Les Enfants Terribles

Galerie 56 is pleased to present Les Enfants Terribles, an innovative and experiential gallery space at the intersection of art, culture, and design. Curated by AD100 member, Lee F. Mindel, FAIA of the multidisciplinary firm, SheltonMindel, the exhibition is an engaging collaboration between the architectural icon and the iconic Jacques Lacoste of the eponymous Paris-based design Gallery.

The exhibition highlights the architects, decorators, and artists, whose groundbreaking, instinctual work changed the course of the 20th-century decorative arts between the latter half of the 1920s and the tail-end of the 1950s. Named after the 1929 novel by Jean Cocteau, Les Enfants Terribles also references the 1950 cinematic adaptation of the book—a collaboration between Cocteau and French Filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville—and the enchanting friendship that blossomed between the two visionaries. Beyond its literary and cinematic roots, Les Enfants Terribles holds a deeper significance, symbolizing the creative rapport between Mindel and Lacoste. Mindel remarks, “Jacques and I share an ingrained affinity for design and design history. We were thrilled to join forces on this project to cast a spotlight on the work of the 'holy terrors'—the architects, designers, decorators, and artists who profoundly altered the course of decorative arts during this specific period in France.”

Les Enfants Terribles highlights pieces by Pierre Chareau, Eileen Gray, Paul Dupré-Lafon, Jean Luce, Jean Royère, Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand, le Corbusier, Serge Mouille, Max Ingrand, Georges Jouve, Alexandre Noll, Mathieu Matégot, Denise Gatard, Maria Pergay, and Pierre Jeanneret in addition to sculptures by Antoine Poncet. The exhibit explores the transformative nature of the artists’ contributions—viewers are invited to immerse themselves in the captivating world of design shaped by these talented trailblazers. All objects are available for sale.

At the center of Manhattan’s TriBeCa neighborhood, Galerie56 is nestled into the street-level base of the iconic 56 Leonard – designed by acclaimed architects Herzog & De Meuron, and flanked by the new landmark sculpture by Anish Kapoor. It is conceived as a civic gesture meant to extend the seemingly private world of art and architecture into the context of the city. It reflects deep American values of openness, transparency, and desire to welcome all international cultures to be part of a democratic discourse accessible to all. Through establishing a dialogue with Anish Kapoor’s sculpture, the space not only acts as a physical node on Church Street but also as a larger metaphorical node within the vast network of artists around the world. The interior massing of the gallery space works in close synchronization with that of the form of the building – a deconstructed interpretation of its pronounced volumes by translating them into a series of intersecting planes within the space. The space establishes a dialogue with other vivid nodes like the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center, through thoughtful gestures such as theme-lighting during important civic events. The gallery serves as a beacon for the cultural ethos of the city.

Founded and designed by Shelton Mindel in 2021, in addition to Paris-based Galerie Jacques Lacoste, Galerie56 collaborates with significant partners, such as Italian artist and architect Gaetano Pesce, Cape Town-based gallery Southern Guild, Jackson Design based in Stockholm, Paris-based François Laffanour - Galerie Downtown, London-based gallery Sarah Myerscough, and Copenhagen-based gallery Dansk Møbelkunst.