Felice Varini transforms Christie’s Paris headquarters: a spatial symphony of colour and geometry

As art lovers from all over the world gather in Paris for Art Basel, Christie’s France will be hosting high-quality museum exhibitions in its galleries on Avenue Matignon, showcasing the masterpieces of its signature sales, such as the visionary Danute and Alain Mallart Collection and all the wonders of the Avant-Garde(s) Including Thinking Italian sale.

To take this cross-fertilisation of art and innovation one step further, Christie’s France has chosen to offer the public an extraordinary experience by commissioning Felice Varini, a pioneering artist of geometry and colour, to create a new installation that will be on view until January 2025. This monumental work, entitled Disques évidés excentriques, has been created specifically for Christie’s architectural space and will be unveiled on 10 October 2024, marking the beginning of an exceptional week for Christie’s in France.

Designed to interact fully with the architecture of the building, this new spatial painting extends over several floors internally and across the Avenue Matignon façade. Composed of two intertwined spirals of yellow and red, the work appears to dissolve and reassemble before the viewer’s eyes. The eccentrically hollowed discs create a fascinating dialogue between full and empty, the materiality of the work and the surrounding space, finite and infinite.

A virtuoso of space, Swiss-born Felice Varini turns traditional notions of form and volume on their head. From a precise point of view, his geometric lines form a coherent two-dimensional image. But as the visitor moves, the work transforms, offering a multitude of possible perspectives and interpretations. The resulting heightened awareness of space invites visitors to explore the relationship between themselves, the work and their surroundings.

In addition to the artwork inside the building, Felice Varini has also taken on Christie’s elegant façade. Bold graphic motifs are displayed on the windows as a visual invitation to step through the doors and discover the artist’s world inside.

Celebrated as one of the pioneers in the study of geometry and colour, Felice Varini is known for perspective-localised spatial paintings created in architectural and urban spaces — such as streets, building and public monuments — across the world. Since the 1970s, Varini has worked with themes of representation and the viewer’s perception. His work establishes a permanent dialogue between the site of its creation and its perception.

According to the artist, ‘The painted form is coherent when the spectator stands in a given place. When the individual shifts from that point of view, the work enters the space, which gives rise to an infinite number of perspectives of the form. While I establish a special relationship with architectural characteristics that influence the form of the installation, my work nonetheless retains its independence irrespective of the architectures I encounter. I start with a real situation to construct my painting.’

Varini’s artworks, often composed of simple geometric shapes, are intended to be seen both as fragments and as a whole, as the comprehension of his works can be altered according to the viewer’s point of view. Playing with both simple geometric forms and colours, the artist’s work inhabits and coexists with the space it is set in, to give his paintings a spectacular tridimensional effect. ‘My concern,’ he says ‘is what happens outside the vantage point of view.’

Varini has presented works in major museums and public spaces around the globe, such as at Zaha Hadid’s DDP building in Seoul, South Korea (2024), the citadel of Carcassonne, France (2018), the Grand Palais in Paris (2013), Cardiff Bay Barrage, Wales (2007), the Osaka Art Kaleidoscope, Japan (2007), and the Palace of Versailles (2006), among many others.

This celebration of all forms of art is also a chance to honour the bond that has united chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Christie’s Paris for almost 25 years. The chef named his Parisian restaurant ‘Market’ to celebrate the art market when Christie’s opened in the city in 2001. This year, to bring the concept of experiencing the extraordinary to the table, he has created a special lunch menu for Market, which is next door to Christie’s on Avenue Matignon, featuring dishes emblematic of the chef’s ability to combine different gastronomic influences in a light-hearted way, with the good taste and openness to the world that are his hallmarks. His signature cuisine abandons the traditional use of meat stocks and creams and instead focuses on the intense flavours and textures of vegetable juices, fruit essences, light broths and herbal vinaigrettes. Jean-Georges’s culinary vision has redefined industry standards and revolutionised the way we eat.

As for the now traditional and highly anticipated Christie’s Private Cocktail Party in Paris, guests will be treated to a set by Doppleganger, the DJ twins, models and artists who have been on the fashion world’s radar lately. In addition, on the same night, Christie’s will be taking part in a street party organised in conjunction with major galleries — such as Gagosian, Perrotin and Mennour — and cultural institutions in the area. Everyone is welcome at the Café éphémère which will be open in the heart of the galleries until the end of our 20th/21st Century Art sales.

Collection Danute et Alain Mallart: Bruxelles — Paris — Vilnius takes place on 17 October 2024 at Christie’s in Paris, followed by Avant-Garde(s) Including Thinking Italian on 18 October and the 20/21 Century Art — Day Sale on 19 October. Explore Christie’s 20th/21st Century autumn sale season in London and Paris, until 22 October