AMÉLIE DU CHALARD
Amélie, Art House
Amélie Du Chalard is a great lover of art and a visionary. She has created an atypical gallery in Paris that showcases the works she collects.
Does the word "Art Gallery" make you think of a cold place, where you can't enter without being scrutinized by a host/hostess in austere clothes, and on whose walls are hung works that are unaffordable in every sense of the word? Good news, we have finally found someone who knows how to stage the works and make them accessible to everyone! Amélie Du Chalard has been an art lover since childhood and has created Amélie, Maison d'Art, a new experience combining gallery-apartments and a website. You can select the works you like on the website and then come and discover them as well as a hundred or so works of art in a Parisian flat fitted out as a living space. There is absolutely no need to be an expert, you just have to let yourself be guided by your desires and, last but not least, the site is aimed at everyone's wallet.
Amélie didn't empty her bag (she doesn't have one!) but her pockets from the magnificent loft in the 9th arrondissement where her art gallery is located.
Who are you? Amélie Du Chalard, I created my art gallery in 2015, after several years in investment banking. I have always been sensitive to art: my mother is a sculptor and I grew up surrounded by works of art. If I don't have the "brushstroke", on the other hand I have an eye for it and I love it. When I saw the galleries closing down one after the other on rue Jacob in Paris, I thought that there was something to be done around the concept of the Art Gallery, which is often too intimidating for those who want to take a look. To "re-enchant" the experience, I had to rethink the way contemporary art was distributed.
I had the idea of this "show flat" concept to put the works of art in the right situation. I want to address both collectors and neophytes. In this respect, I want to present works that you want to live with. In my selection, I am more inclined towards abstraction and towards works that exude a certain softness, but there is no limit to the media or formats. Today, we are a team of 5 people. We have also developed a whole professional offer, by proposing the decoration of hotel rooms or luxury shops (recently the Louis Vuitton shops in Singapore and Melbourne).
What bag(s) do you use on a daily basis? Well, I don't have one! Everything is in my pockets. I always have seasonal coats (wool in winter, trench in summer) with big pockets. I did try to have a handbag, but very quickly I found that I was putting far too much stuff in it. It made me feel cluttered. In the same way that I don't wear jewellery, I don't like the ostentatiousness or showiness of some bags. I'm more of a minimalist.
What do you carry in your pockets? I always carry in my pockets: my mobile phone, my headphones, my keys, a hair clip, and my card holder.
In Amélie's pockets
How do you find your keys? It's easy! They are in my pockets. I'm going to have to lighten the heavy bunch of keys again.
An anecdote (a (mis)adventure with your bag ...)? I'm so unused to having a bag that when I used one, I forgot it several times on my scooter (with my keys on it, by the way). Fortunately, no one took it!
What do you take with you on holiday? Whether I go for 1 month or 6 months, I always travel light! I only take carry-on suitcases. Even in these small sizes, I find that I never lack anything. I pack everything I need. The bare essentials!
Do you ever go out after work, how do you carry your bag? When I'm out and about on my scooter I can carry a blue bag with my computer and papers.
Do Parisian women have a specific relationship with their bags? Of course, Paris is the capital of fashion. It is a very important accessory!
Your motto? My mantra: a quote from Twain "they didn't know it was impossible so they did it"!
The Gallery is at 8, rue Clauzel, (by appointment) next door is the Mini Room at 6, rue Clauzel