Simone Pheulpin shows her new landscapes made of cotton threads at Maison Parisienne

PAD, the design fair in Jardins des Tuileries, was celebrating its 24 th edition since 1998, and it was a beautiful and refined occasion to discover new galleries of ceramics, lamps and furniture. Everyone was under 40 years old on the stands and in the aisles and very glamorous. I discovered Aurélie Galois’s works at Mouvements Modernes, a gallery set in the Palais Royal (11 bis rue de Beaujolais). They will show the glass creations “Eternae” by Sam Baron next June 10-22 in their charming space. She paints with carbon pencils on gum. At Galerie Italienne, rebaptised Raphaella Riboud-Seydoux, ceramics are always amazing and at Maison Parisienne, who is celebrating its 15 years, with 15 artists, Simone Pheulpin the sculptress with cotton threads, showed new landscapes along Pierre Renart’s amazing folded furniture and Lison de Caunes and Julien Vermeulen.

Aurélie Galois,” La Fabrica” 2024, Noir de carbone on Gum at Galerie Mouvements Modernes

It is a true pleasure to visit all these decorators who mix paintings  with their incredible sofas and vintage furniture. The human size of the fair makes it very pleasant. Strangely enough, the galleries all have weird names like “Objects with narratives” in Brussels or “Objet d’émotion “by Valery Demure or the traditional “Avant Scène”. Ceramics were particularly strong on many of the booths.

Louis Marteau in front of his wall of Hayet drawings

Discovering Louis Marteau‘s collection of drawings was fun. He has collected them for the last 7 years and was showing for the first time on rue Jacob at Galerie Gezelbach. These pop up galleries among young dealers are more an more common since they do all their business on Proantic or internet. But the hanging of Dutch, French and Italian 18 th and 19 th century works next to Olivier Debré’s inks or Jean Dubuffet’s drawing, was very interesting.  The son of Christine Ladrière, the curator of private collections, Louis Marteau has learned quickly to do a perfect catalog and pretty hanging. Prices range from 245 000€ to 200€ and I particularly liked a little drawing of Chantilly for 540€.

Atelier Lardeur with Catherine Willis’ drawings and watercolors and a piano ready for the opening party

Catherine Willis was also showing in a fascinating place on rue du Cherche Midi, Atelier Lardeur which is devoted to all arts. You walk across two courtyards filled with camellias and land in a very large space which used to be sculptor and stained glass artist Raphael Lardeur‘s. His grandson Thomas Lardeur is a sculptor in the South of France and his daughter Catherine Lardeur, who was editor in chief of Marie Claire, manages the space. Willis works with perfume, gardens and natural materials on cosmos themes and imaginary worlds. Her little bats in marble powder are really charming and her arches or paintings on paper which exude various vetiver perfumes are intriguing. I bought a nest from her in 2002 and still love it…

Catherine Willis, bats moulded in marble powder at atelier Lardeur

It’s very interesting to see how many individual exhibitions take place everywhere. Fighting the globalization of art, artists and dealers  manage to find their collectors on line and have a need for live events. And what a pleasure it is is to actually meet the artists….

Gustave de Staël, Tunnel, 2021-2023, feather and ink on paper at Galerie Documents XV

At Galerie Documents 15, Gustave de Staël’s opening of “Reminiscence” was so packed that everyone was chatting on the street. He sold many drawings  before it opened officially at 6.30. and the party was great. Until May 18 at 15 rue de l’Echaudé.