just across the street from the Elysée Palace and next to the Ministry of Interior on place Beauvau. It is well defended by myriads of policemen and I had only been inside for a fabulous Marquet and a Giacometti exhibition. But when I recently heard that Françoise and Florence Chibret-Plaussu, its owners, were lending paintings all around to museums’ exhibitions, I decided to go in and learn more.

Françoise and Florence Chibret-Plaussu run Galerie de la Présidence together

Mother and daughter were by chance wearing matching Issey Miyake outfits and both sounded great fun. They represent artists that I love like Vieira da Silva whose works on paper are always attracting my eye at Salon du Dessin, and  Louis Valtat totally unknown to me until today. Also Michel de Gallard a contemporary of Bernard Buffet.

But at the moment they are showing some of their works by Marcel Gromaire at Musée Matisse in le Cateau Cambrésis, their Boudin paintings in Madrid at Museo Thyssen Bornemisza and Henri-Edmond Cross at Musée des Impressionnistes in Giverny until Nov 4.

Louis Valtat, Bush of flowers and red rocks (in Agay), ca 1900

When Françoise Chibret-Plaussu opened the gallery in 1971, she concentrated on Albert Marquet,  Maurice de Vlaminck and Jean Hélion with sculptures by André Derain. This year, she showed in Maastricht for the first time and loved it. The next large show is the Paris Biennale on September 8-16, where she will bring all her artists.

Henri-Edmond Cross, Study for “Mother playing with her child”, 1899-1900

The next two years, 2019-2020 will be  Marcel Gromaire years in Sète first at Musée Paul Valéry, then in Honfleur and at la Piscine in Roubaix. The mother, Françoise, wrote the catalogue raisonné of his paintings with his son and Florence, the daughter, is preparing a catalog of his watercolors and drawings with his grandson.

Michel de Gallard, Still life

It’s all a family business! So don’t wait twenty years to visit this beautiful gallery, just walk in next time you are on Faubourg Saint Honoré. Galerie de la Présidence, 90 rue du Fbg St Honoré.