Some places are the true embodiment of our cultural heritage and values; Le Meurice is one of them. Located opposite the Tuileries Garden, between Place de la Concorde and the Louvre, Le Meurice has been the heartbeat of Paris since 1835. True to its values and as an integral part of French culture, over the centuries Le Meurice has established itself as a pillar of both French history and the history of art. As a result, many artists have played a part in Le Meurice’s history: Honoré de Balzac, Pablo Picasso, Edmond Rostand, Salvador Dalí, Coco Chanel, Guillaume Apollinaire, Jean Cocteau, Marcel Aymé, André Gide, Ernest Hemingway, Andy Warhol, Liza Minelli, Bob Dylan, and many more.
Each one of them has helped to shape the history of these walls, whose cultural value is part of the common good and an expression of the French genius of this way of life. On the occasion of the 9th edition, Le Meurice is returning to what has always determined the identity and the very essence of its values: an unconditional love of art, an endless source of inspiration, which helps humanity to build a better world.
In this spirit, the public Journey exhibition will run from 10 October until 23 October at the Galerie Castiglione inside the hotel, between 12am and 7pm. The collection of works will showcase the projects submitted by the six finalists: Katinka Bock (Galerie Jocelyn Wolff), Julien Discrit (Galerie Anne-Sarah Bénichou), Lola Gonzàlez (Galerie Marcelle Alix), Angelica Mesiti (Galerie Allen), Moussa Sarr (VNH Gallery), Thu Van Tran (Galerie Meessen de Clercq).
The Meurice Prize for contemporary art is also for Le Meurice the opportunity to reaffirm its position as a champion of culture. It is this heritage that gives Le Meurice its soul, and it is this heritage that we are celebrating so that it continues to be a showcase for art and the values that we hold dear and contribute to spreading France’s cultural heritage around the world and down through generations.
The Meurice Prize for contemporary art is an international award with a prize of €20,000. It includes all disciplines in the visual and plastic arts (painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video, etc.) and recognises a project of international stature submitted by an artist and his or her gallery.
True to its heritage and its interest in the art of its time, and driven by general manager Franka Holtmann, Le Meurice founded the Meurice Prize for contemporary art in 2008, reaffirming its position as a supporter of young artists.
Every year, this not-for-profit corporate patronage provides financial support for a young artist and his or her gallery to gain international recognition.
For those who are not familiar with Le Meurice, the exhibition is an ideal opportunity to find out more about the artistic heritage of the hotel, particularly its restoration led by Henri Nénot, winner of the 1877 Grand Prix de Rome, its marble and mosaics, its hand- painted Pompier canvases, its more recent contemporary interior by Philippe Starck or, of course, the pieces in its contemporary art collection. Since 2009, this hotel, where art coincides with a certain French genius, has displayed several works by finalists of the Meurice Prize for contemporary art. In fact, for 8 years, Le Meurice has been purchasing several pieces of art from former finalists, which fit with its history and suits its almost two hundred-year-old surroundings. Each work of art is now displayed in its public spaces for all of its visitors to admire.
The exhibition runs from 10 to 23 October 2016 at Galerie Castiglione, from 12am to 7pm. An advisor will be available from Tuesday to Saturday between 12am and 7pm.