Alvar Aalto’s Celebrated Maison Louis Carré Reopens to the Public
An exhibit of contemporary Finnish art, hosted in the midcentury modernist’s only home in France, signals a tentative return to normalcy for the country.
An exhibit of contemporary Finnish art, hosted in the midcentury modernist’s only home in France, signals a tentative return to normalcy for the country.
In the autumn of 1956, the well-known French art dealer Louis Carré and his wife contracted Finnish Modernist architect Alvar Aalto to build them a villa of the highest artistic quality and material. The villa would be built on a large plot of land that Carré purchased near the scenic French village of Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, just an hour west of Paris. In addition to the architecture, Aalto and his wife, Elissa, furnished the home with exclusive, made-to-measure, custom pieces of furniture and thoughtfully landscaped the surroundings. Once completed, it was nothing short of a modernist masterpiece.
In 2020, Maison Louis Carré is preserved as a museum and, amazingly, is back open for business. The museum will host a new exhibit of contemporary Finnish artwork, Call to the Wild (L’Appel de la Nature), which is on view from June 20th-November 29th. Masks, of course, are compulsory and no more than eight may visit at a time.
Aalto designed Maison Louis Carré with an immense lean-to roof made of blue Normandy slate, "pitched in imitation of the landscape itself." The facade is built from white bricks and marble, while the base and parts of the walls are Chartres limestone.
Photo by Frederik Vercruysse for The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux
A side view of the home.
Photo by Frederik Vercruysse for The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux
The exhibit initiates a personalized dialogue between three contemporary Finnish artists and Maison Louis Carré's restrained, midcentury interiors. Sculptural works by glass artist Laura Laine, woven pieces from textile designer Kustaa Saksi, and ceramic sculptures from sculptor and ceramicist Kim Simonsson are all seamlessly integrated into the stunning spaces (Call to the Wild is curated by Lise Coirier, director of the Spazio Nobile Gallery, Brussels; and Kati Laakso, director of the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux).
The interiors of the home feature light wood-paneled ceilings, large picture windows, and exclusive custom furniture and lighting also designed by Aalto. The artwork on view in the living room includes large, woven pieces by Kustaa Saksi, "Aura", First Symptoms Collection, and "Battle Of Harapouri" Woolgathering Collection. As well as glass sculptures by Laura Laine, "Neon Sucker", 2014, The Wet Collection. Both artists are represented by Spazio Nobile Gallery. Kim Simonsson's "Voodoo Moss Boy" is represented by Galerie NeC Nilsson et Chiglien, Paris.
Photo by Frederik Vercruysse for The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux
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