Whitewaller Paris 2018 Debuts for FIAC This Week with Guest Editor Lorena Vergani

I’m thrilled to be this year’s guest editor of Whitewaller Paris. Paris is home for me. It’s a city where I have always felt happy. There is a mix of culture, fashion, design, architecture, and gastronomy that makes it so special, intellectual, and chic. I haven’t found any city in the world that is prettier. The City of Lights has always given me the essentials to make my daily life fulfilled: beauty, culture, and intellectuality. 

In terms of food, there are too many restaurants to choose. La monnaie de Paris by Guy Savoy is one of the best gastronomic experiences in Paris; the restaurant of Joël Robuchon at rue du Bac is just so great; and the restaurant Signature in the 11th arrondissement highlights the genius of Chef Pierre Sang, a young and talented South Korean/French chef who is as goodhearted as his cuisine is amazing. For more chill occasions, I love Balagan, Loulou, and the Mini Palais for its amazing location. The restaurant Girafe, which opened recently on Trocadéro, is the new place to be. And last but not least, the Café de Flore is a classic where I always feel at home. 

For beauty, my favorite places to see art include my husband’s gallery, of course, Perrotin Gallery in the Marais; Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery; the Centre Pompidou; and the Louis Vuitton Foundation. I highly recommend a visit to the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature and the newly opened Giacometti Institute, which reconstructs the tiny atelier of Giacometti very nicely.

And if you adventure outside the city, as I do every year, a visit to le Bosquet du Théâtre d’Eau from Jean-Michel Othoniel at the garden of Versailles is a must.  

For design, I recommend a stroll around Saint-Germain-des-Prés to get inspiration, in particular on rue de Seine. Some of my favorites are Galerie Downtown, Galerie Kreo, Galerie Alexandre Biaggi, and Galerie Véro-Dodat next to Palais-Royal.  

During FIAC week, I look forward to the temporary public sculpture To Whom It May Concern on Place Vendôme by Elmgreen & Dragset. This work is a nod to the Paris Climate Agreement and its challenges, a theme that affects us all globally. They are represented by Perrotin Gallery, where they will also have a solo exhibition until December. 

I also love to visit the Asia Now fair, the first European art fair devoted to Asian contemporary art, which will focus on Japanese art this year. 

I always like participating in some of the events organized by The Cultivist, a global arts club that provides privileged access to art events all around the world, and in particular during FIAC. 

Paris is always a good idea, and if you want to experience the city in a unique way, don’t hesitate to take part in the Bespoke Art Journeys or Bespoke Art & Fashion Journeys I organize, opening doors to my special guests: artists’ studio visits, private museum visits, and lunch or dinner at a gallery or a collector’s house.

 

—Lorena Vergani
Luxury Experiences Consultant