EXHIBITION

Galerie Kraemer:
150 Years of Presence
in the Finest Interiors.

A Story of French Taste
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

The Gallery celebrates its 150th anniversary with an exhibition retracing the history of a family, the expression of a distinctive taste, and a unique perspective on the decorative arts, from the eighteenth century to contemporary creation.

Laurent, Sandra, Mikael, Alain & Olivier Kraemer.

Exhibition
from 20 October to 20 December 2025

Galerie Kraemer,
43 rue de Monceau, Paris 8e France

A Family Saga

Founded in 1875 by Lucien Kraemer, the gallery is today one of the oldest in France.

At the time, Lucien Kraemer had just left Alsace to remain French, joining his family already established in Paris: Eugène Kraemer and Charles Stein, the artistic advisor to the Rothschild family.

150 years later, the sixth generation of the Kraemer family pays tribute to its forebears.
The exhibition, which opens on 17 October, traces the family’s history and its evolution through the events that have marked the world.

It has been a long journey, from the Prussian invasion of 1870 to the present day, with the introduction of modern and contemporary art on the gallery’s walls.

The exhibition reveals several anecdotes about the art market in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the gallery’s presence in the United States as early as 1892, attested by a publication in the New York Herald Tribune.

A recurring theme is the place of 18th-century masterpieces in today’s homes, which are often adorned with outstanding modern and contemporary works.
Indeed, it is now common to see in our clients’ interiors artists of the 18th century such as Boulle, Riesener, Jacob, Matisse, Chagall and Soulages displayed alongside Picasso, Soulages, Rothko, and De Kooning.

Philippe Kraemer dans un salon du 43 rue de Monceau.

An anniversary exhibition conceived as a journey through different eras and worlds.

The recently renovated townhouse on rue de Monceau features numerous salons where antique objects mingle with contemporary art.

This layout naturally defines the exhibition’s itinerary:
In the first six salons, each room is dedicated to an ancestor of the family. This path also offers explanations about the key themes of furnishing and decoration throughout the ages, right up to the present day.

Of course, it is brought to life by the presence of emblematic masterpieces from the Age of Enlightenment.
All of this is punctuated by tributes to collectors and interior designers, major French and international museums as well as curators, alongside family anecdotes.
For example, a Louis XVI chest of drawers by Riesener is displayed in front of a monumental work by Sam Falls, an Oeben travel desk converses with a Soulages, and objets d’art once owned by Marie-Antoinette are shown, including an incredible 18th-century vacuum machine created by Abbé Nollet—famous for his experiments and scientific objects that he presented to the royal family.

This superb object, measuring 1.64 metres tall, is both an innovative and an artistic feat.

It would be impossible to provide an exhaustive list of all the settings staged by Patrick Hourcade, former artistic director at Vogue and close associate of Karl Lagerfeld, in this journey that is as splendid as it is rich in discovery.

Lifestyle

Modern sculptures are placed atop marquetry tables.
A coffee, a glass and macarons rest on a Louis XV table. An Assouline book on the 18th Century lies on a Louis XVI settee, a tablet sits on a small guéridon, while contemporary fabrics adorn eighteenth-century chairs—perfect for comparing the refined comfort of a Louis XVI armchair with that of a modern sofa.

This anniversary exhibition, open to all, also demonstrates that exquisite furniture can be used in everyday life.
The chic elegance appreciated by leading French and international collectors.

The journey of a Carlin piece of furniture through interiors across centuries and continents.

At the heart of the exhibition, a room is dedicated to digital innovation.
An iconic piece on a journey: a creation by Martin Carlin (Louis XVI) travels through time and continents thanks to an immersive digital installation, transporting it from Versailles to Art Deco interiors, from Paris to New York, from Shanghai to Palm Beach.
Thus, it becomes clear that exceptional eighteenth-century furniture blends perfectly with both ultramodern and historical settings.
This installation highlights the enduring appeal of taste, as fine furniture adapts effortlessly to every decorative style and environment.

An intimate moment that the Kraemer family offers to all lovers and enthusiasts of art and history, in a surprising and inspiring exhibition.

“We want to show that French taste does not belong only to the past.
An eighteenth-century piece has the strength to exist in a New York loft just as much as in a classical interior.”