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Surrealism and its legacy

Studio Razavi Architecture

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Ambroise Tezenas
Ambroise Tezenas
Ambroise Tezenas
Ambroise Tezenas

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Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Exhibition
6.80
7.86
7.39
5.71
6.94
Andres Fredes
Andres Fredes Creative Director / Partner at ALLDSGN
5
5
5
5
5
Jaime Velez
Jaime Velez Design Partner at Velez + Valencia Arquitectos
4.1
7.17
6.6
7.81
6.42
Maria Messina
Maria Messina Creative Director and Design Architect at FAAB
5
5
5
5
5
Carolin Krebber
Carolin Krebber Founder at Büro agata/ Co-founder Format F/ allmannwappner
5
7.17
7.1
5
6.07
Ayça Doğan
Ayça Doğan Head of Design at CBRE Netherlands
6
7
6.5
6
6.38
Philippe Paré
Philippe Paré Principal and Managing Director at Gensler
4.88
6.36
5.45
5.4
5.52
Liz Mahlow
Liz Mahlow Founding Partner at Nous Engineering
5
6
6
5
5.5
Elise Zoetmulder
Elise Zoetmulder Founder at Zoetmulder
6.6
6.81
6.52
5
6.23
Yen Kien Hang
Yen Kien Hang Founder / Design Writer / Author at OutOfThePackage
First impression was a homely hotel...
5
7
6
5
5.75
Toni Black
Toni Black Interior Director at Blacksheep
5
6.53
6.48
5
5.75
Jason Su
Jason Su Design Director at HCD Impress
6.88
7.1
6.67
6.81
6.87
Lin Chen
Lin Chen Founding Partner at Topos Design
6
7.5
6.5
7
6.75
Firas Alsahin
Firas Alsahin Co-Founder and Design Director at 4SPACE Design
6
7
7
5
6.25
Evans Lee
Evans Lee Founder & Design Director at Evans Lee Designers
5.1
5.24
4.38
4.45
4.79
Maximilian Pecher
Maximilian Pecher Senior Designer and Creative Lead at NorthernLight
5
6
6
5
5.5
Falco Webbink
Falco Webbink Head of Design at Wink
4.17
7.24
6.45
7.1
6.24
Kristen Becker
Kristen Becker Partner at Mutuus Studio
6
7
7
5
6.25
Mohammed Adib
Mohammed Adib Chief Design Officer at Dewan
4.31
5.67
6.6
3.52
5.03
Client
Sotheby’s
Floor area
200 ㎡
Completion
2022
Social Media
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Millwork

On the occasion of Sotheby’s first Surrealism auction held in Paris, the client expressed the wish to create a memorable experience for visitors, clients and online bidders alike. 

The Galerie Charpentier is a XIXth century Parisian landmark which has remained untouched spatially since it was covered with a glass roof structure. This notion of a Classical Landmark was instrumental in our design approach as we knew visitors would not expect anything to be disrupted. We set to create a gradual tension for visitors as they would enter the building with the main exhibition hall as their focal point.

Our objective was a "space within the space", a change in both scale and forms but predominantly a design that would modify the atmosphere by introducing elements in sharp contrast with the existing historic features. This we wanted to achieve with an economy of means. Our concept, an open cruciform plan which doubles the existing wall surfaces, offers multiple perspectives on the artworks and a variety of circulation & hanging possibilities.

The freestanding partitions rely on their monolithic nature to both be stable and provide a sense of mass. They are reusable and designed to offer two other spatial configurations. Each partition has casters concealed in their base to allow for ease of operation for the crew. Similarly, they can be taken apart for ease of storage and transportation. Each configuration relies on the impression created as one moves around the partitions relying on ancestral spatial strategies of compression, release and perspective to impact our senses. 

This project became a wonderful opportunity to show how with very little, architecture can create very specific feelings, capture people's attention and above all inspire them.