A NEW SPACE FOR A NEW SYNERGY
Translation of the article : Union of the Chevalier and Charles-Wesley Hourdé galleries.
The fourth generation of a famous family of antique dealers specialising in antique tapestries and rugs, Amélie-Margot Chevalier has been developing her taste for modern and contemporary tapestries over the past fifteen years, with a particular focus on the French scene, notably Jean Lurçat. Based at 25 rue de Bourgogne in Paris’s 7th arrondissement since 2018 (after leaving her historic address on quai Voltaire), the gallery owner has just moved to Les Verrières, in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, within the space of the Charles-Wesley Hourdé gallery, renowned for its traditional African art. Having been a couple for over 16 years, the two dealers have decided to work together, bringing their respective worlds together in a single space. “We are opening a new chapter in our lives,” enthuses Amélie-Margot
Chevalier. “By joining forces in this inspiring space, we’ll be able to give free rein to our shared aspirations, and breathe our synergy as a couple into this beautiful 200 m2 modular space overlooking the courtyard, lit by zenithal light”.
On 3 October, the inaugural exhibition of this professional marriage will combine modern and contemporary tapestries, Parsua rugs, African art and mineralogy, before a carte blanche given to Haos (a design studio founded by Sophie Gelinet and Cédric Gepner) and interior designers Garcé & Dimofsky, all based in Lisbon, who will be keen to bring the collections of the two galleries into dialogue. But the first real exhibition under the double banner will be ‘L’Étoffe des Modernes, Threads of Senegal’, from 7 to 29 November: highlighting the African creativity revived under the impetus of Léopold Sédar Senghor, a historic collection of 18 Senegalese tapestries from the 1960s to the 1980s pays tribute to the tapestry manufacturers of Thiès and the artists of the Dakar School. For Charles-Wesley Hourdé, ‘we couldn’t dream of a better way for Africa to bring us together’.