Air de Paris was a contemporary art gallery owned and directed by Florence Bonnefous and Edouard Merino from 1990 to 2026, located in Nice, Paris and later Romainville, France.Devorah Lauter (12 May 2026), Air de Paris, a Radical Stalwart of the French Gallery Scene, Is Closing Cultured.
History
In 1990 Air de Paris was established in Nice by Bonnefous and Merino, who had attended the École du Magasin in Grenoble together. In 1994, the gallery relocated to Paris, first at a location on rue des Haudriettes. Alongside other galleries including Almine Rech and Galerie Perrotin, Air de Paris moved to spaces on Rue Louise Weiss in the 13th arrondissement in 1997, as part a city-sponsored initiative.Anna Sansom (July 29, 2019), "'Grand Paris': new art complex to open in Parisian suburb", The Art Newspaper. In 2019, Air de Paris joined forces with three other galleries (Jocelyn Wolff, In Situ Fabienne Leclerc and Sator), a public institution Le Plateau frac île de france and Fiminco Foundation to open spaces in Komunuma, an four-building arts complex in Romainville. Together with In Situ Fabienne Leclerc, the gallery occupied a four-storey space and a shared roof terrace.Anna Sanson (October 15, 2019), "Imane Farès drops out of new Paris gallery complex", The Art Newspaper.
The name "Air de Paris" was a tribute to Marcel Duchamp and his "ready-made" 50cc of Paris Air. At the beginning, there was Les Ateliers du Paradise with Philippe Perrin, Pierre Joseph and Philippe Parreno. Paul McCarthy, Lily van der Stokker and Jean-Luc Verna, among others, participated to the reputation of the Nicean formula.
Air de Paris represented established practicing artists such as Liam Gillick, Claire Fontaine, and Trisha Donnelly, historically important artists such as Guy de Cointet, Dorothy Iannone and Allen Ruppersberg, and emerging artists such as Eliza Douglas and Aaron Flint Jamison. Air de Paris also represented the photographic work of Michel Houellebecq following his large survey exhibition at Palais de Tokyo in 2016.
In 2026, Air de Paris declared bankruptcy and ceased operations.Devorah Lauter (12 May 2026), Air de Paris, a Radical Stalwart of the French Gallery Scene, Is Closing Cultured.
Artists Air de Paris represented numerous living artists, including:
Leonor Antunes Sadie Benning Trisha Donnelly Guyton\Walker Joseph Grigely Carsten Höller Michel Houellebecq M/M (Paris)Alix Browne (3 June 2007), The Strong, Not So Silent Type The New York Times Magazine Emma McIntyreAlex Greenberger (27 February 2024), Painter Emma McIntyre Joins David Zwirner, Becoming the Youngest Artist on Its Roster ARTnews. Sarah Morris Philippe Parreno Rob Pruitt Torbjørn Rødland
Art fairs Air de Paris was present at many contemporary art fairs including Art Basel (1999–2025),Maximilíano Durón (22 April 2025), Leading Parisian Gallery Withdraws from Art Basel’s Swiss Edition Due to Booth Placement ARTnews. Independent in New York, FIAC in Paris and Artissima in Turin. From 2022, Bonnefous served on the selection committee of Art Basel's Paris edition.Kabir Jhala (24 March 2022), Art Basel reveals directors and name for new Paris fair in October The Art Newspaper.
References
External links Air de Paris official website