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Today we are proud to highlight our culinary talents!

To begin this serie of our talented partners, we are delighted to introduce to you our Private Chef, Jérôme, and invite you to enter in his universe.
Since his early childhood, Jérôme has passionately embodied the essence of a true culinary artist. Introduced to the art of cooking at 6 years old, he began by making sweet delicacies before exploring the world of savory foods at 8 years old, under the influence of his family’s Bresse region.
Offering a confidential culinary experience in his own apartment, he invites you directly to be hosted and greeted at his Kitchen counter for a private lunch or dinner! Bringing together enthusiasts of local products, French cuisine and mignardises during a fully private moment like out of the time, this is the real promise that Jérôme makes to you!

Inspired by each encounter, he composes surprising menus, orchestrating unique emotions and desires for his guests. His unexpected cuisine is the fruit of his imagination and magic expertise! It constitutes an invitation to share and live his passion, to exchange and to amaze your sense. For Jérôme, providing pleasure through his cooking is as enriching as enjoying it. A meeting with him promises an exceptional culinary experience, where each dish tells a story of passion and emotion.

Jérôme embodies thirty years of passionate and spontaneous cooking, inviting you to a confidential, exclusive and tailor-made experience. Discover new flavors, presentations and culinary art. A tailor-made gourmet journey awaits you, where each bite tells a story, the astonishing story of a passion rooted in childhood that the Chef will reveal to you. Moreover, If you are curious and want to discover the origin of his delicate gourmet products, he can take you on a half day through the different local Parisian markets from where he draws much of his inspiration! Enhance your culinary experience and create unforgettable memories with our exclusive private tasting.

If you want to adventure you in such memorable experience, click here to learn more !

We would love to share with you our selection of highlights showcased at the Art Deco France/North America exhibition, the Cité de l’Architecture, Paris. This piece of memory is an outstanding wink to our French heritage shared with North America between 1918-1939. We invite you to discover this unbelievable exhibition before it’s closing on 6th March 2023.

Paris fashion week 2023

The Paris Fashion Week is already beginning for 2023!

Worldwide Fashion Weeks take place in the 4 major fashion cities in the world.

Whereas the New York edition mainly attracts the media, that of London attracts young generation for its pioneering mind and trendy side.  The other two rival events are Milan and Paris FWs.  On the one hand Milan is luxury, reflecting the Italian art of living, refinement, and cappuccino. On the other hand, Paris is an absolutely magnificent mix – sometimes controversial – between the shock and the chic through the classic.  Both are coveted by the biggest names in fashion and stars!  However, buyers usually prefer Paris, which is not only the City of Love, but the unique place inaugurating the official launch of Fashion Houses new collections in the Parisian boutiques and then in their respective countries!  Paris is still the soul of Fashion!

This is therefore the perfect opportunity for fashion lover to come, discover and appropriate our French art de vivre, which has become a true symbol of style and authenticity embodying the tradition of French fashion.

Featuring the most prestigious brands in the industry and the most talented designers, this event is the one that brings together the most designers and fashion shows from around the world. This key fashion moment will take place in different places selected by designers who are always looking for the most unusual place like Louis Vuitton at the Louvre.

The tradition is felt in particular in the creations of the haute couture houses, the fruit of the attention to detail and the huge organization behind the setting up of such an event. In addition, the uses related to ready-to-wear have constantly evolved to best meet new trends and the needs of fashion aficionados. Today the symbiosis between elegance and functionality are the key words that drain the spirits.

Here is a sample of the prestigious brands that will be present at the Men’s Ready-to-Wear Fall Winter fashion shows:

• January 17th, 2023: Saint Laurent
• January 18th, 2023: Givenchy
• January 19th, 2023: Louis Vuitton
• January 20th, 2023: Dior Homme
• January 21st, 2023: Hermès
• January 22nd, 2023: Maison Margiela

Throughout this opening week, around 79 Fall Winter collections are presented, spread over 47 fashion shows and 32 presentations. Fashion evolves with trends and global demand, which is why, specifically this year, it is the men’s fashion shows that open the event. Indeed, men now represent a large part of ready-to-wear consumers, brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Givenchy now sell more products to men than to women! This new trend is also visible in lingerie, with an increase in demand far greater than for women’s lingerie.

The following days, from January 23rd to 26th, will feature Haute Couture shows.

• January 23th, 2023: Christian Dior
• January 24th, 2023: Chanel
• January 25th, 2023: Jean Paul Gaultier
• January 26th, 2023: Fendi

Of course, much more designers will be there!

The second 2023 Men’s fashion week in Paris will be the Spring/Summer edition from June 20th to 25th.

As for women’s Fashion week in Paris, it will also take place in two stages. The opening of this season will begin on February 27th up to end of March 7^th, Chanel, John Galliano, Balmain, Valentino, Agnes B., Mugler, Issey Miyake, but also Alexis Mabille, Isabel Marant, Yohji Yamamoto, Elie Saab… They will all be there! Then the 2023 Season closing will take place from September 25th to October 3rd.

Among the creations of haute couture houses, it feels the concern for detail, materials, cut, the seams finish, durability, and many other points, not forgetting the most difficult task: to innovate without copying what competitors are doing. In addition, the uses related to ready-to-wear have continued to evolve to better meet new trends and the needs of fashion enthusiasts. However, brands have found a solution to be able to reuse their previous collections, with the concept of vintage and archives. Furthermore, France is the cradle that has the right to the birth of fashion because with our taste, respect for the materials used and our incomparable know-how, we are often copied but rarely equaled.

This new Fashion Week is highly placed under the sign of a real change for Louis Vuitton, as they are unfortunately forced to turn the page on Virgil Abloh since the brand decided to present its first show without relying on the archives of the so regret late designer.

To conclude, in addition to this major new feature for the fashion world, PFW2023 will be the ideal opportunity to discover innovative pop-up stores, new collaborations mixing fashion and other creative houses, and finally it is the time to come out and meet the many celebrities who will be invited to the party!

If you want to come and marvel at the brand new collections that will be presented at the PFW or enjoy our exclusive shopping tours & VIP experiences, please contact us, we would be delighted to organize your visit and your stay upon your wishes.

At the occasion of this celebration sublimating Paris, we invite you to discover the city of light from another point of view! The decorations, the illuminations, the shining jewels of the capital, a warm atmosphere, and quite simply the magic of Christmas, this is the promise we make to you when you come to discover Paris during this period.

In order to best guide you, we have concocted a selection of emblematic places through which you can fully appreciate the atmosphere of Parisian Christmas.

Sometimes you can see incandescent flames and sparkling projections sumptuously which adorn the avenues of the French capital.

More than ever, the “city of light” lives up to its name! From late November to early January, the Christmas illuminations on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Avenue Montaigne, Place Vendome, throughout the Montmartre district, at Bercy Village and many other sites, give Paris a more captivating than ever!

This year, the famous department stores are pulling out all the stops! Both in the Marais with the BHV, in Saint Sulpice with Le Bon Marché and also around Boulevard Haussmann with the unmissable Galleries Lafayette and Printemps.

Every year, the decorations of the Christmas showcases of department stores are purely inventive and surprising works of art, enchanting universes imagined and created by talent full craftsmen and decorators with invaluable know-how, which fascinate young and old alike over the years. The 2022 edition will amaze more than one!

While coming to Paris to enjoy this unique and exceptional celebration that deserves to be experienced, we can fully organize your stay! Let us prepare you a bespoke Christmas by – first – advising you on accommodation: thanks to our multiple partnerships with prestigious palaces and luxury hotel groups, we will be able to find you the jewel of your trip that will delight your stay. Moreover, according to your desires, we can enhance your journey with many unforgettable and tailor-made experiences that we can concoct for you in the city of lights!

Christmas isn’t just a religious celebration; it has become a real moment of shared happiness with sharing together! Indeed, Paris organizes the famous Christmas markets in many mythical places of the capital! As you were probably waiting for it, the well-known Christmas market is no more available on the Champs-Elysées , but to delight you, it is now settling in the heart of the Tuileries Garden! With more than a hundred stands decorated for the occasion, you are invited to discover the specialties of our French regions,  such as hot wine, nougat, chocolate, peanut scrunchies, charcuterie, pate de fruits, love apples, tartiflette and much much more! In addition, all the attractions will so highly fulfill the desire of young and old visitors!

Thrill machine, bumper cars, and ghost train, such as entertaining attractions, rifle shooting, chamboultout and of course the famous big wheel, will be offering unforgettable breath-taking views of the entire capital from every angles. For literature lovers, the fabulous Latin Quarter also lends itself to games! The St Germain des Prés Christmas market will shine near legendary addresses such as the Deux magots or the Café de Flore! There will also be plenty of stands with seasonal specialties! Do you like Alsace? Us too ! That is why we recommend the fabulous Alsacian Christmas market located at Gare de l’Est, be careful it ends on December 16, don’t hesitate anymore!

 Finally, what would be Paris without its incredible and historic Notre Dame cathedral located on the Ile de la Cité, or, else, its unique Eiffel Tower which overlooks Paris and the Place du Trocadéro!

For the happiness of your eyes and to give you the irresistible desire to join these memorable celebrations with us, we went personally on site to offer you a taste of the festivities!

Now it’s up to you to come and enjoy this exceptional moment that only happens one time per year! Paris and ArtLuxury are waiting for you to live this exceptional period as it should be!

Do you want to enjoy the warmest atmosphere of Christmas with us? So don’t hesitate anymore and Contact us, we will concoct you a bespoke stay in Paris!

We are delighted to share with you some cultural experiences we are curated in Paris & France.

For us, cultural experiences are a real purpose. Since our creation in 2013, our ambition is to believe in the French culture, its heritage, and to make you dream beyond your expectations. To make this wonder happen, we curate with you and for you a fully private bespoke tour, in particular around various and exclusive cultural aspects of France.

For introducing to you the French Art de Vivre, what could be more delightfull than discovering the city of lights? OH Paris… A wonderful city with a lot of stories, neighbourhoods where at the bend of a street there are anecdotes of time, a chapter of history, a ground trodden by celebrities. First, we propose you to discover the city of love district.

To experience this exceptional instant, for a family, just a couple or a group of friends, we will concoct you a personalized tailor-made tour with a driver guide in a prestigious vehicle or aboard a vintage car. You will stroll in Paris in an awesome guided tour so as to enjoy must sees emblematic monuments, timeless jewels. Paris is a city with a strong artist soul…

Whether Picasso such as many others, their impact on this town is anchored forever…

Imagine fully immersing yourselves in a city tour like an out of time experience, far from all, the rest makes no sense for you, only you, Paris, in a perfect osmosis.

After enjoying the atmosphere of Paris, it’s time to discover in depth the wonders that this city comprises.

Thanks to our sound knowledge of Paris as well as our exclusive connections, we will best advise you on the must do. In the frame of a bespoke & skip the line private tour, live an authentic journey in the city of lights’ museum. For instance, our experts could give you access to the backstage of the world famous Opéra Garnier. This kind of cultural experiences is a private and intimate moment in fellowship with hidden jewels of Paris.

Indeed, we invite you to discover some public institutions as you have never imagined it before, we have a VIP offer also in Versailles, Le Louvre and much much more, yet if you want, we unveil it for you, just asking us. Besides public monuments and museum, our close connections with private owners and collectors give us the privilege to get a full privatization of exceptional private mansion such as “La Paiva” & “Travellers club” , the Napoleon Imperial Palace ….  Those personal connections, enabling us to curate a unique bespoke stay will give you the feeling to live an unmissable experience.

As you might understand, this is with passion that we prepare with you and for you a dedicated itinerary for your journey in Paris & France. Our exceptional partners together with our personalized accompaniment are the promise of an unforgettable stay!
 

France is just waiting for you!

Contact us!

ArtLuxury is a French high-end incoming cultural DMC/travel agency dedicated to international guests wishing exclusive, tailor made experiences and stays in France around art, history, culture, heritage & gastronomy…

Since its creation in 2013, its ambition is focusing in sharing with its clientele the magnificence of the French art de vivre.

Today still in line with this exclusive DNA we would like to introduce to you our expertise to design private tailor-made tours for our discerning guests.

Indeed, we curate bespoke tours for our sophisticated clients, with the promise that…  France and Paris, the city of light are still waiting for you to capture their unique essence!

Our mission is to design for you a dedicated itinerary and to pamper you throughout a full arrangement starting with booking your chauffeurs services, the best hotel or palace upon your wishes, as well as, last but not least, a complete program of tours and experiences that best meet your every desire beyond any expectation.

Whatever is the duration of your stay, one day, a weekend, a week …we will be delighted to organize your fully taylor-made tour in Paris or any major French destinations, could it be to discover in an intimate atmosphere the unique beauty of the City of love, or the magic of our regions such as Britany, Normandy, Loire Valley, Champagne, Burgundy, Provence…

Our bespoke excursions could include the privilege to visit a castle or a private mansion with their owners, a VIP guided visit of a famous museum ( Louvre …) or emblematic National castles like Versailles, a magic cruise on a vintage yacht on the Seine River, original city tour aboard collection cars, a private wine tasting in an exclusive Grand Cru Chateau…

If you want to bring with you a memory as a wink ? from Paris, we can also accompany you to our very best – and so chic of course! – addresses for every item (jewellery, gold and silver pieces of art, fashion products & clothes, wine cellars…). Moreover, we can propose the services of our personal shopper, or even more, la crème de la crème, we can curate for you a private salon at the very trendy La Samaritaine stores (group LVMH) with which we have a close partnership. Including champagne, macarons, and your personal stylist who will provide you the very best advice to make you shine.

If you love the real French gastronomy and wines, we have much more than just a selection of best restaurants, meaning that we propose a unique personalized food tour in the very high-end district close to the Eiffel Tower, a wide variety of exclusive & private wine tasting experiences with our Sommeliers, as well as cooking lessons with chefs and much more…

Throughout our bespoke tours, our unique ambition is that you could exalt yourself to live an exclusive and memorable experience. We make it possible thanks to our full dedication and unique personal connections with exceptional partners, experts, guides, castles and historical monuments owners and collectors…

If you want to live an unforgettable trip in France with us, don’t hesitate anymore, Contact us!

Paris is famous for its authentic places, its cobblestones, its landscapes, its international influence and for its districts divided into some of arrondissements that give it a soul with multiple atmospheres. The hill of Montmartre is a must-see of the city. Dominated by the Sacré-Coeur basilica, it is here that a part of history is written. Also very picturesque, it has inspired many major painters and artists like Pablo Picasso or Renoir who used to live there. The bohemian life knew how to find its place on this high hillock of more than 130 meters. Montmartre and art are now one: poets, portraitists, painters, men of letters. It is specifically this artistic soul that has given Montmartre such unique place in the pantheon of art history.

However, this hill has also had a dark past, especially in its nightlife, whereas the presence of many cabarets also attracted infamous people, escaping from Paris to best get a free thug life in this hill, much easier to stay hidden.

Beyond the historical and artistic aspect, Montmartre is also the quintessence of romanticism. The hidden alleys giving improbable angles of view on the capital, an architecture at the antipodes of the 1850’s-1870’s Baron Haussmann’ style.

Montmartre being known for its touristic attraction, ArtLuxury proposes to share with you its favourites and best tips!

• A walking tour or aboard a vintage car to visit the village:

To discover Montmartre in more detail we suggest you take part in a tailor-made tour with a guide in any language. Either on foot for the true lovers of hidden corners, or on board a 2CV or another vintage car giving you the impression that you have traveled in time. Trust him to lose you between epicurean addresses, vineyards, mills, the boat wash where Picasso lived, sumptuous views while telling the thousand and one marvels that have shaped this district so unusual that countries around the world dream to have in their homes.

• Some gastronomic suggestions:

. We have selected a restaurant at the top of the hill on the famous Place du Tertre. Quality service with a team dressed in the original clothes of the waiters of the 20s. This restaurant proposes a large choice of dishes: on the menu, all the most famous French gastronomy such as snails, foie gras, entrecote or croque-monsieur and many other quality products. Take a seat in a garden set up on the Place du Tertre between painters and artists, far from the noise of Paris, in a space where time seems to have stopped forever

• If you want to live an extraordinary experience, we invite you to participate in a private wine tasting just for you, in a secret address near the vineyards of Montmartre. This tasting will take place with our certified sommelier from Wine Set 3 of Cordon Bleu, throughout this experience you will discover little-known anecdotes and secrets in Montmartre.

. Moreover, we highly recommend a private hotel that belonged to the Hermes family located in the middle of a protected green space. Accessible from the heart of Montmartre, this hidden building is to be discovered. A simple entrance in a courtyard, a noble reception on the second floor and a basement dominated by the hotel.

Let’s start with the lounge. A refined decoration, a calm and romantic atmosphere and to crown it all, the dishes have been selected with choice and cooked with exception. In addition, the restaurant offers an outdoor service for you to enjoy an unusual and relaxing setting. As for the part located downstairs, perfectly arranged, the decor is magnificent, very flowery, with red velvet armchairs that accentuate the contrast. A superb veranda, a bar in the room, a pianist; so many elements which make this place of exception convivial and pleasant. The detail is also brought to the toilets where the name of some celebrities who went there is mentioned.

Having been originally an address for dandies and epicureans, we unveil it to you to propose you to live an exceptional moment.

At the bend of a street, it is a page of history, a hundred anecdotes, a past that neither the history books, nor the media will reveal to you.

Montmartre contains so many secrets that have survived to the time and that we would love to share with you!

Have you ever dreamed of discovering Paris differently than walking? We organize it for you!

An idyllic moment to discover the beautifulest monuments of the city of love. Through a dreamed route, come and admire the Musée d’Orsay, Notre-Dame de Paris, the conciergerie, the Louvre, the Pont Alexandre III, the Statue of Liberty but also the incredible Iron Lady also called Eiffel Tower.

For many reasons, a cruise on the Seine in Paris is an unforgettable moment! It is an intimate and private experience to enjoy a romantic excursion far from the crowd and the noise of the streets. This unusual moment will mark your trip and will be etched out in your memories forever.

In order to make you enjoy a moment out of time, ArtLuxury proposes to arrange it for you and according to your wishes. The dinners are prepared to order with a coupe of Champagne, desserts, seafood, terrines and many other delicacies.

Each of the boats that we dispose of has a different soul and will make you feel the moment like none other.

• Let’s start with the smallest of our selection, which can accommodate up to 5 people. Built on the shores of Lake Zurich in the 1960s, this 6.5 meter “roadster of the seas” shares style and modernity in the purest tradition of the legendary Chris-Craft.

Dedicated to pleasure boating and water sports, this boat, in mahogany and chrome, is directly inspired by the Chevrolet convertibles of the past. The captain will accompany you on the Seine for 1h30 of navigation, from the port of Austerlitz or the Jardin des Plantes.

• The second boat can accommodate up to 8 passengers. Designed in Venice, in the pure tradition of Riva and Chris Craft, this 9.20 meter boat combines comfort and elegance.

The beauty of its lines and the quality of the materials used make it a symbol of luxury and refinement. On board, leather, chrome and mahogany interact with the stone and steel of the capital’s century-old decks. With its versatile cabin, it will delight you under the sun as well as protect you from the rain.

We propose two durations of cruise:

– The 1h30 cruise allows you to cross Paris on the Seine from the Eiffel Tower to the tip of the Ile Saint Louis. The service includes a bottle of Moët & Chandon Champagne, a mini-bar of soft drinks and some aperitifs.

– The 2-hour cruise, with the same catering service, extends the visit to the Statue of Liberty.

• The third one will amaze you if you want a lunch or a dinner cruise on a 21-meter private yacht. With its refined wooden decoration, it has preserved over the years the remarkable style and charm of Art Deco.

On board, our chef invites you to an exclusive 3-hour seated lunch or dinner for an unforgettable cruise experience. For 2 to 8 people, we offer a complete privatization of the yacht with staff and chef, dinner, wine and Champagne.

• If you are a fan of the old school style, we have a second vintage yacht of 22 meters (2 to 18 people).

Very chic, it has a cabin decorated with exotic wood, and it belonged to a world famous movie star! Our private chef will invite you for a 4-hour dinner cruise, with an electric motor to spend a dream time with a breathtaking quiet. 

Actually in maintenance it will be available at the beginning of september 2022.

• In addition we have recently added a new boat to our range: a sublime 10 meter mahogany and chrome boat with toilet. the cruises are from 1h30 to 2h00:
  on the program the choice between a bottle of Louis Roederer Collection champagne or 2 bottles of Chablis white wine or 2 bottles of Chateau rosé, accompanied by aperitifs and seasonal fruits

• Finally, we also have an offer for larger groups

For several years, in addition to the privatization of yachts for small groups, couples, families… ArtLuxury has also organized for larger private groups from the USA, at their request, the privatization of larger boats for cruises to discover Paris as they have never seen it before! Can you imagine the magic of embarking at the foot of the Eiffel Tower for a cruise on the Seine and enjoying the wonderful spectacle of the monuments and bridges of Paris, especially at night when the Eiffel Tower is sparkling and twinkling !

Isn’t it even more wonderful when you admire the most beautiful facets of the city of lights over a glass of champagne, a cocktail or a sit-down dinner?

Live Paris intensely!

Among the many experiences that ArtLuxury Experience  could propose to you to live the french art de vivre, let yourself be guided on the front of the Seine ! We will be happy to organize for you a tailor-made and memorable experience to make the most of the city of love! 

Do not hesitate more ! Contact us !

Located in the heart of the City of Lights, in the 9th district, the Paris National Opera has become one of thes. Today it is considered one of the most important monuments of Paris. 

Baron Haussmann, prefect of the Seine under the Emperor Napoleon III (1852-1870), was missioned of organizing the architecture and the urbanism of Paris. As the first urban planner of France ever, he was the main stakeholder in the restructuring and the modernization of Paris in the 1850s. In 1860, Baron Haussmann had to organize a competition to select the new architect of the National Opera : thus, Charles Garnier has been nominated. The construction of this famous building was interrupted by the Prussian War and recommenced in 1870 during the Third French Republic. The fire which destroye the Opera Le Peletier in 1873, a location known for the attempted assassination of the French emperor few years ago, has accelerated the construction of Garnier. Therefore, security was very important to Charles Garnier who then decided to avoid the use of wood in the construction of the Opera. This is why it is the first time that Opera is named Palais – or Palace – because of its noble and fire-resistant materials, such as marble, stone, iron, bronze … On the 5th of January 1875, Mac Mahon, French President of the Third Republic, inaugurated the National Opera, which replaced the older one Rue Le Peletier. This Opera of Paris, symbol of luxury and elegance intended by Baron Haussmann to rhythm the French capital, became a mythic place of its time and still continues today. It was in 1990, during the construction of the Opera Bastille that people then used to call it “Opera Garnier”, to the tribute of its architect.

In terms of architecture, the Opera Garnier reflects the imperial style of its period. The main staircase invites the visitors to enter in an elegant and refined atmosphere inspired by Antiquity. Indeed, while discovering the main performance hall, we can observe a lot of statues, mosaics, colors and golden decorations inspired by Greek Antiquity. At that time, Palais Garnier was the place of major societal transformations and the flagship of all main technological revolutions. Indeed, it was the first site where the social boundaries were disrupted and last but not least it was the first opera with electrification in the world. 

Since its creation, Artluxury Experience has collaborated with Opera Garnier, in particular by proposing exclusive tours after closing time. Thanks to this close partnership, we are regularly invited to events, the last one being an unbelievable rehearsal during a classic dance ballet class last week. Moreover, this collaboration allows us to be very flexible, and adapt the concept permanently according to the visitor’s demand. Such close partnership, reflecting our business philosophy, enables us to provide the best bespoke service and personal accompaniment to our guests. 

More specifically, Artluxury Experience proposes backstage tours of the Garnier Opera. Moreover, our certified tour guides will give you the benefit of the knowledge acquired during many years of experience. Some private stories will be revealed as well as spaces that are normally concealed and hidden to the public. In the framework of an exceptional and inimitable moment, come and discover a unique place in the world, mythical of French art and Parisian culture. Come and discover the gilding, sculptures and not to forget, the ceiling of the Opera which has been entirely repainted by Marc Chagall in 1964.

This ceiling is a remarkable work of art with a surface area of 220 square meters that replaced the previous ceiling originally decorated by Jules-Eugène Lenepveu. Indeed, accused of breaking the unity of place when it was inaugurated, it is considered today as an iconoclast master-piece that inspires wonder and shows the evolution of the Opera Garnier over the time. Since always, this exceptional place has inspired so many stories such as the Phantom of the Opera… that it definitely deserves to organize your visit.

If you are willing to uncover Opera Garnier’s secrets, don’t hesitate any more. Contact us!

You may be Parisian or not, you certainly have heard of the iconic Samaritaine of Paris.

Let’s start with a little bit of history…founded in 1870 by M. Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie Louise Jäy, the Samaritaine grew in size and went from 48m2 when it opened to more than 100m2 in only 4 years and became in 1900 the « Grands Magasins de la Samaritaine ». The couple didn’t have any child so when Ernest died, his great nephew Gabriel Coquacq and Georges Renard took over.

In the 60s, the Samaritaine became, with more than 48’000 m2, the biggest shopping mall in Paris, it’s at the time slogan “On trouve tout à la Samaritaine” (you can find everything at the Samaritaine) will be remembered.

Since 1970, the commercial prosperity of the Samaritaine is declining. In 1998, the shopping mall sees its surface decreasing and is now renting to other brands. So, in 2001, the Renard family sells the Samaritaine to the LVMH group, who still is the actual owner.

In June 2005 the Samaritaine closed and some gigantic restoration work began. It should have been finished in 2011 but an additional  10 years were necessary for it to be opened to the public.

Ten long years later we’re in 2021, more precisely the 23th June, the historical date of the reopening of the Samaritaine after more than 16 years of closure.

If the retail space has been divided by three, notably because of the construction of a brand new palace “Le Cheval Blanc” right inside the walls of la Samaritaine it didn’t lose any of its former prestige. Since the reopening, thousands of people have had the chance to discover the new Samaritaine, authentic and modern.

The main building is listed as “Monument Historique” due to its splendid “Art nouveau” style mural. It’s more than 200 meters long, the largest in Europe. Today, the Samaritaine proposes more than 600 brands dispatched among 20 000m2.

The mall incarnates the French “art de vivre”: beauty studio, iconic restaurants, the largest cosmetics corner of Europe, a magnificent wine and spirits selection, a private lounge apartment etc… it has been designed to be perfect for spending the whole day and never get bored.

From jewelry to fashion to the beauty universe to the wine and spirits, you’ll find anything at la Samaritaine!

Due to its partnership with the Samaritaine, ArtLuxury Experience has the great pleasure to offer you a unique and exclusive opportunity : VIP treatment by having one of the secret rooms of the “private lounge” apartment privatized just for you.

In this exceptional, sophisticated apartment, your personal stylist will provide you the best fashion advices. No matter the occasion, our expert will find the pieces that you are going to fall in love with and that will sublime you.

This 5 rooms apartment is composed of :

• “Le Grand Salon”, centrepiece of the apartment that will be perfect to receive bigger groups as well as for hosting a reception

• “Le Jardin d’Hiver” the blue salon, ideal for couples, it’s communicated with “le Boudoir “

• “Le Boudoir”, as soft as a fluffy cloud , will be perfect for a mother and a daughter or for a group of friends who want a cozy and relaxing moment.

• “La Bibliothèque” has an intimate atmosphere. This green salon is ideal for couples or small groups

• Last but very not least, “Le Bureau”, huge living-room which can seat up to 8 people. It’s equipped with a closing door in the center that hides a big fitting room. It will be perfect for families or big groups. You won’t get tired showing your wonderful outfits by opening the door to your guests.

This out of time moment will be enhance with delicate “mignardises” as well as a coffee, some water or champagne as you may prefer.

Outside this stunning apartment, the Samaritaine propose a selection of more than 10 restaurants to offer you a wonderful breakfast, lunch or dinner. And the best of all, you can choose your favourite restaurant and have your meal delivered directly into your private room.

But you can of course also take your meal directly in the restaurant and come back to your room once you’re finished.

No matter your choice ArtLuxury Experience will take care of everything to offer you the best possible experience; for example, book you a private meal in the really exclusive “Studio Krug”, an exceptional music studio, for a truly unique experience, musical and culinary prepared by a two stars Chef with Krug Grand Cuvée Champagne.

Contact us now to reserve your exclusive private salon or other unique venues for a memorable moment at “La Samaritaine”

In order to celebrate Valentine’s Day, ArtLuxury  curated for you a selection of unique experiences in order to invite you to live an unforgettable romantic getaway.

This year hasn’t been easy, that’s why you deserve the absolute best and enjoy a moment that will remain etched in your memories forever. 

The 14th February will be here very soon. At this occasion, we prepared for you these bespoke and exclusive activities to share with your lover.

On this special occasion of Jour des amoureux, we decided this year to organize them in 3 categories: high gastronomy, eternal souvenirs of your romance in Paris and finally, romantic getaways. 

The art of French gastronomy :

Listed as UNESCO World Heritage, French gastronomy doesn’t need an introduction anymore, famous and loved all around the world. We then propose to you 3 different experiences inviting you to the refinement of the French culinary art. 

First, we propose, for the evening, to become a great French Chef yourself! You’ll learn with our experts to cook special dishes or pastries imagined just for Valentine’s Day. Once it’s done, you’ll enjoy your creations in a romantic and delicate atmosphere, a lovely Haussmannien apartment located in the neighborhood of “Les Invalides” and nearby the Eiffel Tower.

We also propose the peak of refinement, a starred dinner with exceptional wines. 

Indeed, ArtLuxury has recently set up a collaboration with an incredible wine expert and collectioneur, owning more than ten thousand bottles in his private wine cellar.Thus we can select for you, upon your preferences, the most exquisite or rare French wines of the world.

Then, all together with a Michelin starred Chef, we create for you a unique wine and meals pairing experience, an everlasting memory.

Finally, who has never dreamed of enjoying the evening and let a private chef care for all the rest? That’s exactly what we offer you, enjoy your soirée together while your personal Chef cooks for you a special Valentine dinner in the privacy of your apartment. You will relax and enjoy a high gastronomy dinner while being pampered confortably at  home. 

Eternal souvenirs of your romance in Paris : 

What better moment than Valentine’s Day to express your eternal love by offering a gift as unique and timeless. Once more,  we offer you to let yourself be pampered, by organizing just for you the perfect moment for your perfect gift.

Create a parfum together as unmistakable and romantic as your couple. You’re invited in the intimate setting of a parisien “salon-atelier” of one of the oldest perfume houses. Come and amaze your senses by selecting among 100 perfumed essences those who will make you fall in love. Capture the moment inside a personalized bottle and always leave the trail of your love as you’re walking by.

This moment will be enhanced by champagne, “mignardises” and macarons from the famous “Pierre Hermé” house. 

Immortalize your love with the most beautiful and sumptuous gift of all, an exceptional handcrafted jewel. Rendez-vous at Place Vendôme by the boutique of an indépendant jeweler Mr “Lorenz Bäumer”. Considered as one of the most influent of his time, he has worked with the greatest and has, among other things, created the diadem of Charlène Wittstock for her wedding with the Prince Albert II of Monaco; and he will personnally advise and help you to find or create the perfect “bijou”.

Privatize the upper lounge that overhangs the iconic and beautiful “Place Vendôme” and have the opportunity to experience a surprise at the height of luxury.

Clothes as exceptional as you, walk by the most secretive boutiques of Paris, guided by our personal shopper. Graduated from the prestigious “Institut de la mode” she’ll know how to select the best pieces for you ; coat, scarf, purse, heels or even an evening dress, you’ll find exactly what you need. 

You will discover the most chic and iconic area of Paris, true capital of the famous French fashion. 

Romantic getaways :

Escape with your lover and live a magical soirée!

Specially created for you who love to live an authentic parisian experience, we offer you a walking guided tour in the lovely neighborhood of Montmartre. 

Our expert will show to you the most secretive and romantic places of Paris. You will feel like a real parisien walking hand in hand the alley.

An other exclusive way of discovering Paris is to have your lunch or dinner served inside a magnificent private yacht. Day or night, we offer you a perfect moment as you are enveloped by the peaceful Seine.

An unforgettable cruise where your private Chef will elaborate a delicate meal while you are having the best view on historical monuments along the Seine river!

Last but certainly not least, we offer you to go back in time and board in a vintage collection car. Our sublime convertible limousine from the 30s is equipped with an authentic phonograph that will sublimly contribute to the romantic atmosphere. Champagne will naturally be served to you throughout this memorable city tour!

Moreover, if you wish, a photographer can be there to capture forever this magical and romantic experience.

If you follow us on Instagram @artluxury_exp you will also find those topics on our feed.

Don’t hesitate to contact us for any request and to book your experience!

ArtLuxury wishes you a Happy and Memorable Valentine’s Day!

After creating its first Cheval Blanc House in Courchevel in 2006, LVMH has left its mark in other prestigious international tourist destinations, such as Saint Tropez, Saint Barthélémy, Maldives, and finally Paris, where the latest one opened in September 2021. ArtLuxury had the privilege of discovering the premises, guided by Céline Thillaye, Sales Director.

Installed after a gigantic construction project, both in its architectural and cultural dimensions, within the former buildings of La Samaritaine, this new flagship of the House of LVMH could not be installed anywhere else… Located on the Quai du Louvre, at the foot of the Pont Neuf, the Palace Cheval Blanc Paris overlooks the Seine and is an obvious choice.

Wishing to remain faithful to the spirit of LVMH and its passion for contemporary creation, Cheval Blanc Paris revisits the codes of the luxury hotel industry with audacity and modernity. Art deco with a contemporary spirit, the interior design was entrusted to Peter Marino, an internationally renowned architect and expert in the codes of luxury. The latter was personally chosen by Bernard Arnaud, in order to highlight French arts and crafts.

Large bay windows let the light flood the rooms, light colours are sublimated by the details of the armchairs or the paintings on the walls. A refined, modern and contemporary style, in unison with its neighbour, La Samaritaine.

From a high, uncluttered entrance hall to a hushed corridor with subdued lighting, the hotel’s universe is entirely designed to invite you to let go and disconnect from the daily hustle and bustle…

Cheval Blanc Paris is a luxury hotel with only 72 suites and rooms, guaranteeing excellence in hospitality service but also a haven of peace and privacy. A soothing silence reigns in the rooms, creating a parallel world to the bustling Paris. We had the pleasure of discovering the Suite Seine.

Facing the entrance, the bay window of the living room offers a view of the whole of Paris and suggests a wonderful light when the city lights up at night.

The Suite Seine reveals a room designed by Peter Marino, spacious, warm and contemporary. Designed to feel at home, the winter lounge, a sumptuous glass overhang overlooking the Pont Neuf, as well as the living room, exude an intimate and warm atmosphere, offering not only a private bar but also a wine cellar.

The bathroom has a bathtub and a hammam shower. An exceptional choice of perfumed welcome products, signature of Cheval Blanc Paris imagined by François Demachy, the nose of the House of Dior, and finally a Dior Beauty Bar, revealing its most beautiful treatments.

Speaking of treatments, Cheval Blanc Paris offers a Well-Being Stopover, exclusively reserved for the hotel’s guests, including Dior Cheval Blanc Spa, Rossano Forretti hair salon, the sauna, the marble hammam, the snow shower, a Fitness & Yoga room, and finally, a superb 30m long swimming pool, absolutely fantastic both in its mosaic decor, signed by Michael Mayer, and in its peaceful and delicate atmosphere, sublimated by the reconstitution of the outside view, disturbing in its realism…

To end on a high note, Alexandre Larvoir, manager of Plénitude restaurant, opened the doors of his world to us and revealed a room full of sobriety. A refined, contemporary, modern atmosphere. Light colours, denoted by the green or orange armchairs, and finally tables allowing a measured number of people to gather, thus offering an intimate and warm atmosphere. The most astonishing thing is the silence of the room in front of the street and the bustle of the outside world, like a bubble out of time. This gastronomic restaurant, guided by the 3 Michelin starred chef Arnaud Donckele, promises an absolutely unique and exotic taste experience…

After passing through the wine cellar, a wooden case worked to the millimetre by carefully selected craftsmen, we are introduced to a small room called “Le Fumoir”. In the intimacy of a warm lounge, it is possible here to privatise and be served personally, during a starred dinner with exceptional wines for example… Without forgetting to mention the presence of a cigar cellar, a masterpiece of craftsmanship…

From the excellence of the service to the perfection of the details, everything is designed to make you experience happiness in the heart of Paris… a promise from LVMH.

After this memorable visit, ArtLuxury is pleased to recommend this grandiose and unforgettable experience…!

Don’t wait any longer to book your stay in this exceptional place, and contact us in order to benefit from the best provisions !

A little taste of Paris

The holidays are approaching and we couldn’t leave the beauty of Paris illuminated without telling you about it. In the trees, on the squares, in the streets, in the windows… everything is lit up, and at night, the effect is amazing!

So we went out to share with you a few glimpses: from Place Vendôme to the Opera, via the Ferris wheel, Avenue Montaigne, and the Alexandre III bridge, and the conciergerie, we wanted to convey to you this unique atmosphere that you will only find here. The lights of the barges, the glittering of the garlands, the smell of croissants in the bakeries, the ready-to-wear shops presenting their most beautiful collections for the feast, the vendors of hot chestnuts in front of the Seine. The only thing missing to complete the decor is Charles Trenet and his “Douce France” echoing through the pedestrian streets! Although, nothing says that it is not already the case.

In this season, Paris is dressed in its most beautiful attire to make parisians and visitors dream… To do this, take a ride on the Ferris Wheel of Paris and discover the city from above!

You can also choose to settle down in a private yacht, or just take a ride on the deck of a fly boat on which you will have a splendid view… from the Seine

But as you know, Paris is not only lights, it is also details like the smell of hot croissants, of golden baguettes just out of the oven,  crispy and melting, of coffee with cream on the terrace of a bistro, of crêpe with Nutella or waffle with sugar. Paris is also about  savouring a hot chocolate at Angelina or tasting macaroons at Ladurée. It’s strolling through the little streets leading to Montmartre, it’s leaving with your portrait or caricature under your arm after having crossed the district. It is to be inebriated by the exhilarating scents  of the Marché aux Fleurs on the Ile de la Cité, to sit on a bench, to taste a delicacy and to remake the world while looking at the Seine.

Paris means going out in the evening and walking along the main avenues under the garlands in a festive atmosphere, going to see a play at the Comédie Française and not forgetting to take photos in the Place du Palais Royal, climbing the steps of the grand stairs at the Palais Garnier and applauding the star dancers during a performance that is breathtaking in its beauty and technique, tasting delicate dishes that border on perfection in  the mix of flavours and wines in one of the Michelin starred restaurants…

Of course, if we have tried to transcribe this atmosphere as well as possible, Paris has to be lived. The rendering on the spot is   unique, and it deserves the diversions. All this is only a part of what the Lights City offers you, it is up to you to go off the beaten  track and discover the place in a special and privileged way, by contacting us to organise your stay in the capital.

Looking for a Christmas gift ? Discover our Michelin starred dinners with exceptional wines !

Christmas is coming…. Don’t you have a loved one, or are you yourself a wine lover, always on the lookout for an exceptional bottle to accompany your festive meals with elegance and refinement?

We would like to introduce you to this unique and special opportunity to treat yourself or a loved one to an exceptional gift. Discover our Michelin starred dinners with exceptional wines and their wonders:

Of course, our offer consists in proposing to you to organize, at the date of your choice, a dinner completely taylor-made, for you and your guests.

But here, we would like to introduce you to the dinners that we are planning throughout the year, the original offer of a table around which a few privileged people, lovers of great wines, including you, meet with your host, our expert, one of the greatest collectors of rare wines and vintages in the world.

Thus, if wine is traditionally selected so as to accompany the dishes of your meal, for ArtLuxury and our expert, the approach is …. quite simply the opposite!

Indeed, starting from a selection of a few exceptional bottles from our collector’s cellar, we then choose the most inspired Michelin-starred chef to create, in perfect harmony, the most delicate dishes.

Champagne Dom Pérignon 1943, Romanée Conti 1899, Château d’Yquem 1858, Vin blanc de Lafite 1959… These “mythical” names or brands and these historical vintages are just a small sample of all the bottles that we have specially selected with our expert, and that he has in his cellar.

The perfection of the detail, the harmony of the flavours, the rarity of the great wines… all this gathered on a festive table, just curated for you!

For the first quarter of 2022, the calendar of dinners has finally been scheduled, subject to health conditions.

Thus, ArtLuxury, after a year of close collaboration with our collector, has the great pleasure of inviting you to this unforgettable gastronomic experience and communicates today the future dates of our dinners:

• Thursday 20 January 2022
• Thursday 3 February 2022
• Thursday 24 February 2022
• Friday 25 February 2022

So save the dates and please do contact us to book your place !

ArtLuxury is delighted to report to you our 7 days exclusive program that we have organised for a group of 2 couples coming from Croatia last week, with the objective to make their dreams come true and enjoy their first and best time in the city of love…

Arriving on Monday at CDG Airport, we of course arranged a greeting and private transfer service to drive them directly to their brand new and luxury hotel: the Canopy by Hilton Paris close to the Trocadéro!

Enthusiastic, they got some free time when they arrived to enjoy the sunny weather and walked around the city.

The second day, we organised a private guided tour of the Marais district, Ile St Louis & Notre-Dame, in the company of Edith, a passionate historian-lecturer that made them discover the magnificence of this highly historical place that perfectly illustrates the excellence of the French architecture and art de vivre.

Then ArtLuxury, namely Olivier and Alice, joined them for a private transfer to Versailles, driven by Marco, to spend the whole afternoon there: aboard comfortable and funny electric golfcarts we started with the visit of the park up to Petit Trianon & Grand Trianon, and then admire the magnificence of the Musical Gardens, which are fortunately still active til the end of October!,

Then we joined our Conférencier, a grand expert of Versailles to carry on with a memorable personnalised guided tour of Chateau de Versailles! Our guests enjoyed so much to discover, among others, the Grand Appartements, Hall of mirrors, Passemant Astronomical Clock or the Sun King’s bedroom.

Back to Paris, we arranged a memorable dinner on the terrace of La Fontaine de Mars, one of our favourite restaurants nearby the office of ArtLuxury, next to the Eiffel Tower and Invalides!

Wednesday was a full day dedicated to shopping …  of course in particular at the iconic and so fashionable Samaritaine, a must-visit place since its re-opening last spring! It was indeed the perfect occasion to get a lunch and discover Plénitude the brand new restaurant of 3 Michelin-starred Chef Arnaud Donckele, at Cheval Blanc Paris!

Thursday was an exceptional day to visit the grandiose Opéra Garnier behind the scenes! Fabulous discovering thanks to their guide Edith, who used to work at Opéra Garnier for 11 years!

Then we organize for them an unforgettable evening at Lido! With a Prestige Dinner & Show arrangement, our guests enjoyed a breathtaking entertainment to prepare them for the upcoming anniversary next day!

Indeed Friday is the D-Day for our guest Domagoj, who specially planned all this stay in Paris to celebrate his birthday in Paris with his closest friends! They started in the morning with a private city tour in two 2CV Vintage cars, passing by major monuments and places of Paris, ending this car ride in Montmartre to enjoy the beauty of this place, the Sacré Coeur, Place du Tertre, followed by a delicious lunch at Au Cadet de Gascogne, with an authentic French “ terroir” cuisine.

In the afternoon, they met Katia, a Croatian speaking guide – lecturer, to visit the Louvre Museum, and discover the famous paintings and masterpieces such as: Mona Lisa, le Radeau de la Méduse or Le Sacre de Napoléon.

Ending the guided tour with Katia by exploring the neighbourhood, they were then invited to an exceptional “steakhouse” experience, which was a specific request from Domagoj: quite inspired by such enquiry, ArtLuxury  recommended the Clover Grill, an exclusive gastronomic steak house created by famous 2* Michelin star Chef Jean-François Piège.

As a conclusion to immortalise the last day, the must Paris’s destination was of course the Eiffel Tower! Then they started to visit the summit of the tower, feeling the breathtakingly unique views of Paris, and admire its exceptional beauties like the Champ de Mars or the Invalid’s Dome.

What was then unmissable was to celebrate this last evening in world famous Jules Verne restaurant, just recently re-opened by 3* Michelin Chef Frederic Anton! An exquisite 7 courses menu paired with an excellent selection of wines, namely a top gastronomic experience, reflecting the value that ArtLuxury is constantly giving to its services and recommendations!

Last, on Sunday, we organised the private transfer to Charles de Gaulle airport, to reach their  flight back home… the time for our guests to starting to retrace all their unforgettable trip to their family and friends!

ArtLuxury Experience is delighted to announce its latest partnership with one of the most prestigious luxury hotel groups, The Dorchester Collection!

The Dorchester Collection currently comprises nine of the finest five-star luxury hotels in the world, including two of the most famous palaces in Paris: Le Meurice and the Plaza Athénée. Embodying the essence of authentic refinement, this Collection provides a unique and enchanting setting for its guests.

The Plaza Athénée

Located in the heart of Paris, on the prestigious Avenue Montaigne, the Plaza Athénée is the Haute Couture address not to be missed.

Built at the beginning of the 20th century, this magnificent palace has welcomed some of the most iconic personalities such as Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Jackson, Elton John and Harrison Ford. It is notably at the Plaza Athénée that the spy Mata-Hari was arrested! This grand hotel, steeped in history, was also the first to welcome the renowned fashion designer Christian Dior, who presented his creations there, indeed an exceptional venue for his fashion shows and the magnificent parade of his models. The Plaza Athénée also became the scene of great love stories, namely between Marlene Dietrich and Jean Gabin, who has earned the hotel its red signature colour and the endless blossoming of splendid scarlet flowers at its windows and in its courtyard.

True emblem of French Art de vivre, this palace never ceases to re-invent itself, entrusting the design and transformation of its suites to audacious artists belonging to artistic movements at the cutting edge of their respective eras. This artistic freedom allows all guests to immerse themselves in their very own style, simply by changing floors!

Thus, the first 6 floors are decorated in a classic style brimming with French charm and pure refinement.

As for the top two floors, they were very recently completely redecorated in a daring and refreshing Art Deco style.

Not to omit of course, the illustrious and distinguished Haute Couture Suite with its exceptional decor dedicated to Haute Couture and its breath-taking view of the Eiffel Tower.

Beyond the exceptional care given to the hospitality and comfort of its guests, the Plaza Athénée is characterised by the passion of its employees to offer on all possible occasions, the best services and experiences to its international and discerning clientele. For 20 years, the hotel has collaborated with the famous French Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse to provide the most refined gastronomy in its restaurants. Today, he is giving Chef Jean Imbert the chance to introduce an innovative approach to haute cuisine that is as creative as it is deliciously authentic.

The hotel also features a Dior Institute, founded in collaboration with the illustrious fashion designer, in order to offer to its guests, the most sophisticated beauty treatments, through its team of qualified therapists and its exceptional amenities.

Le Meurice

Founded in 1835, Le Meurice is the oldest palace in Paris! Its founder, Charles-Augustin Meurice, wanted to properly welcome English tourists, sophisticated travellers well ahead of the rest of the European countries, and therefore very demanding in terms of comfort.  He thus created his eponymous hotel, Le Meurice, a magnificent Parisian house providing its guests with “palace service”: this was the beginning of the creation of large luxury hotels in Paris.

Initially located on rue Saint-Honoré and then quickly moved to rue de Rivoli for expansion purposes, this palace offers one of the most stunning panoramas in Paris, providing guests with a direct view of all of Paris’ iconic monuments, including the Jardin des Tuileries, the Louvre, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Musée d’Orsay, the Place Vendôme and the Place de la Concorde.

During renovations, the construction teams discovered a wandering greyhound that had made its home in the hotel; therefore, they naturally decided to adopt it. The dog became the mascot of the hotel staff and was later to become the official emblem of Le Meurice.

Over the years, Le Meurice expanded and hosted the most prominent figures, not only from France, such as Emperor Napoleon III and his wife Empress Eugenie during the royal visit of their dear friend, Queen Victoria of England, but also other illustrious European guests, notably King Alfonso XIII of Spain. These exceptional visitors soon earned the hotel the nickname “the hotel of kings”.

Another important historical detail is that the hotel was also chosen by the Wehrmacht as the headquarters of its military command during the Occupation, and it was precisely its General-in-Chief Dietrich Von Choltitz who decided to spare Paris from the mad destruction ordered by Hitler.

It is after the Second World War that this Parisian palace reached its culmination by becoming the place of residence of many renowned personalities, including very prestigious artists such as Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol.

Redesigned several times between 2007 and 2016 by Philippe Stark, this sumptuous hotel perfectly combines its original Louis XVI classicism with modernity, embodying the philosophy of a “living work of art”.

Along the years, Le Meurice has evolved into a genuine art gallery, constantly reinventing its decor by displaying pieces of art in its halls and suites that are as fascinating as they are ingenious.

As the ultimate jewel of this palace, the sublime Suite Belle étoile is an emblem of refinement. Located on the top floor and overlooking Paris, this suite offers a 360° view of Parisian life. Like a suspended garden, this unique setting offers a spectacular view and exceptional comfort that will remain forever engraved in the memories of the privileged few who will make it their residence!

In its pursuit to offer the very best service to its guests but also to embody our French history, culture and art de vivre, beyond its mythical bar, Le Meurice entrusts its restaurants to the illustrious multi-Michelin starred chef Alain Ducasse, and its recently opened pâtisserie to pastry Chef Cédric Grolet, still very young but already so renowned. The latter offers you, among other delights, a marvellous teatime in the hotel’s lounges, which has become an unmissable Parisian experience!

To crown its concern for well-being, Le Meurice also has a Valmont boutique, unique in Paris, equipped with an exceptional Spa.

If you wish to make your stay in Paris exceptional, these two palaces are the ideal places to settle down and discover the charms of Paris from the moment you wake up! Their unique locations in the heart of Paris, one on Avenue Montaigne, the emblem of Haute Couture, the other neighbouring the Louvre, the embodiment of our culture, will be the dream location for you to explore Paris!

Don’t hesitate to contact us to organise your unforgettable getaway!

Have you been dreaming about your future trip to Paris? If you want to experience the City of Lights like a true Parisian, we have the perfect solution for you! Here you will find some of our top picks, all personally organised and conducted by ArtLuxury’s founder, Olivier. With his more than 30 years as a Parisian, he will lead you through this wonderful city, in the most exclusive and authentic way.

Picnic on Champ de Mars

There is no better place for a chic picnic than on the magnificent Champ de Mars! Olivier can organise a lunch (or dinner, as soon as it will be allowed again) in this iconic park right by the Eiffel Tower, in the famous 7^th arrondissement, which is also home to ArtLuxury’s headquarters.

You won’t have to worry about anything and all you will need to do is arrive ready to have a spectacular day. From bringing a Damask tablecloth, silverware, the best French wines and the finest gastronomy, to privatizing the perfect spot and setting it all up, we will take care of everything from the beginning to the very end. Enjoy an incredible menu, upon your favourites, with ingredients personally selected by Olivier from local craftsmen and our selection of the best suppliers of 3-star Michelin restaurants.

Champ de Mars is the most magical location for an exclusive and characteristic picnic. If you choose to organise it for lunch, you’ll get to relax and unwind with a wonderful meal in the sun, while if you opt for a dinner, you’ll be able to admire the Eiffel Tower lighting up and sparkling in the dark, a truly amazing spectacle.

Gourmet Tour of Rue Cler

Take a tour of a true gastronomy paradise, Rue Cler, in the heart of the amazing 7^th arrondissement. With 20 years of experience living just a few steps away from this street, Olivier will take you on a bespoke tour of the best gastronomic boutiques where he will give you his personal recommendations on the best wines, cheeses, foie gras and charcuteries, boulangeries, patisseries, famous ice-cream or macarons… And not only will he provide you with his expert advice, he will also take you through the history of this emblematic street.

A few minutes away from the Eiffel Tower, Rue Cler includes a selection of gastronomic boutiques, including “Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse”, “A la Mère de Famille”, the oldest chocolaterie of Paris, “Kaviari Dalikatessen”, “Jean Paul Hevin”, “Ladurée“, “Mariage Frères“, “Maison Lenôtre” and many more. The selection ranges from innovative and modern creations, to some of the oldest shops in Paris, a true gastronomy lovers’ paradise!

Vanves Flea Market

Only on Saturday and Sunday mornings, ArtLuxury’s founder Olivier can accompany you on a tour of this original and exclusive flea market in Vanves, in the south of Paris. As an authentic Parisian, passionate collector, grand connoisseur of antiques and fine arts markets, Olivier will guide you through this market, disclosing his personal experience and knowledge.

In this two-hour long tour, you’ll find out all about this historical flea market and Olivier will also help you spot and choose the best finds and hidden treasures!

If any of these bespoke and exclusive experiences sound like a dream come true, contact us to make a booking!

Notre Dame de Paris

The dramatic fire at Notre Dame de Paris on the 15th April 2019 left everyone around the world feeling shocked and in disbelief. The world-famous cathedral is a true emblematic symbol of the French culture and history. Its impressive architectural composition leaves over 14 million visitors in awe every year, with its unique façade and abundant decorative sculptures which adorn the outside of the church. And it is just as impressive and iconic inside, with its huge spaces and majestic art, so it doesn’t come as a surprise to know that it is the most visited monument in France and Europe.

History of the cathedral:

Notre Dame is one of France’s most ancient gothic cathedrals. Its construction was an initiative of the bishop Maurice de Sully and it lasted from 1163 until the mid-XIV Century. Although it isn’t the earliest example of gothic architecture in France, a title that goes to the Cathedral of Saint-Denis, the construction of Notre Dame brought forward higher levels of sophistication, innovation and artistic expression. In fact, the architects that began this masterpiece weren’t just aiming to build a church. They wanted to create the highest religious monument to ever exist, with the central aisle being 35 metres tall and two towers reaching 60 metres. The cathedral was meant to watch over the whole city in all its magnificence.

The French Revolution of 1789 was a difficult period for Notre Dame. Viewed like a symbol of power, it was widely mistreated: its treasures were stolen, some statues were destroyed or beheaded and the spire was dismantled. At one point it even got used as a warehouse for wine and some even proposed to disassemble it and sell its stones. In 1793, the philosopher Claude-Henri de Saint-Simon, the founder of the political and religious movement known as Saint-Simonianism, was actually about to buy the cathedral with the aim of destroying it.

Fortunately Notre Dame survived this troubled period and was given back to the Catholic Church in 1801 through the famous “concordat” signed between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pio VII. Thus just two years later, in 1804, Pope Pio VII religiously celebrated at Notre Dame the grand coronation of Emperor Napoleon and Empress Josephine. The five-hour long ceremony is depicted in Le Sacre de Napoléon by Jacques-Louis David, his official painter, which is now one of the most famous artworks in the Louvre.

Nonetheless, between the damages caused by the Revolution, the passing of time and the Parisians’ disinterest in the monument, its state began to deteriorate. It was thanks to Victor Hugo who honoured it in his masterpiece “Notre Dame de Paris” in 1831, if the public interest in the cathedral was sparked again.

The restoration project was approved in 1842, after a petition made by Victor Hugo, Alfred de Vigny and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and two important architects were chosen to direct the works, Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus and Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, who had already made an impressive job on the Sainte Chapelle. Following 1844, the significant restoration works began, the majority of which happened under the sole direction of Viollet-le-Duc, due to Lassus’ death. Although those officially ended in 1865, the maintenance of the cathedral never really stopped and continued through the years up until the disastrous fire. It was during Viollet-le-Duc’s works, in 1860, that the iconic 45 metre high steeple was erected and the famous gargoyles were put in place to help the rain water’s circulation.

During the Paris Commune of 1871, only a few chairs and benches were burned, without any other major damage, then Notre-Dame was fortunately spared during the two world wars. Some changes were made during the 20th century; for instance, in 1935 cardinal Jean Verdier commissioned twenty-four contemporary artists to design twelve stained glass windows, which were then installed in 1938. However, due to many complaints and criticism regarding the inconsistency between the artistic style of the twelve artists, Jacques Le Chevallier is given commissioned in 1952 to create a new design for the stained glass windows, basing it on the initial project from the 1930s. These masterpieces were then inaugurated in 1966.

In the late 20^th century and the beginning of the 21^st century, numerous small restoration projects were carried out at Notre Dame, including a new internal lighting system and new bells.

In 1991, the site “Paris, banks of the Seine”, including Notre Dame, was classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Some of the most prominent figures in history passed through the doors of this superb building. Here royal weddings were celebrated, such as the one between Mary, Queen of Scots, and Francis II of France in 1558, as well as baptisms of kings and princes, and state funerals, like Charles de Gaulle’s in 1970.

This mythical cathedral has also inspired several very popular movies and served as their background. For instance, many adaptations of Victor Hugo’s novel “Notre Dame de Paris” were shot and performed in this monument, most notably Wallace Worsley’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” in 1923. This film was then readapted several times, including in 1996 in the famous Walt Disney Pictures cartoon. One of its most memorable scenes shows Quasimodo, the hunchback, signing while holding onto the symbolic flèche – or spire – of Notre Dame, victim of the fire of 2019 as mentioned above. The cathedral also appeared in the film “Amélie” by Jean-Pierre Jeunet in 2001 and then in Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunset”, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2004. In the latter, actress Julie Delpy pronounces the ominous line “Notre Dame will be gone one day”.

The terrible fire of 2019:

The fire on the 15^th April 2019 resulted in the collapse of the flèche and the roof. Fortunately, the fire brigade’s hard work was able to save the main structure of Notre Dame and the majority of the art works, including those that were kept in the cathedral’s treasure. The extreme shock of this event left the world incredulous, but very quickly, in a little less than a week, the exceptional donations coming from all over the world to help with its reconstruction reached nearly a billion euros.

The disastrous fire seems to have originated on scaffolding between the vault and the roof, where works were underway to reinforce the roof of the cathedral. The flames quickly spread on the 850 year old wooden beams and, just after an hour, the magnificent flèche collapsed, then followed by approximately two-thirds of the roof. The official investigation, still ongoing today, is launched immediately; in order to uncover the cause of this fire, not excluding any hypothesises. As it stands, although the exact details of what happened are not yet completely clear, nothing now appears to accredit the criminal trail, so the fire may have been caused accidentally by a cigarette or a short electrical circuit.

The dust and soot created by the fire made the famous organ of Cavaillé-Coll unusable, but, spared from other damage it will be completely dismantled and restored. The statue of the Virgin Mary with child, which dates back to the XIV century, renowned also for being the statue with which Paul Claudel converted to Catholicism, only got wet from the water used to extinguish the flames. The Paul VI altar was crushed by stones and beams that fell from the roof but the ancient traditional altar was instead spared from damages, just like the golden wooden cross. In addition, although some stained glass windows have been slightly damaged, the iconic Rose du Midi, dating from 1260 and one of the most precious masterpieces of Notre-Dame, has remained miraculously intact.

The restoration works:

As soon as the fire was extinguished, the first priority was to implement emergency measures to avoid any risk of other parts of the cathedral getting damaged even more or falling down. Two years later, this tedious project of security is now almost complete, the reconstruction will finally be able to begin.Two years later, the security project is now nearly done and, following this, the reconstruction will begin. In depth studies with experts have been carried out in order to create the right plan following the specific European guidelines regarding the conservation of material cultural heritage, as well as international recommendations and the opinion of the Commission Nationale du Patrimoine et de l’Architecture.

This mission has not been an easy one and the many professionals working on the site have to follow strict protocols every time they enter the building to protect themselves from the three many issues that have been encountered. The threat of parts of the cathedral collapsing is still very much a reality, so helmets and specific footwear are mandatory. In addition the melting of the roof caused lead pollution, so a protective full suit must also be worn and a shower is compulsory when moving between the construction site and the offices. And last but not least, the Covid-19 pandemic meant everyone has to also wear masks at all times in and around the site.

A great controversy among experts originated from several debates regarding whether the roof and the spire should be rebuilt in the same way as it was before, thus using an extremely large amount of wood (oak), or if it should be redesigned, using innovative technologies and materials, which could be safer and more protective in case of another fire.

As the restoration of oak wood was finally decided, a first campaign of felling of a thousand oak trees began in early 2021 with a view to rebuilding the recent part (carried out in the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc), namely: the arrow, its base and the frame of the transept. To do this, the selected oaks must be between 150 and 200 years old and, after being felled, they must be left to dry for 12 to 18 months, in order to reach a moisture level of less than 30%.

A second cutting campaign will then be launched to provide the trees necessary (of a lower dimension), for the reconstruction of the medieval part of the roof.

The debates are far from over, because beyond the subject of the arrow, another issue is also to decide whether the stained-glass windows destroyed by the fire should be redone identically or whether they should be substituted by more contemporary ones, as suggested by Michel Aupetit, Paris’ archbishop.

With an impressive amount of donations, President Macron’s objective to see Notre Dame opening to the public in April 2024, just five years after the fire and right on time for the 2024 Paris Olympics, seems to be realistic. Certainly, the restoration works won’t be completely finished by then and will continue for long after that, but it will be a true relief to see the doors of Notre Dame open again. The best technicians, construction workers, artisans, sculptors, stained glass restorers, architects, and many other experts are working everyday to reach this goal and soon we will be able to see Notre Dame in all of its splendour again.

France is known all over the world for its excellent gastronomy and in Paris it can be found around every corner. Even without restaurants, the city has endless options to offer, and here are some of our personal favourites.

If cooking is one of your passions and you want to take advantage of this period to experiment with new recipes, you’ll be able   to find ingredients of the highest calibre in Paris. From pâtisseries, boulangeries and chocolateries, to fromageries, bouchers   and épiceries, all you need to do to find the finest ingredients is to step outside. Our personalised gourmet tour, led by   ArtLuxury’s founder Olivier, is the perfect occasion to explore the many gastronomic wonders of the 7^th arrondissement.

However, if you are yet to refine your cooking skills but you still want to enjoy a meal entirely made by you, why not take the chance to participate in a private cooking class? Join a Chef in her authentic Parisian apartment to learn how to prepare a typical French meal. Choose from traditional dishes like duck breast, ratatouille and basquais chicken, as well as delicious desserts such as chocolate mousse, pastries and viennoiseries. After one of these classes, you’ll always be able to surprise your dinner guests with some really outstanding dishes!

While if you have been dreaming of the days you could go out to eat, and you are just waiting for the day restaurants will be open again, then your wait is over! Even during this period of lockdown, we’ve got you covered with the perfect solution for you as always! You will now be able to enjoy a delicious gourmet lunch in the private dining salon of one of our partner hotels, famous for its exceptional gastronomic quality. If this sounds like the dream you want to turn into a reality today, we can do this for you. All you have to do is contact us.

In addition, to really take your gastronomic experience to the highest level, we offer bespoke dinners and lunches with our new exceptional partner, one of the greatest wine collectors worldwide. He is specialised in rare and aged French wines from the greatest appellations and châteaux, and will design for you the ultimate meal and wine pairing. He will collaborate with a Michelin starred chef to create a tailor-made menu to complement his exclusive wine selection of seven up to twelve – upon the number of guests ( 4 to 12) – ancient and exceptional Grand Crus from his personal cellar.

However, this offer is momentarily unavailable due to the current restrictions, but once these get eased, you will be able to fully enjoy this special experience. This event will normally be organised in the privatised salon of the Chef’s restaurant but, exceptionally, you will even have the possibility to organise it in the private and extremely exclusive wine cellar of our wine collector. Imagine having lunch or dinner surrounded by several thousand aged and mythical wines, which date back to over a century ago, such as Yquem, Petrus, Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild, Latour, Pichot de Longueville, Margaux, Romanée Conti, Chassagne Montrachet, Chateauneuf-Du-Pape, Dom Pérignon, Cristal Roederer, Bollinger…. For this truly perfect and exclusive bespoke meal of the highest possible calibre, just contact us to save the date!

Have you been dreaming about the days when you could explore Paris’ intricate and inspiring culture by visiting its emblematic museums and monuments? In this particular period where so many public places have to stay closed, here are nonetheless some of our possible suggestions to continue immersing yourself in French history and art.

City tour in a vintage car

Discover this magnificent city in an original and romantic way by choosing between our selection of exclusive vintage cars, for instance, a 2CV, a Citroën Traction, a Cadillac or a Jaguar Type E.

And for the most unique city tour we invite you to experience the beautiful sights of Paris in a 1930’s British convertible with your private driver. This vintage limousine is truly one of a kind and it is the only one in Paris. The 1930s music playing form the gramophone and the Champagne bottle waiting for you in the car will create the perfect romantic atmosphere. In this iconic vintage car, be sure to turn everyone’s head!

If you want to delve deeper into the history of Paris, why not take one of our expert historians with you? He or she will tell you all there is to know about the City of Lights, while sitting at the front next to the driver, so that you can still have your own space and privacy.

Virtual cultural lectures

This unique and bespoke experience gives you the opportunity to (re)discover the history of art. Led by our selected expert lecturers, this innovative approach to culture and art actually enables a much more open and cross-cutting perspective compared to a traditional guided tour.

Create your very own conference or choose from the large selection we offer, which includes:

• Picasso – Rodin
• The Louvre versus the Prado
• New York through its museums
• Marie-Antoinette
• French Riviera
• Bernard Arnault versus François Pinault
• Art and gastronomy

And many more!

Open-air culture

As one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Paris is an open-air museum. To immerse yourself in its culture, history and art, you just need to step outside and you will be immediately surrounded by its emblematic monuments and hidden gems.

Next time you go for a walk, opt for a less obvious choice than your usual park. For instance, you could take some time to have a guided tour in the Sculpture Garden at Musée Rodin. In the heart of the 7^th arrondissement, you will be able to admire the artist’s works while enjoying a pleasant walk in the park.

Or if you prefer a more modern and contemporary atmosphere, head to Le Marais, where you will be able to admire some of the most original and innovative street art in the city. In this fascinating quartier, tradition, in particular with these magnificent 17^th century private houses, mixes with modernity and many walls have been covered by the works of some of the world’s best known street artists.

Walking city tour

Explore the beauty of Paris in the simplest way possible: just taking a long walk around the city.

This way you will get to see all your favourite points of interest up close and take advantage of the signs installed next to all the main monuments and historical sites. This great initiative of the city of Paris gives you the chance to learn more about this wonderful city being that all these signs present an introduction to the history of each landmark.

However, if an introduction is simply not enough for you, and you want to learn as much as possible about some of the most impressive monuments in the world, you can be accompanied on your tour by a specialised historian. By the end of the day, you will know all the secrets about the City of Lights!

ArtLuxury Experience is excited to inform you of a new partner: Your Home in Paris!

Four beautiful and luxurious apartments, owned by our friend Christophe, are available for rental in the unique Eiffel Tower district – our own district!

As a home in Paris and in France is always strongly interconnected with gastronomy and wine, the apartments of Your Home in Paris have fun names of recalling great French wines: you can choose between Chablis, Rully, Brouilly or Moët!

Just like ArtLuxury Experience, all of the apartments are in an ideal location in the heart of Paris: the 7th district. Just a few steps away from the Tour Eiffel, the district is also renowned for its food markets, patisseries, brasseries, and shops, full of fresh and local products which contribute to the beauty and charm of the area. You will also be only about a 10 minute walk from unmissable places for your shopping, like the Avenue Montaigne and the Champs-Elysées – just across the famous bridge “Pont de l’Alma”!

To settle you into your new home, Olivier can give you a private tour of the neighbourhood, tracing its history and showing you all the best places where to shop and get your own bread, cheese, wine, macarons, and anything else you might need… so that you can completely immerse yourself into the district’s life and become a true Parisian!

Whether you’d like to stay for a few days or a few months, there’s no better location to enjoy life in Paris! You can also refer to us for any kind of activity you may like to do to discover Paris… whether you’d like to go on a cruise on the Seine, or have a private guided tour at your favourite museum, we’re here to organize it for you!

We’ll be neighbours… So don’t hesitate to contact us to help you live Paris to the fullest and create unforgettable memories!

This autumn the Musée Yves Saint Laurent in Paris displayed a new, unique  exhibition: Betty Catroux. Feminine Singular. Betty Catroux, a fashion icon and an exceptional character, had a special relationship with Yves Saint Laurent. His friend and muse, she strongly influenced the stylist’s fashion and ideals, representing in Saint Laurent’s words, his “female double”.

The exhibition displays around fifty of Yves Saint Laurent’s creations owned and worn by Betty Catroux, which she donated to the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent. An overwhelming triumph of black and a simple, masculine yet elegant style, dominate the showrooms, thus exemplifying Yves Saint Laurent’s characteristic androgynous creations as well as Betty Catroux’s personal style.

Among the revolutionary aspects that Saint Laurent brought to the fashion industry is the employment of a masculine look for women. This innovative ideal was – and still is – an innate feature of Betty Catroux’s style, and those looks, conveying a powerful feminine vision, reign over the showrooms.

Achieving a great balance between the black tuxedos, loose silhouettes and elegance, the creations thus deeply represented Betty Catroux’s style as well as launched a revolutionary approach to the fashion industry.

The exhibition also features a recent interview and photoshoots with Betty Catroux, which tell us more about her relationship with the iconic fashion designer from her perspective and memories.

An unmissable exhibition for fashion lovers, you can enjoy a unique online guided tour enriched with anecdotes and details by our expert. Contact us to book a virtual lecture!

Cézanne and the Master Painters: a Dream of Italy is an exhibition displayed at the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris which has been prolonged until January 3rd, 2021. The exhibition traces Paul Cézanne’s artistic development from a particular perspective, that being his relationship with Italy and Italian masters of art from the 16th to the 20th century. Interestingly, Cézanne never travelled to Italy, but he was strongly inspired by Italian art and, in turn, his work later inspired Italian artists. The exhibition thus focuses on the “Italianness” of Cézanne, placing him in a dialogue with the Italian artists whose work he engaged with, or others he himself inspired.

The exhibition presents around sixty paintings, placing Cézanne’s work alongside the Italian version which inspired the artist. The Italian artists whose work we can admire range from different centuries, but in particular we can find the works of masters such as Tintoretto, El Greco, Ribera, Giordano, as well as Carrà, Soffici, Boccioni and Morandi. The works of these artists are displayed next to Cézanne’s, creating a discourse on Italy and Italian art. Cézanne was also a great admirer of Latin authors, and his artwork displayed in the first part of the exhibition is permeated with Latin influence. Moving towards the final showrooms we find the reversed phenomenon: how Cézanne’s work influenced Italian artists.

While Cézanne never set foot in Italy himself, he came from Provence, a French region bordering Italy, meaning that at least the landscape would be the same as in the North of Italy. This is evident, for example, in Cézanne’s painting of the Sainte Victoire Mountain, which in some way represents the relationship between the artist and Italy. The representation of nature, which could easily be Italian, shows the Mediterranean dimension of the landscape, bringing Cézanne closer to Italy. The painting glows of a particular light and expresses a landscape that is classical and timeless, “enduring like the art of museums”, like the artist himself said when talking about how his impressionist art should be.

This exhibition not only displays impressionist masterpieces, but is particularly interesting for the perspective it offers on a part of Cézanne’s work and how it creates a dialogue among artists that inspired Cézanne and artists that were inspired by him.

If you missed the opportunity to go to this exhibition, ArtLuxury can still make it happen! Contact us for a virtual guided tour of this exhibition – or any other exhibition or theme you are interested in, that you can find in our new programme of Virtual Cultural Lectures!

What is luxury? Is it material or immaterial, does it have a price?

Since mid-October, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs presents an exhibition that explores the notion of luxury, its multifaceted meaning and representation from ancient times to the present day. The showrooms are filled with magnificent objects of all kinds, shapes and provenance, tracing the representation of luxury thematically, chronologically and by disciplinary field.

The exhibition thus showcases objects of luxury from numerous ages, countries and artists. From vases, silverware, to whole rooms and furniture, to dresses and jewellery, we move across the showrooms in awe of sumptuous and splendid pieces. What emerges from the exhibition is that there is no unilateral definition of luxury as there is no such thing: the concept and representation of luxury are dynamic, the notion itself evolving with time depending on geography and context. 

We can admire, for example, an astronomical clock with a compass made of copper. The piece, coming from 17th century Paris, served as an instrument of scientific progress in a time marked by scientific discovery, practice, testing and experimentation dominating over theory. This gave space for an increasing production of devices that would serve to expand the developing disciplinary fields of geometry, astronomy, navigation, mathematics. These devices could be sophisticated and elegant, expensive, becoming thus luxurious items but they were also luxurious because of what they represented: knowledge. At a time of thrilling scientific discovery, knowledge was the most sought-after element and thus of luxury, whether it be in immaterial or in material forms.

Another remarkable element of the exhibition is the Salon du Bois, created by the Parisian ceramist, artist and interior designer Georges Hoentschel for the 1900 Universal Exhibition. This design, a magnificent ensemble of wood panelling, made of Algerian sycamore, along with a collection of ornamental pieces, represents the finest craftsmanship and mastery of the arts. Entering a room which is in itself a subject of contemplation, the viewer is immersed in luxury. What the craftsmen idealised with the creation of these pieces was a conception of luxury that glorifies nature, borrowing from it to create something that would permanently testify to its beauty.

Along with ornamental and interior design pieces, the exhibition walks us through to modern and contemporary times, showcasing the luxury of the fashion industry. Admiring creations by Gabrielle Chanel, Christian Dior and Cristobal Balenciaga, and especially the “Magnificent Gold” gown by the Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei, we are driven to our current conception of luxury. Ranging from lavish, elegant dresses to sporty sneakers, anything can become a luxurious item. The exhibition thus invites the visitors to reflect on the evolution of luxury: with consumerism rendering everything immediately accessible to a much larger number of people, luxury is in continuous transformation. However, it is also increasingly aware of its impact on societies and especially on the environment, thus we are seeing a growing awareness and respect for nature entering the values of major fashion houses.

Luxury thus encompasses a wide range of meanings depending particularly on space and time – geography and context. The value of an object does not merely lie in itself, the luxury related to it is rather assessed by what that object can represent, what message it sends to the people owning it and to those seeing it. Hence why luxury is also immaterial: it can be an idea, a concept or a feeling. 

Unfortunately, given the current circumstances of lockdown in Paris and the rest of France, the museum is temporarily closed, but there is a way you can still experience this wonderful exhibition: participate in our videoconference! We are launching a series of virtual tours so that you won’t have to miss the exhibition you were hoping to attend! Including “Luxes”, we offer a wide range of topics and exhibitions that you will be able to choose from, attending your own bespoke virtual conference with our selected experts. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us to book a virtual tour of “Luxes” or any other exhibition of your choice!

The Grand Palais, located in the Champs-Élysées, is a striking museum and historical monument that was built for the Universal Exposition of 1900. This remarkable site, emblematic of the innovative Art Nouveau Architecture, has become a symbol of culture and national heritage. The Grand Palais, in fact, has continuously hosted events and exhibitions in the fields of art, history and fashion.

The monument, however, requires large renovation works and will temporarily close from January 2021. Its re-opening is expected in January 2024 to host the Olympic Games, and in the spring of 2025 it will officially reopen to the public.

In order to keep the Grand Palais alive during these works a new building will take its place: the Grand Palais Éphémère. Located in Champ de Mars, facing the Tour Eiffel, this Temporary Grand Palais has been designed by the world renowned architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. The preparation of the site and the following works have started in the middle of July 2020, and the Grand Palais Éphémère will be complete in January 2021, remaining accessible until the 2024 Olympic Games.

The ideal location of the site requires special attention. The Grand Palais Éphémère stands between the Tour Eiffel and the École Militaire, another significant historical building, in place Joffre. While thus residing in a major historical, cultural and symbolical area, the creation of the building seeks to compliment its surroundings, thus respecting the composition of its grounds.

The project is also built with particular awareness of sustainability by putting in place strategies that enhance architectural features in order to save consumption of building materials and polluting energies. In fact, the building’s arched structure allows for a more limited use of wood for the roof, and the double coating of the roof confers the building greater soundproofing as well as enhanced thermal and ventilation qualities.

The Grand Palais Éphémère will thus officially take the place of the Grand Palais during this period of renovation works, with the promise of an exceptional building in an unparalleled location. It will host events that would have taken place in the Nef of the Grand Palais, such as La Biennale Paris and the Chanel fashion show. This exciting project, that seeks to preserve the Grand Palais’ cultural heritage, gives us something to look forward to in the new year!

Elegance, comfort and simplicity. Three words that encapsulate Mademoiselle Chanel’s fashion style and the legacy she has created. 

After having been closed for just over two years for renovation works, the Palais Galliera, Paris’ fashion museum, has inaugurated its reopening in grand style with an exhibition dedicated to one of France’s most illustrious fashion designers: Gabrielle Chanel. 

Entering the luminous and splendid building of the Palais Galliera, the exhibition develops on two floors. With few photographs and apt descriptions, the exhibition displays some of Coco Chanel’s most iconic collection pieces, from simple, practical, almost masculine creations to glamorous and sophisticated evening dresses. The exhibition displays the collection chronologically, highlighting pieces that have become emblematic of the Maison Chanel, such as the tweed suits, the marinière, the perfume Chanel N°5, the 2.55 handbag, and the pearl and diamond jewellery. A marvel for the eye, each creation carries a piece of history, inducing us to think back in time and imagining a society from a different age.

The collection’s selection of colours is also striking, particularly Chanel’s signature colours: black, red, white, beige and gold. Gabrielle Chanel’s decisions concerning colour mark another stylistic principle and contribute to the elegance and timelessness of her universe. Creating clothes based on her own necessities, Gabrielle Chanel was inspired by menswear and produced pieces that would represent and allow feminine independence: she rejected tight and restricting corsets while favouring loose silhouettes and trousers. This style would allow greater comfort and movement and was a fashion statement that would combine practicality and elegance, establishing a legacy liberating women.

Mademoiselle Chanel also distinguished herself from designers of her time in terms of perfume. In line with her vision of elegance and style, her first perfume, the iconic Chanel N°5 created by Ernest Beaux, was an elaborate blend of some eighty ingredients to obtain a mysterious, indefinable perfume. Its increasing success rocketed when Marilyn Monroe talked about it, and it is still the most renowned perfume today. 

Chanel’s choice of accessories also followed precise rules, never overshadowing the dress but complimenting it. Seen as an essential part of the look, Gabrielle Chanel integrated accessories in her outfits, modernizing and transforming them along with the clothes.

“Chanel always. Not entirely different, not entirely the same.” Vogue Paris, September 1962.

The fashion principles set by Coco Chanel inspired the women of her time to wear practical clothes while still being fashionable, and such timeless principles still rule our sense of fashion today. With a minimalist style, Gabrielle Chanel’s revolutionised haute couture at her time and built an eternal legacy. 

If you wish to have an exceptional visit of this exhibition contact us for a private guided visit with our fashion expert.

Do you ever wish you could travel back in time to participate in one of Louis XV’s exuberant and extraordinary parties at the Palace of Versailles?

Every year the Château de Versailles organises two spectacular costumed events to make this dream come true!

Indeed, starting with the Fêtes Galantes, on May 31^st, 2021, an exceptional dress evening held within the Château, in the different Apartments and of course the renowned Hall of Mirrors, the Château de Versailles is also organizing the Grand Masked Ball in the Orangerie and Gardens, a few weeks later on June 19^th, 2021.

Thus, ArtLuxury is delighted to arrange your bespoke participation to both events, but let’s discover today the amazing “Grand Bal Masqué”!

Guests are dressed in sumptuous baroque costumes and dance the night away in grand fashion. You will be surrounded by magnificent costumes, masks, wigs and hats, transforming yourself into 18th century guests of King Louis XV!

At this unmissable event, every detail is curated perfectly to reproduce the unique style and ambience of the period. You will be welcomed to the Château de Versailles’ illuminated gardens with music and fountain games, opening the doors to an unforgettable night.

The event will start with a magnificent Night Fountain Show, after which guests will enter the Orangerie, an exceptional building normally closed to the public. The Orangerie parterre, accessible from the garden, flourishes with trees and plants from all over Europe, which form part of the elegant and intricate garden that surrounds a circular pool.

The Ball will include a spectacular array of performers and dancers to keep you entertained, along with the DJ, Michaël Canitrot, so that you won’t be able to leave the dancefloor! The night will go on until dawn with a display of fireworks and an amazing afterparty in the Ballroom Grove.

With a promise of an unmissable and unforgettable night, starting at 23.30pm until dawn,  we invite you to join us at this exceptional event! Whether you’re participating as a couple or as a group, we would be delighted to organize your magical soirée!

Please visit our dedicated webpage and contact us for your bespoke quotation!

What would be your dream if you plan a stay in Provence or French Riviera for a few days? ArtLuxury Experience offers you a breathtaking offer, unique and à la carte, with a Taylor made program of various and exclusive experiences: cultural and historical guided tours, gastronomic tastings or local cooking classes, exceptional accommodation in luxury hotels or private châteaux etc!

Among the large selection of memorable tours , we propose, for instance, the guided visit of the village Les-Baux-de-Provence. Built on a rocky spur, the Citadel of Les Baux-de-Provence offers an incomparable panorama of the Alpilles massif, the Crau plain swept by the Mistral and the Camargue.

The twenty or so inhabitants who still live within the enclosure, jealously protect an uncommon historical heritage, patiently restored. Your private guide will invite you to discover this fantastic and authentic region, unknown to the general public. And what if you stopped at an olive oil mill to discover the work of olive growing? You could taste the incredible olive oil of Provence!

Not far from there, do you know the city of Arles? A guided tour of the city awaits you.Arles is a real journey back in time where you can admire the jewels of Provencal Romanesque architecture. Discover the mysteries and particularities of the church, the cloister Saint Trophime and the alley of the Alyscamps.

Still in the area, the famous Pont du Gard, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, awaits you, for a visit of the monument and the Roman canal with your private guide.

Are you a history buff? A magic word for you: Glanum. Glanum is a splendid Greco-Roman archaeological site nestled in the heart of a valley, shelters important religious and civil vestiges. Outside, the Mausoleum and the Arc de Triomphe, called the Antiques, once arched the entrance to the site. They were for a long time the only visible monuments. For short a memorable immersion in Antiquity.

In the same spirit, the ancient Roman city of Orange has preserved its monuments, such as the Arc de Triomphe and the ancient theater, which every year hosts the festival of the Choregies of Orange… We offer you a guided tour of the ancient theater, one of the most beautiful legacies of Imperial Rome, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, it is the theaterthe best preserved in Europe !

Are you more of a fine wine amateur ? We invite you to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. You will be able to enjoy an authentic local aperitif with a commented visit of the cellars, including of course the tasting of a multitude of local wines, including for example: Châteauneuf-du-Pape white, Côtes du Rhône red, Châteauneuf-du-Pape red Cuvée Tradition and Vieilles Vignes, accompanied by a buffet of products made by the village terroir craftsmen: farmhouse bread, tapenade, goat cheese, olives, delicatessen …

If you are fan of cooking and French cuisine we have the perfect activity for you: a bespoke Cooking Course!

First of all, you will go to the nearest market to choose your products, to cook irresistible local products! Then, accompanied by a renowned chef, you will go to the market to discover the vegetables of the region, which will serve as a basis for our recipes. Then visit a goat farm to get the cheeses that will accompany the meal. Then, discovery of the herb garden of the farmhouse “in season”, its local specificities and the must-sees. Meeting in the kitchen of the farmhouse where the Chef will introduce you to his recipes and his “little secrets”. How to make a pistou, how to roll a leg of lamb, how to cook vegetables in a crunchy way, how to raise fish fillets…and many more tricks of the hand to achieve culinary prowess.

Finally, to conclude your amazing journey we will select for you a fantastic dinner in a magnificent setting, for instance this exceptional 5* hotel – historical estate, which extends over seven hectares at the foot of the Alpilles, on the edge of Saint Remy de Provence in a setting of remarkable vegetation.

Besides exploring this unique Provence, would you prefer to discover and spend an exceptional bespoke stay in French Riviera? Are you rather into sunny beaches of the Mediterranean Sea? We also have a whole range of Taylor made experiences and services for you.

Do you love the smell of lavender and its charm that makes it a symbol of Provence and the French Riviera? Strolling along the coast? How about going with a private guide for a walk in the unmissable landscape of this region?

In addition we could also offer you a unique VIP workshop, where you can make your own perfume by your own hand, in one of the most famous perfumeries that our planet is home to.

Furthermore, of course, how not to evoke the world of wine and what surrounds it. We offer you an exceptional VIP tour to the most exceptional wineries you can find. Visit of vineyards, cellars, and of course wine tasting. All this in one place, in a castle of unrivalled charm.

If these few illustrations of our offerings has succeeded to seduce you, we are at your entire disposal to organize the stay of your dreams in these wonderful regions of Provence and the French Riviera.

If what you have just read has seduced you, we are at your disposal to organize the stay of your dreams in this wonderful region that is Provence and French Riviera.

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Discover the magnificent City of Light as you’ve never seen it before! ArtLuxury Experience offers exclusive city tours aboard cars as vintage as they are exclusive , in the heart of Paris. Enjoy a unique and original getaway, and experience an unforgettable journey in the heart of the capital thanks to a panoramic view of its most beautiful monuments.

Day or night, you will come back from this breathtaking experience with stars in your eyes!

Your driver, passionate about Parisian heritage will guide you and share the history of the main monuments with anecdotes about the rich heritage of the capital. From Montmartre and its panorama, to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame de Paris, the Palais du Louvre or the Pantheon, Paris will have no more secrets for you. Your journey will take you through districts full of history and treasure such as the Marais or Saint-Germain-des-Prés, symbols of Parisian grandeur. The capital conceals many mysteries and unexplored districts that you will be able to discover exclusively!

What if you could combine city tour in vintage cars, culture and gastronomy? Say no more. At your request, we will organize an exclusive and gastronomic Picnic with food from the best craftsmen and Épiceries Fines in Paris, most appointed by famous Michelin starred Chefs!

Alternatively would you wish a glass of vintage Champagne in the car? We will take care of it. You will be welcomed in the greatest luxury, in a vintage and chic atmosphere.

If you are among friends, what could be more fun than a rally in a vintage car?

You will discover the city while having fun and challenging your friends and family in a very original way, taking part in a treasure hunt and an orienteering race, while competing with other cars.

Whether for a one-, two- or three-hour ride, or for half a day if you wish, treat yourself to a getaway in the heart of Paris and take part in the Parisian joys in a memorable and exclusive setting!

Here is our exclusive selection of authentic vintage cars (most of them are convertible or open-roof) on which we propose you to embark.

Austin Limousine Convertible, 1930

BMW 502, 1964

Rolls-Royce Corniche, 1978

Excalibur, 1978

If you are tempted to live such exclusive experience in the model of your dreams, just contact us HERE !

ArtLuxury Experience offers you the most unique discoveries available in Paris. Among them, we propose exclusive cruises on the Seine River. Be tempted by our wide choice of boats and experiences.

Let’s start with the smaller one of our selection (maximum of 5 passengers). Built on the shores of Lake Zurich in the ’60s, this 6.5m “roadster of the seas” combines style, panache and modernity, in the purest tradition of the legendary Chris-Craft or Riva.
Dedicated to pleasure boating and water sports, this boat, made of mahogany and chrome, has a powerful hybrid engine with electric propulsion.
Its cockpit, inspired by the Chevrolet convertibles of the time, features a throttle and steering wheel instead of the traditional bars, tinted windshield, white leather draped driver and passenger seats, as well as a sun deck at the rear.

The captain will accompany you on the Seine for 1h30 of navigation, departing from the port of call of Austerlitz or the Jardin des Plantes.
From the Eiffel Tower to the upper tip of Ile Saint-Louis, we invite you to discover the most beautiful monuments of Paris from a new perspective.

Another type of boat is for a maximum of 8 passengers. If you like intimacy or the pleasure of being in a small group, then travelling on board this small but sumptuous boat is a unique experience, a timeless moment in the heart of Paris.
Designed and built in Venice, in the pure tradition of Riva and Chriscraft, this 9.20 meter boat combines comfort and elegance.
The beauty of the lines and the quality of the materials used make it a symbol of luxury and refinement.
On board, leather, chrome and mahogany interact with the stones and steel of the capital’s century-old bridges.

Boarding is through the front cockpit of the boat, where the crew is located.
In the centre, passengers have a fully glazed cabin with two leather benches and the minibar.
This warm and sheltered space provides a comfortable lounge in wet weather.
But if the sun is shining, the rear of the boat, open and intimate, offers a breathtaking view of the monuments of Paris, as close to the water as possible.

We can offer two cruises duration :

– the 1h30 cruise allows you to cross Paris on the Seine from the Eiffel Tower to the upstream point of Saint Louis Island. The service includes a bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne, a mini bar of soft drinks and some apetizers.

– the 2-hour cruise, with the same catering service extends the visit up to the Statue of Liberty one the one end, the Cité de la Mode et du Design on the other end.

Our exclusive vintage yacht (21m) for a private lunch or diner cruise: our chef invites you for an exclusive dinner cruise of 3 hours for an unforgettable experience.

This authentic and vintage yacht with refined wooden decoration has retained throughout the years the style & remarkable charm of the Art Deco.

For 2 up to 6 persons, we offer a full privatization of the yacht with Staff and Chef, dinner, wines and champagne.

Another vintage 20 meters yacht. (2 up to 12 persons)

Do you love an old school style?

We propose to you a vintage and chic yacht, with exotic wood decorated cabin, formerly owned by a world renown movie star…!

Our private chef will invite you for 4 hours dinner cruise.

Our contemporary and highly refined yacht (maximum 12 persons).

If you prefer modern style and confort, we propose a 3 hours served diner (or lunch) cruise on board of this magnificient 24m long yacht with open roof, displaying an exquisite contemporary decoration, including porcelain and Baccarat glasses…

Our various offer for larger groups.

For several years, beside the privatization of yachts for small groups, couple, families… ArtLuxury has also arranged for larger private groups from the USA; upon your request we propose to privatize bigger boats for varius type of cruises to discover Paris as you have never seen it before! Can you imagine how magic it would be to embark at the foot of the Eiffel Tower for a cruise on the Seine and enjoy the wonderful spectacle of the monuments and bridges of Paris, particularly at night when the Eiffel Tower is sparkling…!

Last but not least, this is even more of a dream when you admire the most beautiful facets of the city of lights around a glass of champagne, a cocktail or a sit-down dinner !

This is precisly our promise: Live Paris intensely !
To conclude, whatever is your plan in Paris, ArtLuxury would be delighted to organize for you a bespoke and memorable cruise experience to best enjoy our city of love !

In such case, do not hesitate to contact us HERE !

Oh yes! Paris is finally waking up!

Last Sunday, one month after the partial ending of the lockdown in France, President Macron made its 4^th speech, announcing a new major step of our decontainment.
Among the topics addressed, this official allocution was a great news for the hospitality and tourism sector with the announcement of the transition to the green zone of all the French territory except Mayotte and Guyana, generating the long-awaited full reopening of the Parisian “café-restaurants” and the progressive opening of the French frontiers.

Indeed, since yesterday, France has made its first step of “reconnection” to the world, by reopening its frontiers to Europe, thus authorizing travel and journeys, before its full worldwide reopening on July, 1^st. This good and unexpected news is all the more accompanied by a gradual unblocking of the airports as of June, 26^th concerning Orly airport with a slowly recapture of national and internationals flights!
Indeed this is a great news for the French travel & hospitality industry!

Thus French President has promised to commit to getting our economy “fully” back on track and rediscover part of our way of life, our taste for freedom.

In this context, ArtLuxury Experience has investigated these last days the renaissance of hotels in Paris and France, as well as the analysis of current trends in terms of travel intentions from international travellers for Paris destination.

In fact, tourists do confirm now their motivation to come back to Paris!
Through a report presented by the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau on June, 2^nd, a survey (source:Mastercard/ Mabrian, OTCP) conducted from May 1^st to 20^th on potential visitors from Asia, America and Europe, shows that on-line search for Paris destination has considerably increased!

Indeed, in this period, the on-line Flight searches for Paris literally grew-up compared to April. On the top of the list, we find China, with an increase of 62%, Russia with 39%, borders countries like Germany, Italy, Spain from 22,6% to 35,6%. For potential visitors from United-States, the increase is lower, but the country is still at the top of the searches with almost 195 000 requests.
These increases are very encouraging further to the critical lockdown context, but the figures still remain lower to the previous year in the order of -19,5 % to -90,3 %.

But this interest for Paris is not only at the international level! Indeed, French people are particularly motivated to spend their summer in France! Thus, since the lockdown, “re-discover France” is become very trendy among French people, especially thanks to Stéphane Bern, with the #cetetejevisitelefrance specially created at this occasion. This interest can be confirmed with a study made by BVA/EdV related to “French people and summer 2020 holidays”. The latter reveals that 90% of French holidaymakers will spend their summer in France, against approximately 66% usually in previous years! The trend is definitely upward!

But unfortunately, focussing specifically on the Parisian market, hospitality industry is still blurred or uncertain, whereas the official announcement about the reopening days of the luxury hotel, mainly dedicated to international wealthy clientele, is not yet known.

Whereas the critical decision for reopening is obviously related to profitability, staff availability … upon the categories of clients, we can obviously figure out that the more starred the hotel is and higher in its classification, the later will be its reopening, clearly depending on the arrival of the international wealthy clientele.

That being said, ArtLuxury has conducted its own investigation and is pleased to provide an overview of the situation as per today.

Indeed, first, we can already observe a progressively re-opening of the Parisian four- and five-stars hotels!

As illustration, let’s start with our discussion last Thursday with one of our Parisian Hotels group partners, namely Jeremy Auzanneau, Commercial and Marketing Director of the Inwood Hotels Group. During our meeting at “La Bourdonnais”, their already open 4* Boutique hotel, Jeremy informed us in much details about all specific measures set up related to social distancing, then about the progressive reopening of the other 4* hotels of the Group starting from now, and later in September with their new 5* Champs-Elysées Plaza,  to conclude with a quite interesting exchange on new trends of the Luxury Hotels and hospitality market.

Furthermore, with great satisfaction, we can announce the reopening of several 5-star hotels like Le Collectionneur, Hotel Costes  …. and others early July, such as Fauchon l’Hotel, Alfred Sommier, …

All are of course still facing a low level of reservation, but most of them offer very attractive rates, up to 50% discount in some of them, or offering you an upgrade! Even more a Group like Inwood Hotels is offering very exclusive contest!

This is definitely the right moment for you and a real opportunity to plan you stay next in Paris!

Regarding the 12 official Parisian Palaces, their re-opening is scheduled to occur at last, meaning in these coming weeks, latest in September. Indeed, as of July, we can mention the reopening of La Réserve, Le Crillon, the Peninsula, the Shangri-La, and most probably the Plaza Athénée! For August, the booking is already open for the Ritz and the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme! Last but not least, Bristol is announced to reopen by September 1^st, probably followed by the last ones!

Indeed, in case you wish to be the “happy few” to visit Paris first, we would be delighted to organise you a bespoke arrangement!

We are so eagerly looking forward to seeing you again, and keeping you dreaming!

Don’t forget: Stay tuned! A magnificent surprise is coming soon!

Paris s’éveille !

Oh yes! Paris is waking up!!!

After the re-opening of the Vanves flea market and the renaissance of the Parisian Gastronomy offerings, ArtLuxury was so much pleased to experience last week the new opening of the auction houses, and art market, obviously starting with Drouot, famous Parisian Institution and unique worldwide!

Indeed, last Wednesday afternoon, Olivier and Pierre, the Community Manager where on site to attend very interesting auctions as well as checking how the global operations have been adapted to address the new social distancing constraints.

Except the traditional auctioneer’s hammer blow, the atmosphere and the affluence were, indeed, rather quieter than usual. For instance, compared to the previous years, the June forecasted sales have decreased to the half as well as the number of visitors is not more than a quarter.
Nonetheless, it is important to notice that this weak affluence does not prevent the high quality of the sales in most Auction Houses in Paris and surrounding places: magnificent pieces full of stories, like the self-portrait of Antoine de Saint Exupéry in Drouot, souvenirs of the Queen Marie-Antoinette in Osenat, or Asterix and Obelix plates drew by Uderzo in Artcurial!

Thus, it is to be mentioned that during the two months of lock-down, the auction houses were not all totally closed. As a matter of fact, this period has been the opportunity for some houses like Drouot, Sotheby’s etc to further develop their online auctions activities.

This has been a rather successful initiative, featuring a considerable increase of twice more furniture and artwork sales!

Since the progressive re-opening started mid-May, the auction houses are now all operational, redeploying gradually their activities, offering to the visitors the best possible condition, while keeping the social distancing measures. Indeed, the access of the houses is strictly regulated, thereby limiting the number of visitors and buyers. Furthermore, the opening hours, exhibitions and sales are also adapted such as the conditions of withdrawal and sales shipment.

In order to compensate the cancellation of worldwide iconic Antic art fair “Biennale de Paris”, some houses such as Christie’s are currently planning alternative events addressed to top antic dealers. Indeed, this renown House will put in place eleven online sale auction days starting from September,10^th to 21^st. Besides, it is important to highlight that part of its revenue will be reversed to the Stéphane Bern Foundation dedicated to the preservation and funding of the French heritage!

Considering that these auctions are finally much more comfortable with less affluence, and that the Houses will organise quite fantastic sales in the following months, we definitely invite you to stay tuned …. Hopefully you’ll get get the chance to find the gem of your dream!

Last but not least, in case you’ll much better enjoy such experience with our expertise, do not hesitate to contact us so as to organise our bespoke arrangement to accompany you.

Paris s’éveille !

Oh yes! Paris is waking-up!!!

Well-know all around the world for its specialities and typical dish, France is become one of the most emblematic and major actors in terms of gastronomy. Growing-up over the last centuries, the French cooking reached a major recognition during the Middle Age with its sumptuous banquets organized in the castles featuring well decorated and seasoned dish.  Real part of the French culture, the gastronomy embodies “L’Art de vivre à la Française”.

Unfortunately, for two months with this lockdown and new deal, the catering and restaurants world is and was totally upset and in a big blur. Even since May 11^th, with the announcement of pre-deconfinement, bars and restaurants were still standing by, waiting for a decision of the government for the full opening. Finally, on May 28^th, a partial relief has been officially announced giving a 2 steps permission:  terraces re-opening as of today June 2^nd, and then total re-opening on June 22^nd.

Therefore let’s explore what we can now enjoy in Paris in terms of French gastronomy, can it be a casual meal or an exclusive gourmet experience.

• Click and collect/ Delivery:

Set-up by lot of restaurants, the click & collect solution is definitely become the most popular one, as well as more affordable most of the times. Even some Michelin stared or famous restaurants are offering this service too. As illustration we have selected for you the special offerings of two renown Chefs.

• Café Constant by Christian Constant

Located in the famous rue Saint Dominique in the 7^th arrondissement of Paris, the Café Constant is offering you since the middle of the lockdown a weekly menu, with a different set menu each day for €22 composed of a starter, a course and a dessert.  Discover here the menu of this week!

• Ducasse BOX by Alain Ducasse

Famous multi-starred Chef Alain Ducasse, unmissable reference of the French gastronomy has specially created 4 boxes or Menus, starting from €18:

• The classic BOX
• The fresh BOX
• The marine BOX
• The vegan BOX

If you want a bespoke BOX, you can also create your:

• BOX of the Day
• Card BOX

Your set menu can be delivered in bicycle or picked-up in a lovely place at his restaurant Ducasse sur Seine, located on a superb boat near the Eiffel Tower!

• Chef at home

If you are a lover of amazing and exclusive experience, ArtLuxury gives you the opportunity to invite a Chef at your home! From grocery shopping to cooking as well as from table service to washing up, everything is taken care of! This is the opportunity to enjoy a unique and unforgettable moment!

Two menus are available: The Epicure and Signature menu.

• And what about the restaurants re-opening?

For you, ArtLuxury Experience made some field interviews with some of them in order to figure out how they plan it, progressively in the following weeks.

Indeed, for all of them, due to the various new Covid19 related constraints, such as social distancing, terraces only up to June, 22^nd … re-opening is a critical matter of profitability, staff, procurement from suppliers etc.
In case of re-opening, the cards will most probably be reduced.

As a matter of fact, during our promenade today, we noticed that almost half of the terraces are not open.

Therefore, we invite you to stay tuned in our social media, we will keep you informed about the next steps and full re-opening!

If you are interested in a Chef at home experience or any further information, do not hesitate to contact us!

As you can imagine, last Saturday, ArtLuxury Experience was so much pleased to go back to one of the most emblematic flea markets of Paris: “The Puces of Vanves”.
Indeed, it was the official D Day of the re-opening of the flea market after this two-months lockdown.
Before showing you its renaissance, let’s discover together its amazing history, whereas the flea markets of today, with its wonderful bohemian and family spirit has nothing to do with its origin!

Indeed, far away from its atmosphere today, the Parisian flea market, starting in the Middle Age was at this period a place where poor people were dealing to earn money. In fact, their hard and painful work was consisting of handling and selling second hand and recycled materials such as irons, skins, rags… that is how were born the rag and bone men.

At this medieval time, there was a unique flea market in the center of Paris, close to Notre Dame. But gradually, the flea market spread away in several places and then began to be expulsed of the city centre during this expansion.

Thus, the first step of this evolution began in the middle of the XVIII century, where this kind of activities started to be forbidden in the city by the police due to the new salubrity regulation. This restriction forced the ragmen to move and join the district of Grenelle at the outskirts of the capital in this period.

Later on, in 1884 under the prefect Eugène Poubelle the ragmen faced a new situation with the apparition of the dustbin. This innovation was not only a considerable sanitary revolution for the population, but also a real change of their daily work, benefiting of a much more rational salvage.

Finally, under the Second Empire the expulsion was tightened, forcing them to move away again. That is the birth and the flourish of the three famous flea markets still existing today: Vanves, Saint Ouen and Montreuil.

The Puces de Vanves usually gather 380 exhibitors, presenting different and various items. From the paints, to the decorative art, passing by the watches or the silverware, find what you dream is like an evidence. Moreover, Vanves is the only intramural flea market of Paris.

Now, let’s give you some news of the Puce of Vanves, today after this lockdown!

In order to respect the social distancing, the market is separated in two parts, introducing alternance for each side of the market according to the week: pair weeks limited to sidewalk exhibitors while impair week to sellers on the other side. Besides, the opening days and hours remain the same: Saturday and Sunday from 7am to 2pm.

With such convivial atmosphere on a sunny day, this re-opening was a unique experience, a good moment to change our mind and bargain to find the rare pearl!
During this memorable morning ArtLuxury Experience was so happy to find great deals,  such as a magnificent heat lamp for Olivier and some watches mechanics for Pierre, the intern!

What a pleasure to be back there!!

If you are interested by a guided visit in company of Olivier, don’t hesitate to contact us, we will be delighted to share again this experience with you!

Paris virtual Tour #4: The Eiffel Tower

Today, for the last episode of our series Paris virtual Tour 2020, ArtLuxury Experience has the great pleasure to present you one of the most emblematic monuments, Paris icon, known and imitated all around the world: The Eiffel Tower. Indeed, the Grand Iron Lady invites you to an exclusive and immersive visit to discover its most beautiful facets and secrets.

If you want to admire its beauty and gain height, the tower invites you to discover it in 360° or virtually.  In a first time, you can follow the 360° visit video made by TV5 Monde last year at the occasion of its 130^th birth, where you can see it from a drone, day and night, its inside and out. If you wish to discover it more in details and at your pace, the Eiffel Tower allows you to climb it virtually and enjoy the magnificent panorama from its 2^nd to the 3^rd floor and a half.

For those who prefer to admire the Grand Iron Lady from the bottom and walk on the park, you can appreciate the forecourt its secrets and details or its historic west and east gardens and their great biodiversity listed Classified Wooded Areas. 

Now we propose you to make a journey through time by going back 130 years ago to discover the Eiffel Tower in more details, and learn more about it, especially concerning its construction, its context and its first opening years. For that you can also admire four exhibitions presenting respectively these captivating stories:

• The birth of the Eiffel tower
• The construction of the Eiffel tower
• Inauguration and first visitors to the Eiffel Tower
• The Eiffel tower in 1900

If you are attracted by this period, we invite you to discover an interesting collection of originals pictures and illustration telling a part of the story and the history of this monument.

Furthermore to conclude this time journey, you have the possibility to discover the Eiffel tower, its attractions, and much else during the universal exhibition of 1889.

If you are a lover of histories anecdotes the Grand Iron Lady propose you to discover a selection which was made especially for its 130^th years.

Finally, we would be happy to share “in situ” this experience with you, through VIP tour (soon to be set-up, see our article), or personalized guided tours.

Last but not least, do not miss to participate to our serial contest open as of now: 2 amazing prizes will be awarded by ArtLuxury!

The prizes offered to the 2 Winners are as follows:

1st Lot: an exclusive and gourmet picnic (for 2 people) organised by ArtLuxury Experience, on the lawns of the Champ de Mars.

2nd Lot: according to the beneficiary’s preference, and always in the company of Olivier, President and Founder of ArtLuxury Experience:

– A “Gourmet Tour” (2 hours) in the very chic area of rue Cler near the Eiffel Tower.

– Or a guided tour (2 hours) of the Vanves Flea Market

See here our complete rules for this Prize contest Paris virtual Tour 2020.

Fancy to get your prize?

Just reply to our online questionnaire here!

In the meantime, please take care of yourself and your loved ones.

Paris virtual Tour #3: The Musée d’Orsay

Third step of our Paris virtual Tour 2020. ArtLuxury Experience has the pleasure to let you discover the “Musée d’Orsay”

The history of this museum is not common, from the railway station to the museum, let us discover how and when this monument was born. Thus we invite you to discover in image this transformation, some anecdotes and events who took place in this location along the Seine River. The museum has also shared five videos on its Youtube channel, who show the “Naissance d’un musée” with all its issues, its inauguration…

The collection of the museum was built thanks to three others museum: The “Louvre”, the “musée du Jeu de Paume”, and the “musée d’Art moderne” allowing a diversity of the works.
Its commented collection , available online, will enable you to view its paints, sculptures, decorative arts, pictures, graphic arts and architecture. If you want to know more about them, you can discover its history, where you will find their origin…

This diversity is not only due to its different works. It is also due to the presence of a multitude of artistic movements. From the Academism to the Post-impressionism, on the videos  “Orsay en mouvement”, let us see all these movements presented through all related artistic works.

If you want to discover a selection of its works explained in videos the museum gives you this possibility by means of its series “Une oeuvre, un regard”: Each weeks, some contemporary figures, like musicians, philosophers, scientists, present, explain and describe in some minutes a work of their choice, which have sense for them.

For the end of this visit, have you ever dreamed to discover the restoration steps of a paint?
The museum has sets up a series of articles which describe you all of this. You will also be able to discover thanks to several videos the working process set up for the restoration of a painting, from its diagnostic to its reintegration.

Finally, after the present containment, we would be happy to share “in situ” this experience with you, through VIP or private guided tours, with one of our best lecturers.

Last but not least, do not miss to read our last article “Paris virtual Tour 2020” published here next monday, and then to participate to our serial contest at the end: 2 amazing prizes will be awarded by ArtLuxury!

In the meantime, please take care of yourself and your loved ones.