Galeries Lafayette presents its 2026 cultural program

At nine in the morning, the doors of the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann close, the lights go out and the shops are enveloped in darkness. However, the teams are already working to prepare the workshop. In fact, they have been taking turns since the day before, without pause.

This incessant ballet, barely perceived by visitors, is one of the first things that the Galeries Lafayette group shares with the artists with whom it collaborates. This casts the department store in a different light than customers know – an image the group hopes to weave into the capital's arts scene.

One grant, three support programs

For 20 years, Galeries Lafayette has dedicated a 300-square-meter space to artistic creation in its Parisian flagship on Boulevard Haussmann, under the name “Galerie des Galeries.” Since 2021, art installations have dotted throughout the store and the group as a whole is deepening its presence in the art world, with plans to expand into performing arts after 2026.

The “cultural commitments” of the Galeries Lafayette, led by Cécile Larrigaldie, are based on three pillars: the division of heritage (past creations), the division of artistic actions (programming and artistic commissions) and patronage (support for institutions and synergies with them within the spaces of the Galeries Lafayette). These three pillars are reflected in the Respect Bag, structured around the audiovisual program By Night, the Savoir Faire Savoir support program (support for applied arts) and Archivos Abiertos (support for publishing and research, whose call for projects ends on December 8, 2025).

Artists in shows and film sets.

The group's cultural programming opens on February 5 at 6 p.m., with the launch of its call for projects By Night 2026, in collaboration with the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. On this occasion, guests will be able to attend the screening of the winning films of the 2025 edition, filmed at the group's facilities (stores, warehouses, etc.). To date, ten films have already been shot behind the doors of the Galeries Lafayette and are available online on the Galerie des Galeries website. The most recent, “Deux personnes échangeant de la salive”, by Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata, has received numerous awards.

From March 10 to April 27, the group will present the project “Pour Toujours” within the framework of its Carte Blanche program, echoing the exhibition “Dimanche sans fin” at the Center Pompidou-Metz, of which the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann is a sponsor. The store is planning a tour of its floors focused on four artists, three of whom have already been revealed. Under the dome will be displayed a work by German sculptor Gloria Friedmann, titled Mammalia, which explores the relationship between humanity and nature. This installation will be complemented by photographs by the Austrian artist Birgit Jürgenssen. The main dome will host the Cypriot artist Christodoulos Panayiotou, and the terrace will be dedicated to a work by the American artist Lawrence Weiner.

Stores as performance spaces

In June, Galeries Lafayette will resume its after-hours backstage tours with By Night Live. During last year's European Heritage Days, the group welcomed the public into its stores from 9:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on a tour that combined projections, light shows and performances, including that of Jonathan Fitoussi in the Champs-Elysées store.

To close the year, in collaboration with the European Heritage Days and the Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art, the Galeries Lafayette will organize the third edition of its artist support program, Savoir Faire Savoir, from September 3 to 17. It will launch a call for projects that will invite reflection on the private collection of the Galeries Lafayette (450 pieces of ready-to-wear, furniture, etc.) and will present the winners of the 2025 edition, Camille Mouchet and Camille. Gasser, from Atelier Les Moires. The duo will remain in residence at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann for about 10 months to develop their artistic project. In collaboration with Paris Design Week, the event will also present the guest artists for the 2025 edition, Studio Döpel and Stéphanie d'Heygere.