Do you ever get the feeling you need to pack a bag and go? The urge to jump on a train, a bus, a plane, or a boat, and just leave for a few days? I do, pretty often. The last time it happened, just a few days ago, I was about to leave for Paris. I wanted to check some galleries, and a couple of exhibitions I had my eyes on, and honestly just take a few days off to free my mind. 

Long story short, I went to Milan for the Art Week instead, and postponed Paris to summer, so I can put together a few different things and fully enjoy my time there. But that being said, I spent a full day nonetheless planning the trip and checking galleries and exhibitions, so I figured I would use the knowledge to write a brief article on some of the best contemporary art galleries you can find in Paris. 

I have visited la Ville Lumière quite a few times, from the first trip when I was a kid and my parents brought me and my sister to Disneyland, to more recent ones for concerts and friends. But like any major city, the gallery scene is always evolving, and every visit brings discoveries and new favorites. 

And Paris is an ever-changing city itself, despite its sophisticated look and seemingly quieter life, compared to London or New York. From the new fair announced by Art Basel to replace FIAC, to new galleries and museums, Paris has always something to offer. 

So, if you – like me – are planning a trip to Paris in summer, and want to start scratching the surface of its contemporary art gallery scene, here are 4 destinations you really should not miss. The first few stops are in the Marais area, before crossing the river on the Île de la Cité to finish our itinerary in the Quartier Latin. Are you ready for the tour?

Galleria Continua

The first stop is the newly opened Paris gallery of Galleria Continua, right in the center of Le Marais, on rue du Temple. Galleria Continua is definitely not a new player. It is one of the most important galleries in Italy, and has branches in Italy, China, France, Cuba, and Brasil. Working with some of the most important artists alive, the gallery first opened in 1990 in a former theater in San Gimignano, a small medieval town near Florence, before expanding internationally. 

The new Parisian gallery is the latest addition to the family. Just steps away from other branches of key international galleries, like David Zwirner, or the Centre Pompidou, the gallery opened with an exhibition curated by French artist JR. It aims to be “an environment that embraces multiculturality, where people with stories, resources, and different interests can meet” and “a bridge that connects to Galleria Continua’s other French location, Les Moulins at Boissy-le-Châtel”, as stated in their website. 

It is the perfect first stop for our itinerary, just steps away from some of the most interesting museums, attractions, and gourmand destinations in Paris. 

Galleria Continua Paris
87 Rue du Temple, 75003 Paris

Info, exhibitions, and opening hours: 
www.galleriacontinua.com

Almine Rech

With three different locations in Paris, plus branches in Brussels, London, New York, and Shanghai, you can’t go wrong with Almine Rech. 

Opened in 1997 in Paris, the gallery focuses on California Minimal, Perceptual and Conceptual art, representing artists such as James Turrell, John McCracken, and Joseph Kosuth.

Two of the three Paris spaces of the gallery are located in the Marais, close to other galleries and museums, making it very convenient to visit the galleries while strolling around the cozy neighborhood. With exhibitions featuring great international artists, as well as mid-career and emerging enfants prodiges, the gallery has something for everyone. 

And if you are around the Champs-Élysées area, on Avenue Matignon, don’t forget to check the second Parisian space of the gallery. Near the Élysées Palace and all the best French boutiques, you can pair the visit with other galleries located around the same area, like Perrotin Matignon and White Cube. 

Almine Rech
64 Rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris 
18 avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris

Info, exhibitions, and opening hours: 
www.alminerech.com

Perrotin

Does Perrotin really need an introduction? Especially written by me? 

Easily one of my favorite galleries worldwide, Perrotin is a recurring subject on this website. Working with some of my favorite artists and with locations in all my favorite cities, including Paris, New York, and Seoul, Perrotin is always at the top of my list when visiting Paris. 

The gallery has four different locations in Paris, 2 in the Marais area and 2 on Avenue Matignon. The main location, and the first to be opened in 2005, is located in Rue de Turenne, just steps from Almine Rech and other galleries around that area. Perrotin has three more gallery spaces totaling approximately 1,600 square meters just in the Marais district of Paris. Together with the eighteenth-century mansion that constitutes the main space, it opened a second space on Impasse Saint-Claude, and in 2014 Perrotin added a showroom known as the Salle de Bal, in a former ballroom in the Hôtel d’Ecquevilly, a seventeenth-century hôtel particulier. 

The last two spaces, on Avenue Matignon, are recent additions: the first one is a 70 square meters gallery, opened in 2020, and the second (just opened a few months back in 2021) is a five-story townhouse dedicated entirely to the secondary market. With that much offer, there is absolutely no reason not to visit one of the Perrotin galleries. 

Perrotin 
76 Rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris
10 Impasse Saint Claude, 75003 Paris 
2bis Avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris

Perrotin Secondary Market 
8 Avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris

Info, exhibitions, and opening hours: 
www.perrotin.com

Kamel Mennour

Let’s jump over the Seine river to visit the last gallery on our list, Kamel Mennour. Originally opened in a small 50 square meters space on Rue Mazarine in 1999, the gallery has become, over the years, one of the most important galleries in France and worldwide. Nowadays, the gallery has four spaces across Paris, represents over 40 artists, and presents their work through exhibitions both in its exhibition spaces as well as through collaborations with private and public institutions all over the world. 

As stated on their website, “The essence of the gallery is to discover and gain recognition for exceptional artists through collaboration. It has fostered the careers of a younger generation, including Neïl Beloufa, Hicham Berrada, Mohamed Bourouissa, Latifa Echakhch, Petrit Halilaj, Camille Henrot, and Alicja Kwade, alongside representing some of the most renowned artists working today such as Daniel Buren, Ann Veronica Janssens, Anish Kapoor, Tadashi Kawamata, Huang Yong Ping, and Lee Ufan. Through its publishing house, the gallery has printed books, essays, and catalogues supporting art historical research.”

Embracing the cosmopolitan essence of Paris, the gallery is both a space for younger artists as well as more established ones, offering great food for thought for every visitor. 

Kamel Mennour
47 Rue Saint-André des Arts, 75006 Paris
5 Rue du Pont de Lodi, 75006 Paris
28 Av. Matignon, 75008 Paris

Info, exhibitions, and opening hours: 
kamelmennour.com

Cover image by Ilnur Kalimullin on Unsplash