Today, art historian Emma Lavigne serves as Executive Director of the Pinault Collection, but beyond her role, she is a true connoisseur of Paris’s art scene. Over her career, she has curated more than 50 exhibitions at some of the city’s most renowned institutions, including the Cité de la Musique and the Musée National d’Art Moderne/Centre Pompidou. Though trained as an art historian, Lavigne’s passions span performance, sound, and live music. Whitewall sat down with her to discover her favorite places in Paris to experience art, find inspiration, and enjoy unforgettable meals beyond the gallery walls.
WHITEWALL: Where is your favorite spot to find inspiration?
EMMA LAVIGNE: Contemporary creation is an inexhaustible source of inspiration, and I am passionate about the connections that art can foster with music, dance, and performance. The programs of the Festival d’Automne, the Philharmonie, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain, where I chair the board of directors, are very stimulating.
WW: Your favorite place to see art?
EL: I am still very close to the Palais de Tokyo, and for the past four years, the Bourse de Commerce-Pinault Collection has also been an exciting venue to orchestrate in the heart of Paris. The “Minimal” exhibition, curated by Jessica Morgan, director of the Dia Foundation, will once again transform it into an essential experience of artistic sensibility.
“Contemporary creation is an inexhaustible source of inspiration.”
-Emma Lavigne
WW: Where is the best neighborhood vibe?
EL: Energy is everywhere in Paris, but it pulsates particularly strongly in Cyrus Goberville’s program at the Bourse de Commerce!
WW: What is the best-kept secret in Paris?
EL: I love the Irashi concept store just opposite the Bourse de Commerce. You can grab a quick bite to eat or enjoy a delicious meal at Biwan, and stock up at the grocery store to try your hand at Japanese cooking.
WW: What is the best meal in Paris?
EL: The Halle aux Grains, whose menu was created by Michel and Sébastien Bras, offers an incredible culinary exploration. I also recommend trying their delicious snacks!
How to Spend 24 Hours in Paris
Morning: Meetings at Bourse de Commerce.
Noon: Lunch at Biwan.
Night: Dinner at The Halle aux Grains.
The Best of Paris According to Emma Lavigne
1. See the Artists of Today at Palais de Tokyo
Courtesy of Palais de Tokyo.
Palais de Tokyo is the dynamic place for the artists of our time. It is also the largest center for contemporary artistic creation in all of Europe, as well as a one-of-a-kind exhibition space.
A rebellious wasteland with the air of a Palace, an anti-museum in permanent transformation, Palais de Tokyo has kept Paris full of life and on its toes since 2002. At once convivial and challenging, generous and cutting edge, inviting and radical, poetic and transgressive, it is a space to learn, to experience, to feel, and to live – a space from which the unexpected springs forth.
Driven by the desire to change our vision of art, the Palais de Tokyo invites us to bear witness to the audacities of our time and to live the experience of art in the making, in all its guises. –Palais de Tokyo
2. Catch A Performance by Festival d’Automne
Courtesy of Vincent Pontet and Festival d’Automne.
A multi-disciplinary festival which was founded in 1972, the Autumn Festival in Paris brings together theatre, music, dance, film and the visual arts at the forefront of the cultural stage. Some forty or so places in the Paris region, such as the Théâtre de l’Odéon or the Centre Pompidou, take part in the festival and host all kinds of art events. –Paris je t’aime
3. Enjoy Ensemble Intercontemporain’s Passion for Music
Courtesy of Thomas Amouroux and Ensemble Intercontemporain.
The Ensemble’s 31 soloists share a passion for 20th-21st century music. They are employed on permanent contracts, enabling them to fulfil the major aims of the Ensemble: performance, creation and education for young musicians and the general public. Under the artistic direction of French conductor Pierre Bleuse the musicians work in close collaboration with composers, exploring instrumental techniques and developing projects that interweave music, dance, theater, film, video and visual arts.
The Ensemble is renowned for its strong emphasis on music education: concerts for kids, creative workshops for students, training programs for future performers, conductors, composers, etc. –Ensemble Intercontemporain
4. Explore iRASSHAi’s Japanese Imports and Stop for Lunch at BIWAN
Courtesy of @bonjourjapon.
Courtesy of iRASSHAi.
iRASSHAi — which means “welcome” in Japanese — is a grocery store, canteen, bar and gourmet restaurant all rolled into one. Its opening, announced on social networks, was eagerly awaited.
At BIWAN, you can sit at the counter facing the kitchen or at more traditional tables, and enjoy a 5-step menu at dinner in the heart of koshitsu, traditional Japanese lounges, for a gentle experience in an intimate setting –iRASSHAi
5. Dine at Halle aux Grains
Courtesy of Halle aux Grains.
On the third floor of the Bourse de Commerce-Pinault Collection, Michel and Sebastien invite the visitors of the museum and others, to discover from noon to midnight, all year long, a back to basics cooking style, in line with the history of the building, the Halle aux blés of Paris. The personality of the restaurant is amplified not just by the energy eminanting from the kitchen but also by both the interieur & exterior design of the space. –Halle aux Grains
