Pinacothèque de Paris
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Art gallery |
| Founded | June 2007 |
| Founder | Marc Restellini |
| Defunct | February 2016 |
| Headquarters | Paris , France |
| Products | Temporary art exhibitions |
The Pinacothèque de Paris was a privately owned art gallery located in Paris, France, that focused on hosting temporary exhibitions. Established by the Modigliani aficionado Marc Restellini, it was active from June 2007 until its closure in February 2016, following a receivership initiated in November 2015.
Background
Initially situated at 30, Rue de Paradis in the 10th arrondissement—where it notably presented a Picasso exhibition in the fall of 2003—the gallery later moved to 28, Place de la Madeleine in the 8th arrondissement. Operated through private funding, it did not hold a permanent collection and was occasionally labeled "amateur" due to its unconventional approach to artwork categorization.
The building, designed by architect Lawrence Guinamard-Casati and owned by Credit Agricole, extended over three floors, covering roughly .
Following a drop in visitor attendance after the November 2015 Paris attacks, the museum closed and declared bankruptcy that same month. Restellini attributed the financial difficulties to unfair competition from publicly subsidized museums. The closure took place amid the exhibition Karl Lagerfeld, a Visual Journey. Additionally, its Singapore branch, operated by Art Heritage Singapore, ceased operations in April 2016.
Subsequent investigations after the shutdown suggested possible involvement by Restellini and art dealer Yves Bouvier in transactions involving exhibited pieces. The Pinacothèque functioned as a subsidiary under companies registered in Belgium and the Netherlands, which concealed its ownership structure. From 2015 onward, payments to suppliers were halted, culminating in closure with outstanding debts amounting to $10 million. French authorities initiated inquiries into allegations of tax fraud and embezzlement. In July 2017, the building at Place de la Madeleine was acquired by US real estate firm Hines Interests Limited Partnership.
Exhibitions
- 2003
- Picasso Intime (Nov 7, 2003 – Mar 28, 2004)
- 2007
- Roy Lichtenstein: Evolution (Jun 15 – Sep 23)
- Chaïm Soutine: le fou Smilovitchi (Oct 10, 2007 – Jan 27, 2008)
- 2008
- Workshop Man Ray (Mar 5 – Jun 2)
- Soldiers of Eternity, 20 statues of the Terracotta Army (Jun 15 – Sep 14)
- Jackson Pollock and Shamanism (Oct 15, 2008 – Feb 15, 2009)
- Georges Rouault (Sep 17, 2008 – Jan 18, 2009)
- 2009
- Suzanne Valadon – Maurice Utrillo (Mar 12 – Sep 15)
- Carte Blanche Hervé di Rosa (Jun 19 – Sep)
- The Dutch Golden Age (Oct 7, 2009 – Feb 7, 2010)
- 2010
- Edvard Munch or the "Anti-Scream" (Feb 19 – Jul 18)
- The Inca's Gold: Origins and Mysteries (Sep 10, 2010 – Feb 6, 2011)
2011
- Romanovs, Tsars and Art Collectors (Jan 26 – May 29)
- Esterházys, Princes and Art Collectors (Jan 26 – May 29)
- Hugo Pratt's Imaginary Journey (Mar 17 – Aug 21)
- Giacometti and the Etruscans (Sep 16, 2011 – Jan 8, 2012)
2012
- The Mayan Jade Masks (Jan 26 – Jun 10)
- The Netter Collection: Modigliani, Soutine and the Montparnasse Adventure (Apr 4 – Sep 9)
- Van Gogh: Dreams of Japan / Hiroshige, the Art of Travel (Oct 3, 2012 – Mar 17, 2013)
2013
- Art Nouveau: the Decorative Revolution (Apr 18 – Sep 8)
- Tamara de Lempicka: the Queen of Art Deco (Apr 18 – Sep 8)
- Goya and Modernity (Oct 11, 2013 – Mar 16, 2014)
- Brueghel's Dynasty (Oct 11, 2013 – Mar 16, 2014)
- Chu Teh-Chun, Ways to Abstraction (Oct 11, 2013 – Mar 16, 2014)
2014
- The Myth of Cleopatra (Apr 10 – Sep 7)
- Kâma-Sûtra: Spirituality and Eroticism in Indian Art (Oct 2, 2014 – Jan 11, 2015)
- The Art of Love in the Time of Geishas (Nov 6, 2014 – Feb15,2015)
2015
- In the Time of Klimt, the Vienna Secession (Feb12–Jun21)
- Pressionism: Masterpieces of Graffiti on Canvas from Basquiat to Bando -1970-1990(Mar12–Oct10)
- From Rubens to Van Dyck, Flemish masterpieces of the Gerstenmaier Collection (Jul10–Oct19)
- Karl Lagerfeld, A Visual Journey, photographs (Oct15,2015–Feb15,2016)
- Leonardo da Vinci, Il Genio - Secrets of the Codex Atlanticus unveiled (Oct30,2015–Jan31,2016)
Singapore initiative
In 2013, authorities in Singapore revealed plans to establish the Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris, a satellite venue designed to exhibit both Old Masters and Modern artworks. Initially, the museum operated from a temporary "pop-up" location while its permanent facility at the historic Fort Canning site within the arts precinct underwent refurbishment. The institution welcomed visitors in May 2015 but ceased operations within a year, attributing its closure to lower-than-anticipated attendance alongside various commercial and financial difficulties.