A new museum is popping up in Paris, and will open its doors next June. Its name is Fluctuart, and it is located at the Gros-Caillou port, just a few steps from the Pont des Invalides. A unique venue, different than all others of the kind: the first floating art gallery of the world.
Designed by architecture studio Seine Design, the museum counts an overall 1,200 square meters spread on three levels, and has a totally transparent rectangular shape that stores natural light and allows for a breathtaking view of the City of Lights. The first floor, called “the hold”, hosts school workshops and a well-stocked library. The second level, called “the main deck”, is the heart of the museum: it is divided in several halls and exhibiting open spaces with thirteen superb glass windows on every wall. Last comes the “terrace”, the real asset of the project: a lounge with a cocktail bar for visitors to relax, enjoy the view, or attend parties and events.
Everything is street-art themed, with street art set to be the protagonist of every exhibition, workshop or event organized at the floating museum, holding both permanent collections and temporary retrospective exhibitions. “The Fluctuart mirrors the art it hosts”, says director Nicolas Laugero Lasserre, a collector and great expert of urban art. “A free, dynamic, inspiring creative space open to everyone, every day. It will be a place of sharing, experiencing, learning and exchanging.”
The location was thoughtfully selected: the area around the Pont des Invalides, near the Grand Palais, is rich in street-art history. As Nicolas Laugero Laserre explains
Here, Shepard Fairey created his greatest works, and Banksy is at home. After all, Paris is the capital of street art. Our philosophy? The research of an art that is accessible to everyone is written in our DNA
The Fluctuart is the first French space (and one of the few all around Europe) dedicated to street-art artists and enthusiasts, who will find here an international art center. “Our goal is to take visitors on a journey along street-art history and all its different souls, through contemporary exhibitions focusing on specific artists or countries, alternating renowned personalities on the international scenes with young rising talents.” Alongside artworks from all over the world, the museum will also display site-specific pieces by French artists.
Winner of the “Réinventer la Seine” contest, this project is part of a wider plan to redevelop the Seine embankments. Currently being restyled, the area is gaining new life thanks to over 40 various projects aiming at animating the pedestrian zones along the river and the canals, for citizens to enjoy them. According to the website of the upcoming museum, the inauguration ̶ originally scheduled for May ̶ will take place in June, with the first retrospective exhibition on great urban artist Swoon.
