The elegant five-storey townhouse at 8 Avenue Matignon in has been occupied by many acclaimed galleries, most recently . But this season, the building relaunches under the stewardship of longtime tenants . Their exhibition Eden is the first to premiere at the renamed , celebrating the work of artist-architect in an artfully panelled space that highlights the collection’s sensuality and warmth.
Mathiaut spent his youth immersed in the forest of Fontainebleau, south of Paris, and devoted his practice to arboreal shapes and rich wood grain. His talent for repurposing fossilised tree trunks, shedded bark, and fallen branches has given a second life to natural materials most people would step over. In the hands of Mathiaut, a devotee of Constantin Brancusi, Isamu Noguchi and tribal art from Africa and Asia, they become ‘landscape furniture’, collectable pieces beloved for their raw authenticity.
Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut, Eden, installation view at BASTOK LESSEL in Paris. Photography: Bruno Pellarin. Courtesy of BASTOK LESSEL
Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut, Eden, installation view at BASTOK LESSEL in Paris. Photography: Bruno Pellarin. Courtesy of BASTOK LESSEL
Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut
‘Enfilade’, 2024. Chêne (Oak). Photography: Bruno Pellarin. Courtesy of BASTOK LESSEL
Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut, Eden, installation view at BASTOK LESSEL in Paris. Photography: Bruno Pellarin. Courtesy of BASTOK LESSEL
Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut, Eden, installation view at BASTOK LESSEL in Paris. Photography: Bruno Pellarin. Courtesy of BASTOK LESSEL
Chaise, 2023 © Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut. Courtesy of the artist & BASTOK LESSEL
Okibo, 2023 © Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut. Courtesy of the artist & BASTOK LESSEL
Totem, 2023 © Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut. Courtesy of the artist & BASTOK LESSEL
Here in France, they decorate four floors of the reimagined gallery.
As visitors explore the spaces, they can admire faceted benches and seemingly primitive sculptures in handcrafted bookcases. His oak ‘Throne’ chairs look majestic yet unforgiving, while ‘Totem’ and ‘Fetish’ chairs look almost human. The top floor of the show is structured as a treehouse or ‘Cabane’, with views over the Jardins des Champs-Élysées.
Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut: Eden runs at Bastok Lessel until 13 July 2024.
Eden, installation view at BASTOK LESSEL in Paris. Photography: Ayka Lux. Courtesy of BASTOK LESSEL” width=”1515″ height=”1010″ srcset=”https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jean-Guillaume-Mathiaut-Photographe-Ayka-Lux.jpg 1515w, https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jean-Guillaume-Mathiaut-Photographe-Ayka-Lux-300×200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jean-Guillaume-Mathiaut-Photographe-Ayka-Lux-1024×683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jean-Guillaume-Mathiaut-Photographe-Ayka-Lux-768×512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jean-Guillaume-Mathiaut-Photographe-Ayka-Lux-1478×985.jpg 1478w” sizes=”(max-width: 1515px) 100vw, 1515px”>