5 Questions for Alex Doppia, Director of Paris’s Galerie Montmartre

Alex Doppia, Director of Galerie Monmarte.

At the heart of the bohemian Paris neighborhood surrounding Place du Tertre stands Galerie Montmartre—its bright red facade a kind of beacon welcoming a wide variety of international visitors.

Known for its shows of street artists and pop-inspired contemporary artists, Galerie Montmartre has also held exhibitions of works by some of the 20th century’s greatest modern artists, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, and Henri Matisse. 

Courtesy of Galerie Monmartre.

Courtesy of Galerie Monmartre.

Steering this unique enterprise is director Alex Doppia, who has been working in the art industry for 30 years.

Both my studies and personal interest led me to dedicate my life to the promotion of artists and visual art,” he said. Today, Doppia wants the gallery to be a place of dialogue between contemporary and modern art, and accessible to anyone interested.

Recently, the Artnet Gallery Network caught up with Doppia, who let us know what shows he can’t wait to see in 2021 and why he can’t get enough of Alexander Calder’s mobiles.

How would you describe your collectors?
Our exhibitions, our spirit, and our services are committed to fulfilling everyone’s expectations—whether you simply have a “crush” on a certain work or come from a long art collecting tradition. 

What makes your gallery unique?
We’re located in the emblematic Place du Tertre area. It has an impressive art scene that provides us with a strong ability and motivation to choose paintings, sculptures, and photos, and enables us to move and inspire people coming from all around the world.

Courtesy of Galerie Monmartre.

Courtesy of Galerie Monmartre.

What are you excited about for the upcoming year?
I’m looking forward to the resumption of cultural life and activities worldwide, including seeing the “The United States of Abstraction” exhibition at the Musée d’art de Nantes. I’ll also be looking to see what artists Bharti Ker and Jean Michel Othoniel do. I also can’t wait to see the “Rodin–Picasso” exhibition between that’s at both the Musée Rodin and the Musée National Picasso this year. 

What is the best show you’ve seen recently, virtually or in person?
I actually really enjoyed a virtual exhibition on Google Art and Culture about the Girl with a Pearl Earring and the book by Tracy Chevalier. Also, I really enjoyed the “Claudia Andujar, The Yanomami Struggle” which was on view at the Fondation Cartier and closed at the end of last year. 

If you could own any artwork, what would it be and why?
A mobile by Calder! I’m fascinated by the mechanics of that constellation of colors floating in an unstable balance, like a metaphor of the universe. And I love his combination of imagination and humor.