The Palais Galliera in Paris has been the setting of several fashion exhibitions in the last four years. Yesterday, it was announced that in 2019—with the support of the fashion brand Chanel—the Palais will open a permanent exhibition gallery, making it France’s first permanent fashion museum.
Chanel has partnered with the city of Paris to finance the construction of the new space, which will be called Salles Gabrielle Chanel (The Gabrielle Chanel Rooms), at an estimated cost of €5.7 million euros ($6 million).
The 7,211-square-foot space will be located in the basement floor of the Palais Galliera. It will be open all year round and will offer a journey through the history of fashion, from 18th-century costumes to contemporary garments.
“Thanks to this prestigious sponsorship, our capital will soon have the first permanent fashion museum in France,” the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, said about the partnership. “The City of Paris is proud to be able to open this exceptional space to Parisians and visitors from all over the world. I would like to thank the House of Chanel for proving once again that Paris is the home of fashion.”
“This initiative represents a lasting commitment to creation and to the strength of Paris, which are at the heart of Chanel’s business. Supporting an institution like the Palais Galliera is part of our mission to bring fashion history to life,” added Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel Fashion.
Although the Palais Galliera is already called the Paris Fashion Museum, its new title of “permanent” gives weight to the institution and celebrates the city’s reputation as a major fashion capital.
Since 2013, the museum has been staging temporary fashion exhibitions curated by its director, the historian Olivier Saillard, but remaining closed between shows.
“Thanks to the valuable support of the House of Chanel, the history of fashion, the excellency of French Haute Couture, the savoir faire and creativity will now have a prestigious place in these new rooms that Palais Galliera will proudly inaugurate in 2019.” said Saillard in a statment.
The permanent gallery space will also have a bookshop and a learning workshop, while the ground floor of the museum will continue to display temporary exhibitions.