Creators of Beauty ④ Julie Blum, the director of Anne Sophie Duval, a gallery in Paris specializing in Art Déco

2023.01.31

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Creators of Beauty ④ Julie Blum, the director of Anne Sophie Duval, a gallery in Paris specializing in Art Déco

Amorepacific has been devoted to ‘contributing to humankind by creating beauty and health through technology and devotion’. This vocation changed over time. Now, as part of our mission of “We make A MORE beautiful world,” we are committed to discovering unique beauty and its potential. At Amorepacific, we are taking one step at a time to create a world of New Beauty, where everyone is encouraged to discover and appreciate their own true, natural beauty. There are people who share a similar path, those who are building an empire of beauty of their own. News Square visited and interviewed them who are creating beauty in different areas of the world.

Our fourth interviewee is Julie Blum, who directs Anne Sophie Duval (https://www.annesophieduval.com), a gallery specializing in Art Déco, now being run for three generations.

To me, beauty is sensibility more than anything else. There are, of course, values that objectively define what beauty is. The Western culture tends to construe beauty as a state that meets certain conditions. But I personally believe beauty to be something more than that; to me, beauty is sensibility that surpasses all those conditions.

- Julie Blum on her definition of beauty… ＜from the interview＞ -

Left / Julie Blum, Dire ctor of Galerie Anne Sophie Duval, Courtesy of galerie Anne-Sophie Duval - Photo: Gilles Trillard
Right / Facade of Anne Sophie Duval. Courtesy of galerie Anne-Sophie Duval - Photo: Gilles Trillard

Quai Malaquais, featuring the magnificent buildings of Académie Française, is praised by many as being one of the most beautiful streets in Paris. Located in its center is Anne Sophie Duval, a gallery frequented by connoisseurs of Art Déco. Traces of Art Déco, the architecture and decor trend prominent in the early 20th century, in particular between 1918 and 1939, can easily be found around us. Belle Epoque, by far the most alluring and sensuous era in history, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the renowned architects and designers Le Corbusier and Alvar Aalto, the Chrysler Building in New York, and the Bauhaus all originated during this movement. Design that captures and reflects the trends of a particular age more effectively and sensitively than paintings and sculptures enjoyed a heyday with Art Déco.

Julie Blum is well known among enthusiastic collectors of Art Déco works as a gallerist specializing in Art Déco. Blum directs Galerie Anne Sophie Duval, a three-generation old gallery founded by her grandmother and then matured by her mother. Yvette Bran opened her first gallery in the jazz-filled Saint-Germain-des-Prés back when female gallerists were a needle in a haystack. Blum’s mother, Anne Sophie Duval, inherited the store of Gaston Viard, a highly esteemed interior decorator in Paris in the 1970s, to open a gallery in her own name. Blum, their daughter and granddaughter, states in the book published in celebration of the gallery’s 50th anniversary, “I believe in the spirit of the gallery.” In this interview, Blum speaks about this spirit that continues to live strongly after three generations.

Here is Julie Blum talking about her life as a gallerist and the history of Galerie Anne Sophie Duval.

The three generations of women who opened and built up Anne Sophie Duval.
(From the left) Anne Sophie Duval (Courtesy of galerie Anne-Sophie Duval – Photo: Michael Moran), Julie Blum (Courtesy of estheteplace),
and Yvette Barran (Courtesy of galerie Anne-Sophie Duval – Photo: M. Brodsky)

You have led an interesting career as an architectural designer, having successfully founded and run InsideOutSystems, in London. Magma, a bookstore, and a concept store whose interior design your agency undertook, stole the show as soon as it opened, leading to the opening of three additional s. You have an impressive portfolio, including designing Playlounge, a toy store for adults and children in Soho, England, as well as many Parisian apartments covered in high-profile magazines, such as Elle and The Guardian. And yet, you decided to leave the architecture scene and take the position as the director at Galerie Anne Sophie Duval in 2008. What made the dramatic career change possible?

In 2008, my mother passed away after having run Galerie Anne Sophie Duval for 50 years. You could say I grew up in this gallery, so I couldn’t possibly imagine closing it down. After a year of deliberation, I said goodbye to my life in London, and came back here. It didn’t take long for me to realize this is where I belong. I still work as an architect as well, doing renovation works on Parisian apartments from time to time.

There must be a huge gap between the two occupations: an architect and a gallerist. How do these two jobs differ, in your perspective?

Personally, I don’t see that much of a difference. What captivated me the most when I started studying was modern architecture from the early 20th century. I believe it was my mother’s influence, since I grew up next to furniture designed by architects who represented the Art Déco era. The first ever exhibition I took part in as an architect was a Bauhaus exhibition that was held at a gallery in Germany. Getting my Bachelor’s in architecture in Paris, then working in England afterwards gave me the opportunity to broaden my perspective. The interior design of Magma, which you mentioned earlier, was highly influenced by the works of Pierre Chareau, a French architect and furniture designer. Simply put, architectural designers and gallerists have more things in common. They both value dynamics and innovation and they require creativity and an open mind. French architecture tends to be on the conservative side from an international point of view; nonetheless, gallerists and architects essentially share a lot of characteristics.

Inside of Galerie Anne Sophie Duval. Courtesy of galerie Anne-Sophie Duval - Photo: Gilles Trillard

Your mother opened Galerie Anne Sophie Duval after her own name in 1972. Anne Sophie Duval gradually earned a reputation as a gallery specializing in selling and exhibiting works from the early 20th century, especially the Art Déco era. The gallery is known for its collection of masterpieces, namely works by Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Chareau, Jacque Adnet, and Iribe. It even had the decor of its stand done by Karl Lagerfeld for the 1972 Biennale des Antiquaires. Your mother’s remarkable achievements must have put a lot of pressure on your shoulders.

My grandmother was the first in my family to enter the gallery business. She opened the first ever Art Nouveau gallery in Rue Bonaparte back in the 1960s, which was before Art Nouveau works gained popularity. My mom learned the job from my grandmother. Back then, there weren’t that many galleries specializing in design. This presented a fair share of difficulties, but purchasing good pieces was much easier than it is now because there was relatively less demand and research being done. Of course there was a lot of weight on my shoulders. In fact, the burden has always been there. She had a good eye for masterpieces, which shaped the identity of Gallery Anne Sophie Duval, just as all gallerists develop their point of view and aesthetics as they progress in their career. I was lucky to be able to watch my mom work and naturally develop a taste and an eye for design. I am personally very interested in ceramic works from the 20th century, especially postwar ceramics. I once hosted a joint exhibition with other galleries, featuring postwar ceramic works by female artists. Ceramics that offer a new take on tradition always catch my eye.

Left / the Anne Sophie Duval stand at the Biennale des Antiquaires. Courtesy of galerie Anne-Sophie Duval
Center / Karl Lagerfeld with his hand on the bronze chair designed by Armand Albert Rateau (1972) ©Max Scheler Estate, Hamburg Photo Max Scheler
Right / Yvette Barran, Claude Bessy et Jacques Chazot, 11 rue Bonaparte © Archives galerie Anne Sophie Duval_ photo M. Brodsky

Tell us about your day as a gallerist who specializes in design pieces.

My morning hours are filled with taking care of gallery affairs that need my attention, tending to documents, exhibition materials, and such. I often have meetings with collectors or clients during lunch. The most important job as a gallerist is researching and buying works. There is always a certain level of risk involved with purchasing works of art, and most Art Déco works have already been discovered by gallerists from my mom’s time, especially because the movement lasted for a relatively short period of time. Because of this, finding exquisite works is becoming harder. I travel for work a lot in November, December, May, and June, when a large volume of design works are traded around the globe. Sometimes I buy pieces through collectors who the gallery personally works with, thanks to its reputation.

What are some things that you look for when you purchase works for the gallery?

There is a long list of things to consider, the most important of which is whether I love the work myself. There are different criteria for assessing works externally, including their origin, worth, and price, but loving the work comes before anything else. Clients come to galleries because they have faith and affection for the taste and eye of the gallerist, which is why it’s important to pick works that you are enthusiastic about, that you are emotionally drawn to, in other words, works that you can fall in love with. It’s fascinating how clients feel the passion and sensibility of the gallerist.

(From the left) Décor _bulles_ en argent sur un plat en dinanderie, vers 1915 ©galerie Anne Sophie Duval,
Décor africaniste sur un petit vase en cuivre patiné noir incrusté d_argent, décor par Lambert-Rucki ©galerie Anne Sophie Duval,
Décor de Vague, inspiré des estampes d'Hokusai. Panneau d'une hauteur 80 cm en laque noire, motif gravé façon Coromandel, souligné à la feuille d'or, vers 1920
©galerie Anne Sophie Duval

Your mother, Anne Sophie Duval, was an extraordinary woman and gallerist. Her style in her photos is sophisticated and classic even by today’s standards. What was she like? Do you have any special memories of her?

She taught me how to understand objet in terms of production and techniques, from how they are made, how they are structured inside and outside, to the history behind them. The memories I have of her are different depending on the time. My mom in the 1970s was a social butterfly, always cheerful and endlessly talking about collections and objet. In the 1980s, the art scene started changing, with Art Déco works rising in prices, leading to higher risks and competition. During that time, I recall her being seriously devoted to her work, as the gallery started making a name for itself and attracting international customers from all over the world, including the United States. She would go to auctions every day, and she poured her passion into archives more than anything. I remember her looking through gigantic books filled with black and white photos. She spent years collecting and meticulously organizing magazines, catalogs of artists, and records. She would take a vacation once a year to countries in Asia, such as Japan, Thailand, and China. I still cherish the times we spent together in Thailand and Bali.

Anne-Sophie Duval
(Courtesy galerie Anne-Sophie Duval Photo Michael Moran)

Where do you think your love and passion for art originated from? Was it your mother’s influence?

I don’t believe it was just my mother’s influence. My grandfather was a collector himself, of paintings and sculptures from the 19th and the 20th century. An aficionado of impressionist and cubist works, he had a one-of-a-kind taste. I grew up seeing sculptures by Ossip Zadkine, a Russian artist, and paintings by Monet at my grandparents’ house, which I believe had a huge influence on me. The Art Déco works that my mom carried at the gallery were too difficult to comprehend for a young girl. It was only after I started studying architecture that I began to appreciate Art Déco. The works grew on me once I began understanding the materials, the structure, and the balance in the works. The surroundings I grew up in and the things I studied naturally sublimated into my taste after I started working as a gallerist.

A lounge chair designed by Iribe owned by Galerie Anne Sophie Duval (left) and works by Cournault and Ivanoff who combined fine art and craft elements (right).
Courtesy of galerie Anne-Sophie Duval @Maxime Riché

Generally, people associate galleries with academic art, namely sculptures or paintings. It’s hard to find galleries that specialize in design works, let alone galleries specializing in design works specifically from the early 20th century. How do these works differ from academic art?

Grand Art and art décoratif refer to two different categories in Western Art. Grand Art, always spelled with a capital G and A, refers to academic art, or fine art. There were times when art décoratif, which includes design, was considered inferior to Grand Art because it dealt with practical objet. But I believe art décoratif is much more interesting because it is about acknowledging the giving of value to the unique beauty and logic inherent in objet that we actually use in our daily lives. Creating something that influences our daily lives and is aesthetically valuable at the same time is magical in and of itself, just like ceramic works from Asia. Starting in the 20th century, the boundary between different genres of art blurred, inspiring many artists to pursue art décoratif. One of them was Etienne Cournault, some of whose works our gallery carries. Although not too well known, he began his career as a printmaker and started creating craft works after meeting Jacquet Doucet, a legendary art décoratif collector.

What makes a good gallerist?
What advice would you give to young people who dream of becoming gallerists?

A good gallerist is made of curiosity and the willingness to listen. You should talk less and listen more because that’s when you learn. You will never comprehend a piece of work 100%. You need to accept the fact that there is always a part of it you will never understand, which is why it’s important to look at it from various angles, constantly ask questions, and interpret it in many ways. Thinking you know everything will tire and bore you too soon. Remember to hold onto that interest and passion. Most importantly, never stop studying.

Please share with us some memorable moments you remember as a gallerist.

I recently laid my hands on a piece by Armand Albert Rateau, a French architectural designer who is known for having designed the perfume bottle of Arpège de Lanvin, the signature scent by Lanvin. One day, a client contacted me, asking me to take a look at one of the works she owns, which she thought was by Armand Albert Rateau but wasn’t sure. The moment I saw the work, I knew it was his. It was sensational! Coming across a legendary piece of art and being able to purchase it is a life-changing experience in a way. There are moments like that in auctions, too. Once, I bought back chairs designed by Iribe from a customer, who had purchased them from my mom. Iribe is an eminent figure in the field of decorative art, with his works on exhibit in Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The moment I saw the pieces, I remembered seeing them in our gallery back when I was young. Publishing a book to commemorate the gallery’s 50th anniversary was also an important milestone. Looking at the photographs and archives taken and collected over the 50 years made me appreciate its invaluable history.

A table (left) and panels (right) with exquisite details designed by Armand Albert Rateau, owned by galerie Anne Sophie Duval.
Courtesy of galerie Anne-Sophie Duval

Gallerists, artists, and Amorepacific all share one thing in common: we all ‘create beauty.’ What is beauty to you? How would you define it in your own words?

What do you believe Amorepacific should do to preserve the beauty of the world?
What would you expect from the brands that are leading the market today?

Personally, I wouldn’t call myself a loyal beauty customer, since I rarely wear makeup, which is surprising considering that both of my grandmothers were actresses! (laughs) But I do have a skincare routine that I stick to, not for makeup purposes but for self-care, and the routine consists of naturally derived products. I would very much like to see beauty brands take an initiative in developing naturally derived ingredients and opting for a more eco-friendly way of production.

Writter / Lee Ji-eun
Editor / Journalist Ahn Dong-sun
Photo courtesy / Anne Sophie Duval
Planning / Communications Team, Amorepacific

*All interviews and manuscripts are copyrighted by News Square.

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Creators of Beauty ④ Julie Blum, the director of Anne Sophie Duval, a gallery in Paris specializing in Art Déco

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