Gladys Mougin and the Galerie Mougin

The Antechamber of Contemporary Creation

If there is one woman everyone knows in the art world in Paris, it is Gladys Mougin. Discreet and omnipresent, she cultivates a certain quintessence of contemporary design in her gallery on rue de Lille. Located a stone's throw from Hôtel de Lille, in a place that has always been dedicated to art, this gallery, now divided into two adjoining spaces, has been shining for over 30 years in the neighborhood.

It feels like an apartment populated with exceptional pieces, all unique and living together, almost suspended in this space with soft colors. They stay there for the time of an exhibition, a dream or an encounter, before pursuing their destiny toward a museum, a hotel, or a private residence, a collector's and aesthete's elsewhere. Nathalie Ziegler Pasqua's light sculptures sit alongside Laurence Montano's powerful bronzes under the amused gaze of the papier-mâché mirrors of the Farfelus Farfadets, while Molénac's aerial mobiles soar over Caroline Corbeau's metal furniture-sculptures… Between regulars and newcomers, Galerie Mougin is constantly renewing without ever changing its identity.

A Creative UFO Among Antiquarians

Gladys shares with Hôtel de Lille a common spirit of refinement, a love of hospitality, an unbridled passion for unique pieces, and a commitment to the life of the neighborhood. She has been deeply attached to this neighborhood since she returned from London in 1989 with Tom Dixon and André Dubreuil's portfolios under her arm, with ideas in her head and the desire to create a new kind of space. Far from La Bastille, where the artistic forefront of Paris was playing out at the time, Gladys chose the peaceful 7th arrondissement to set up her gallery, a true UFO among the antiquarian galleries of the time. At 30 rue de Lille, "Creative Salvage" and contemporary creations now form the showcase and inject their energy into the neighborhood.

From the very beginning, taking on the dual role of gallerist and agent, this pioneer with endless energy joined forces with André Dubreuil and quickly made her mark and her artists known in France and internationally. A precursor at the end of the 80s, she propelled her friends André Dubreuil and Tom Dixon onto the Parisian scene, who in a few years became established figures in the world of art and design. Loyal, André Dubreuil continues to exhibit at Galerie Mougin, of which he is the legendary associate. His inimitable style makes his pieces true works of art, sought after by private collectors as well as museums worldwide.

Passion as Heritage, Creation as a Standard

A dreamy child from Dordogne, Gladys developed her passion for rare pieces by strolling through flea markets and Parisian galleries. She recalls with emotion the legendary Josépha Gallery located on rue de Lille, specialized in the 1930s, whose founder could discern the real from the fake in a piece at a glance, and where people gathered in the evening in a salon. Gladys carries within her this Parisian heritage and perpetuates this warm atmosphere of exchange and emulation in her gallery. 

The artists she works with create and make their works in their own studios before exhibiting them on rue de Lille, where they engage in dialogue with the space and each other. These are unique pieces or in very limited series, often ordered in advance by private individuals or architect-decorators, who form the majority of her clientele. Faithful to her ambition of presenting the best of contemporary creation, Gladys offers a showroom of 10 to 12 creators, all very different from each other. She is involved in a movement to rejuvenate the neighborhood, where architects and designers are now settling in a spirit of perpetual creative reinvention.

The Art and Manner of Satisfying a Demanding Clientele

With her keen sense of hospitality and service, Gladys nurtures her clientele as attentively as her artists: "We are very attached to our clients, we don't have stock but our private clientele always comes back. Between the client's request, the proposed quote, and the artist's final project, there is sometimes a world of difference, but I make it a point of honor not to change the quote."

A champion of eclecticism, Galerie Mougin showcases unique pieces by artists in jewelry, furniture, lighting, lacquer, enamel, sculptures… The styles mix and match in a dazzling array of materials and colors. Everything here is in its place, gathered under Gladys's expert eye. Currently, a custom-made installation by ceramicist Rémi Fontaine plays alongside many unique pieces by André Dubreuil, Laurence Montano, and Michael Pohu.

Gladys Mougin's addresses in the neighborhood:

• To settle in a mythical brasserie: Le bistrot de Paris - 33 Rue de Lille, 75007 Paris
• For a charming lunch to the rhythm of the neighborhood: La Calèche – 8 Rue de Lille, 75007 Paris
• To enjoy a time capsule: La Galerie Alexandre Piatti - 11 Rue de Beaune, 75007 Paris
• For a drink on a Parisian terrace: Le Comptoir des Saints-Pères - 29 Rue des Saints-Pères, 75006 Paris
• To discover another legendary gallery: CHAHAN Gallery - 11 Rue de Lille, 75007 Paris
• To savor a pastry while strolling on the Left Bank: Eclipses – 27/29 Rue de Beaune, 75007 Paris

Colombe de La Taille