Maurizio Cattelan Brings Contemporary Art to Paris’s Galeries Lafayette
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is bringing his unique vision to the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris with a new exhibition of contemporary art. The show, a collaboration with the Centre Pompidou-Metz, will run from March 10th to April 27th, 2026.
The exhibition will be free to the public and aims to introduce art to a diverse audience, including the store’s 37 million annual visitors, 60% of whom are international tourists. Cattelan previously collaborated with the Centre Pompidou-Metz on the exhibition “Dimanche sans fin,” which reimagines the museum’s collection through his distinctive lens.
According to reports, the curators have selected works that offer a “reflection on the world of today,” with a focus on ecological and feminist themes. German artist Gloria Friedmann’s installation, Mammalia, will be among the featured pieces, exploring the fragility of life with a poetic touch.
“With the ambition displayed that ‘art meets a crowd that didn’t come to appear for it,’” the exhibition seeks to disrupt the traditional art-viewing experience, placing contemporary works within the bustling environment of a luxury department store. This innovative approach is part of a broader collaboration between the Centre Pompidou-Metz and Galeries Lafayette, as highlighted on the Galeries Lafayette website.
Guillaume Houzé and Chiara Parisi, the driving forces behind the project, described their vision as transforming the Galeries Lafayette into “a space for artistic experimentation,” as reported by Madame Figaro. Cattelan’s involvement builds on his recent work with the Centre Pompidou-Metz, where he was invited to reinterpret the museum’s collection for its 15th anniversary.
The artist’s previous exhibition at the Centre Pompidou-Metz, “Dimanche sans fin,” featured rare works from the museum’s collection, showcasing the diversity of contemporary art movements. More information about that exhibition can be found on the Centre Pompidou website. Cattelan’s work has garnered significant attention in recent years, as evidenced by coverage in Beaux Arts and further reporting on his career.
