By Ahmed Salem
Doha: Guillaume Cuiry is an art expert and connoisseur of 20th century designs. His flair for collecting art furniture was developed at a very early age, and his interest in the world of vintage pieces was further ignited by his best friend, Jacques, a collector of 40s and 50s antiques.
The feeling that there is a shortage of genuine vintage pieces in Dubai led Cuiry to set up La Galerie Nationale in the emirate in 2011.
The gallery represents designers, including Jean Royere, Jean Prouve, Pierre Guariche, Chatrlotte Perriand, Mathieu Mategot, Marco Zanuso, Alexandre Noll, Geoffrey Harcourt, Max Ingrand, Serge Mouille and Warren Platner.
“My parents always decorated their home with taste and style, but my real love for designs of the 20th century came from my childhood best friend who took the initiative to open in the early 80s a space in Paris’ Flea market dedicated to the post-World War II furniture, at a time when nobody was interested,” Cuiry told The Peninsula.
“The challenge of reviving the designers everyone tended to forget was fantastic.”
Cuiry said most prized collection, the most valuable pieces are not the most expensive but the most difficult to find or acquire.
“For example, I remember the difficulty to recreate the set (four armchairs and a coffee table) by Warren Platner, to group the five original pieces from 1966 took over seven years.
“I also remember the emotion during the acquisition of a very rare coffee table ‘Mondrian’ made by Mathieu Mategot, after years of research. These rare pieces took quite some time to locate and acquire and are displayed in our gallery.”
According to him, the gallery aims at promoting works of the 20th century through outstanding designers, who produced limited editions of their works centred on innovation and creativity.
“The principle is to recall that integrated pieces in a contemporary decoration are of incredible modernity and very often an excellent investment,” Cuiry said.
He said the gallery has not yet explored expansion in the GCC in short term. “However, given the growing demand, we are studying the possibility of opening other spaces in the Middle East.”
He said the vintage art furniture market in the GCC, particularly in Qatar, is booming. “Customers are respected by offering real, original and iconic pieces. Our position, which is geographically at the centre of the Arabian Peninsula, allows us to offer our pieces across the GCC.
“Qatar is the most dynamic country in the art industry with very high-quality buyers. This is typically a country that would be interesting for the gallery to open a specialised space with a partner as passionate as us,” he added.
In a digital age, lovers of vintage art furniture can collect them from online outlets.
Asked if digital outlets can take away from the experience of collecting vintage art furniture, and eliminate the middle man (dealers), Cuiry said: “I would have to say ‘yes’ but, unfortunately, it is unthinkable for three main reasons.
“The first is that these pieces in our gallery are often unique and the best way to appreciate them is to discover them in reality. The best picture of the world will never give a real vision of the actual room.
“The second is that we are not in mass market or retail, so each piece is a discovery in its aesthetic, technical expertise, manufacturing quality and history. As good a website is, it could not transmit the soul of a single piece.
“The third and perhaps the most important is that many bad people are online, tainting the new sales process with intentions not always very honest.
“A gallery has a physical existence or presence with known partners, experts, financial guarantees and intellectual, cultural and moral obligations to its valued clients,” Cuiry added.
The Peninsula
