The Time of the boutiques Exhibition

Press Release
The Time of the boutiques
From booth to eBay
Exhibition
27 January to 18 October 2009
at the Fondation pour l’Architecture
in collaboration with
the Archives d’Architecture Moderne
in Brussels
Exhibition curators
Maurice Culot and Anne-Marie Pirlot
The exhibition
“The Time of the boutiques” is, in a way, an extension of the very successful “The kitchen, a way of life”,
exhibition organized by the Fondation pour l’Architecture in 2006. The reconstituted kitchens of that show
allowed visitors to relive the design and evolution of that most important room in the house, the kitchen, from
1900 to today. Now, visitors are going to be immersed in the experience of window shopping, reliving this
unique thrill through the ages. The timeline and themes cover a period of two hundred years, beginning in the
1800s with boutiques built in the First Empire style, through to eBay, the virtual boutique of today. This
represents the first full scale retrospective in Belgium dedicated to boutiques, in which the interplay of
architecture and design reveal the various influences of Belgium and France, England, Italy, and the United
States. The exhibition is conceived around the life-sized reconstruction of historical shop windows from the
past and present, inside of which will be original documents and artifacts, such as furniture, plans, models,
drawings, watercolors and gouaches from all the great architects and designers of the Belgian and
international scene. Many of these pieces come from the rich holdings of the Archives d’Architecture Moderne
(AAM), one of the premiere such archives in Europe.
The exhibition explores the idea of the boutique as a place of both material presentation and symbolic
representation using architecture to express meaning economically, socially, aesthetically, sociologically,
artistically… The exhibition relates these diverse themes by starting with the advent of the shop window, the
vitrine, under Napoleon, and tracing them through to the photography of Atget, inspiration to the Surrealists;
moving on to the movement of Art dans la rue, which conceived of the shop window as a way to embellish
the city street; then to modernism with its introduction of polished steel and chrome and aluminium, all part
of the art of lighting and display; to the fifties, dominated by the search for la vue totale; and up until the
most contemporary vitrines, which bear the signatures of the most respected names in design from New York,
Paris, London, Tokyo, Seoul,…
Among the hundreds of designers the visitor will come across in the exphibition will be the Belgians
Bontridder, Bourgeois, Braem, De Koninck, Hamesse, Hankar, Van Nueten; the French Guimard, Gorska and
Montaut, Jourdain, Laprade, Mallet-Stevens; the Americans Neutra, Wright, etc. Equal time and space will be
given to the discussion of the shop window in painting and photography (Edward Hopper, Eugène Atget, Man
Ray), literature (André Breton), popular music, popular film, and including a section on vitrines de l’étrange
(such as the inimitable Parisian vitrine aux rats).
The contemporary period is represented notably by the creations of big name designers, such as Christian
Biecher, Moatti & Rivière, Andrée Putman, Ron Arad, Thomas Heatherwick, Olivier Lempereur, Lhoas & Lhoas
and Christophe Coppens, and other famous conceptors who worked for Fauchon, the Pierre Hermé chocolates,
Longchamp, Givenchy, Eataly, etc. The exhibition ends on a poetic note of the virtual shop window : eBay.
Chronology of the Exhibition
•
In the beginning was the stall
From Pompeii to the 18th century
•
1800 : baby steps of the modern boutique
Birth of the modern boutique in Paris during the First Empire
•
1830 : The time of covered passageways
The ideal commercial street or shop window without end: the first Parisian
passageways from the
galerie de la Reine to galeries Louise to the
contemporary commercial mall.
•
1850 : Making women happy
The invention of the department store: L’Innovation, Old England, le Grand
•
1900 : The vitrine, vehicle for Art Nouveau
All about Paul Hankar, Brussels master of the Modern Style boutique
•
1910 : After Art Nouveau
The return to history and Anglo-Saxon inlfuence.
•
19201920-1940: The boutique as proof of a new civilisation
Boutiques in the roaring twenties, the birth of the modern shop window, the
the artistic avant garde.
Bazar…
influence of women and
• From 1950 to today: from shop window to showshow-room and the virtual vitrine of eBay
Fifty years of storefront evolution from the postwar notion of la vue totale to the current
standardization of luxury boutiques and architectural experimentation in the most unexpected places.
Thematic Sections
•
Shop window materials
•
Reflections
•
Vitrines de l’étrange
•
Open all night
•
Speaking windows and signs
•
The shop window in art, film, and song
The Great Stages
1. From the First Empire to Art Nouveau (1800(1800-1900)
Before the vitrine, there was only the stall open to the elements. The modern shop window took off with the
transformations of the European capitals at the beginning of the 19th century. In Paris, the Revolution deprived
architects of the patronage of the state as well as much of their former rich clientele, and so they focused
their interest on boutiques, which became the arbiters of taste for the time. Windows were highly stylized and
their aesthetic borrowed from classical Italy, ancient Greece, the Egypt of the Pharaohs, while traditional signs
in wrought iron began to disappear. Throughout Europe, Haussmann’s great urban works, the creation of the
avenues and the grands boulevards, impacted new legislation for the use and occupation of sidewalks, leading
to a boom for vitrines, to the point that by 1842, the architect César Daly was looking into ways to transform
any ground floor into a store by installing metal beams and cast iron columns. With covered passageways
reserved for flâneurs, the shop window became an important factor in the cohesion of a city’s identity in
terms of style and décor. Walter Benjamin and André Breton dedicated page upon page to the topic, writing
still celebrated to this day. The department stores which supplanted these arcades and passageways exploited
the developments in mass production of iron and glass, allowing the maximum glazing possible on a façade so
that shoppers could judge for themselves all the merchandise by the light of day. Following this, Art Nouveau,
whether coup de fouet or geometric, endowed the shop window with an important architectural stake, and the
greatest artists applied themselves to such designs, creating masterpieces such as the stores of van de Velde
(Havana tobacco merchant; the hairdresser Haby in Berlin), or the prolific works of Paul Hankar, whose most
famous work sits on the rue Royale in Brussels (the vitrine of which is now landmarked), and the works of
other well known architects: Guimard, Mackintosh, Sauvage, Loos… These called for wood, for beveled glass,
panes engraved, enamelled or printed, and stylized wrought iron. At this time, boutique windows became
more closely identified with brand names. For example, les Bouillons Chartier in Paris or in Belgium the stores
for Delhaize le Lion were developed by the Charleroi architect Marcel Depelsenaire.
2. Between the wars, the vitrine as vehicle of modernism
The interwar period was one of radical renewal for shop windows, which began to be treated as graphic
compositions in and of themselves, relying on polished steel or chrome or aluminium highlights and giving
special attention to lettering. New stores benefited from lighting innovations (neon lighting succeeded the
standard bulbs and the indirect light favored by stagecraft). Projects were now designed with both day and
night in mind. The window display began to appeal more and more to specialists and artists. Important
architects and artists were put in charge of making a name for brands on display, such as Rob Mallet Stevens
for Bally, Pierre Patout for les Vins Nicolas… Beautiful albums of coloured illustrations showing the best and
most innovative vitrines were regularly published. Between 1920 and 1940, window displays became aligned
with the architectural movements of the era: Art Deco, modernism, then the period known as the return to
order which saw a reappearance of classical forms.
3. The Fifties to today
today
The postwar years saw a renewal of interest in window displays, and designers attacked the issue of la vue
totale and struggled against problems with reflection by positioning glass panes obliquely or by working with
artificial lighting, they introduced pastel colours, thread-like metal balustrades, synthetic materials… References
to particular styles were now abandoned in favor of functional effectiveness. Soon showroom windows, a
concept imported from the United States, came to occupy the entire available surface of a façade, dissolving
the psychological barrier between exterior and interior. Here again, progress in the manufacture and the
installation of glass allowed the elimination of the frame from window panes and doorways.
Thus, the progressive evolution of commerce, the competition between brands, the development of chains and
franchise retailers, globalization even, makes the store window essential to all economic and advertising
endeavors. Ever more international, brands have to be perceived in a positive light everywhere in the world at
once, bringing forth the domination of the “concept window”, an implicit mélange of market research, target
audience, publicity, sociology, taste, design, and architecture.
On the street or in the shopping arcades of commercial centres, brands must be immediately recognizable.
Today, the media and the public in general are more infatuated than ever with architecture, and big names in
design are invited to create spaces where the shop window and shop interior merge into a single work of art,
so that the presentation of merchandise fades to a secondary importance, and the brand itself is elevated to
the status of modern icon.
Since shop windows continue to be the basic element in all urban hustle and bustle and continue to inspire
designers, we can find them duplicated on a smaller scale on every television or computer screen by homeshopping networks and online emporiums… The vitrine in this way becomes conceptual, if still playful, and
somehow domesticated.
Reconstructions
In the exhibition itself, a series of life-size reconstructions of shop windows emblematic of different epochs
have been staged. Behind each window and façade are displays of original documents and artifacts from these
periods. On the ground floor, a public square is recreated, surrounded by three shop windows from a covered
shopping gallery: a vitrine from a 19th century café, an Art Nouveau vitrine (from a design by the architect
Paul Hankar) and an Art Deco vitrine (from a design by the architect Marcel Caillie). In the covered gallery,
photographs and designs from commercial galleries (les galeries Saint-Hubert, les galeries Bortier…) and from
department stores (Innovation, Old England…) are shown. A window from the shop of a record- and
bookseller from thirties displays books on architecture, posters, and records from the period. The mezzanine
room is occupied by a section all about the boutiques of Brussels during the first half of the 20th century. A
kiosk there presents original dance clothes designed by Akarova. On the next floor, an Olivetti shop window
from the fifties and an American household appliance store (Rival) from the sixties are on display.
Une vitrine de trois talents belges
Christophe Coppens, Pablo & Pierre Lhoas et Olivier Lempereur
Presented by Lise Coirier
See text enclosed
eBay – the contemporary boutique,
boutique, the shop of the future
future
Depuis sa fondation en septembre 1995, eBay s’est développée pour devenir une des plus grandes boutiques
mondiales… en ligne bien entendu ! eBay constitue la plus grande communauté d'achat et de vente de biens et
de services en ligne. Chaque jour, plusieurs millions d'objets, dans des milliers de catégories, sont mis en vente
sur les sites locaux d’eBay. Sur eBay, on trouve de tout : des objets de collection (antiquités, poupées, livres
rares et anciens...) aux objets plus courants (véhicules, vêtements, CD, ordinateurs, outils, articles pour bébé,
etc. ...). Les objets s'achètent aux enchères, ou à prix fixe via l'option Achat immédiat. Les acheteurs et
vendeurs eBay proviennent des quatre coins de la planète. Aujourd'hui, la communauté eBay compte plus de
cent millions de membres inscrits de par le monde. C’est sur les sites eBay que les internautes du monde
entier passent le plus de temps, et en font ainsi la destination la plus populaire de l'Internet
The Photographers’
Photographers’ Gallery : « La vitrine, mode de représentation »
The exhibition concludes with a gallery of current photographs of boutiques, cafés, and larger stores. Here, the
idea of the boutique is “reexamined and corrected” by ten photographers from the Contraste school of
photography in Brussels, directed by Nicolas Van Brande. Starting in spring 2008, the photographers have
been working freely, giving a personal touch in their exploration of the wide world of boutiques. The photo
gallery is integrated into the exhibition on the first floor of the Fondation pour l’Architecture.
Invited photographer:
photographer: Luc Boegly
« La vision de Luc Boegly est celle du marcheur. Devant son regard, le réel prend l’aspect factice d’un décor
vide, ranime le souvenir imaginaire d’une cité brusquement désertée par ses habitants pour quelque
mystérieuse raison, telles certaines cités du Mexique précolombien. Tombée en déshérence, la ville est à tout le
monde et à personne. La nuit dramatise toute chose car l’ombre est le lieu de tous les possibles : une voiture
stationnée sous un réverbère éveille la suspicion, une fenêtre demeurée éclairée alors que tout dort est
nécessairement l’indice de quelque drame familial. La nuit opère un renversement des valeurs à tous les sens
du terme ; ce qui était dans l’ombre le jour se trouve mis en lumière et acquiert une importance nouvelle. La
prise de vue à la chambre ne nous épargne aucun de ces détails qui s’adjugent les premiers rôles tandis que
des masses d’éléments importants sont engloutis par l’obscurité. Photographe de plateau, Luc Boegly épie les
entrées et les sorties de ces éphémères acteurs pris sous les feux de l’éclairage urbain. »
J.-C. Fleury
Invited artist:
artist: Raphael Vicenzi aka My Dead Pony
Raphaël Vicenzi (born in Charleroi in 1972, lives and works in Brussels), aka My Dead Pony is a self-taught
illustrator. His approach is therefore very personal and mixes digital media, watercolour and furious doodles.
If at first the illustration seems fresh and light, a darker, more provocative undertone emerges afterward. His
style remains accessible and clients like Graniph, String Republic or Ride Snowboard have understood this. His
works have been published in magazines like Computer Arts, Advanced Photoshop, Rockpile, Idea Design as
well as in books about contemporary illustration like Illusive 2, Zeixs Illustration and Fashion Wonderland.
He currently works and lives with his wife and child in Brussels, Belgium.
My Dead Pony is represented by Colagene, illustration clinic, and Alabama.
Catalogue
« Le Temps des Boutiques. De l’échoppe à eBay »
« De Tijd van de Boetiek. Van marktkraam tot eBay »
Text by Maurice Culot
Collection « Carrés AAM / Vierkantjes AAM »
AAM editions, Brussels
Price: 12 €
Information
TEL : +32 (0)2/ 642 24 80
Dates of the exhibition
27 January to 18 October 2009
Place of the exhibition
CIVA - Fondation pour l’Architecture
Rue de l’Ermitage 55
B - 1050 Brussels
www.fondationpourlarchitecture.be
[email protected]
Conceivers of the exhibition
The Fondation pour l’Architecture & the Archives d’Architecture Moderne
under the direction of Maurice Culot
Opening hours
Tuesday to Friday 12 :00 > 18 :00
Saturday and Sunday 10:30 > 18:00
Tickets
Ticket individual adult:: € 6,00
Reductions : € 4,00 : architects, teachers, senior
€ 2,00 : students, unemployed, vipo
Free >> -12 years old
Guided tours
Groups & schools (max 25 pers / group)
€ 60.00 (week-end and evening € 70,00)
Press
Christine de Schaetzen
Fondation pour l’Architecture
Rue de l’Ermitage 55 - 1050 Brussels
tel: +32 (0)2 642 24 75
mobile: +32 (0)478 44 39 34
e-mail: [email protected]
Images and visuals of the exhibition upon request
© AAM
Partners
The exhibition “Le Temps des boutiques” has benefitted from enthusiastic collaboration
with :
Atrium • Beci • Brussels Louise • Commerce Design Brussels • Commission
communautaire française • Communauté française de Belgique • Commune d’Ixelles /
Gemeente Elsene • Concepts & Tendances • Contraste • eBay Belgium • eBay
International AG • FM Brussel • Fondation Philippe Rotthier pour l’Architecture •
Galeria Inno • Léon Eeckman art insurance • Levis • Longchamp Paris • Loterie
Nationale / Nationale Loterij • Modo Bruxellae • Pro Materia • Redevco • Région de
Bruxelles-Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest • Trade Mart Brussels • UCM •
Vizzion Architects • Vizzion Europe
•