Couëlle, Vasarely, Paulin… art in architecture

Since driving along the A8 motorway towards Aix-en-Provence, you may have caught sight of Vasarely’s monumental black-and-white “V”, conceived by the artist as a true signal sculpture, visible from the highway. With the Fondation celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year, there is every reason to stop and visit. Titled “Project for a Revolution: Vasarely and Architecture”, this anniversary exhibition explores the architectural vision of the idealistic and humanist artist Victor Vasarely. The exhibition begins with the ambitious dream of this heir to the Bauhaus and member of the Espace Group: to take art out of museums and weave it into the fabric of everyday urban life. From the Polychrome City of Happiness project to his monumental integrations within the University City of Caracas, the exhibition reveals the many facets of his work while questioning the role of art in the age of information and its capacity for social transformation. Enhanced by exceptional loans from the Centre Pompidou, the FRAC Centre-Val de Loire and the Musée National Fernand Léger, it offers a comprehensive look at one of the most visionary artistic and architectural revolutions of the twentieth century.

Project for a Revolution: Vasarely and Architecture, at the Fondation Vasarely, Aix-en-Provence, on view from 12 June to 1 November.

The Fabre Museum is dedicating its first major design exhibition to Pierre Paulin, one of the leading figures of 20th-century design. His career reflects both the emancipation of post-war creative talent and the arrival of design at the highest levels of the French state. Organized in partnership with the Pierre Paulin Fund and the French National Manufactories (Sèvres & Mobilier national), this retrospective highlights the richness of his career, his influences, and his most iconic creations. Two works are being presented exclusively for the occasion: the Élysée Palace Smoking Room, specially restored for the exhibition, and the Vidéo Barnum, an immersive and sensory installation.

Design by Pierre Paulin (1927–2009), on view at the Musée Fabre in Montpellier from June 27 to November 1, 2026.

Crafted from discarded tree trunks, Jose Zanine Caldas’s furniture reflects both his fight against Amazon deforestation and his desire to showcase local and traditional craftsmanship. A pioneer of ecological thinking, this self-taught designer and builder collaborated with canoe carvers from his native Bahia region. Under their machetes, wood was transformed into furniture with organic forms and a deliberately primitive aesthetic. The exhibition also highlights the work of other major Brazilian designers, including Jorge Zalszupin, Francesco Scapinelli and Sergio Rodrigues. Their creations enter into dialogue with architectural elements and furniture designed by Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, whose travels and projects in Brazil helped shape new reflections on forms, materials and ways of living.

Brazil / France: Design 1950–1970, at the Friche de l’Escalette in Marseille, on view until September 30.

This year marks a double anniversary for Design Parade: twenty years of its festival dedicated to object design and ten years of its festival devoted to interior architecture. Founded in 2006 under the patronage of its godmother, Andrée Putman, the event was created to promote contemporary design. A decade later, a second programme focusing on interior architecture was launched under the sponsorship of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. This year, three influential designers are presiding over the juries: Sofia Lagerkvist and Anna Lindgren of Front for object design, and Laura Gonzalez for interior architecture. Through two competitions, the juries will reward the work of ten emerging designers and ten young interior architects. In partnership with École Camondo, the exhibition 20+10: Design Parade Generation(s), curated by David Giroire, offers a unique perspective on the designers who have shaped the festival’s history.

Design Parade Festival, at the Villa Noailles in Hyères and Toulon, from June 25 to 28. Exhibitions on view from June 26 to August 30.

Perched in the hills above Cannes, Dragon Hill is a “landscape house” designed by architect Jacques Couëlle. Today, the property hosts a hybrid cultural venue guided by the free-spirited and visionary legacy of this brilliant self-taught creator. A programme of monthly residencies offers artists and writers from diverse backgrounds a creative sanctuary dedicated to research and experimentation. Its Mediterranean garden, punctuated by a sculpture park, features works by Antony Gormley, Tony Cragg, Claudia Comte, Thomas Houseago and Alicja Kwade. Spread throughout the estate like plants that had naturally taken root there, the artworks reinforce Dragon Hill’s place on the international contemporary art scene.

A testament to this vision is the current exhibition, Living the Landscape House, by sculptor Olivia Cognet. At the crossroads of art, design and architecture, the artist has developed a sculptural language in which each work engages with its surroundings and invites the body to inhabit it. Her approach resonates deeply with the world of Jacques Couëlle, sharing his desire to blur the boundaries between sculpture and living space. Created especially for Dragon Hill, Olivia Cognet's works extend the house's cavities, curves and irregular volumes, with some appearing to merge seamlessly into the architecture as though they were natural extensions. For the exhibition, the artist notably conceived a sculptural upholstered sofa in collaboration with Atelier Dégut in Lyon, alongside a series of outdoor stone furniture pieces whose monolithic forms seem to emerge organically from the landscape.

Living the Landscape House, Olivia Cognet, at Dragon Hill, Mouans-Sartoux, until 30 November 2026.

At Château La Coste, near Aix-en-Provence, every building designed by a renowned architect is a destination in its own right, turning a visit into an architectural journey in constant dialogue with art and the surrounding vineyard landscape. Across this vast wine estate, more than forty contemporary artworks can be discovered along a trail punctuated by pavilions, galleries and buildings conceived by some of the world’s leading architects. Nestled into a natural hollow, the Renzo Piano Pavilion combines glass and concrete in a discreet structure that appears to emerge from the landscape. It provides a light-filled setting for temporary exhibitions and this summer hosts a show by Sheree Hovsepian, whose new sculptures respond to the building’s natural luminosity. Further along, the Oscar Niemeyer Pavilion unfolds its characteristic curves and houses both an exhibition space and an auditorium. The latter currently presents an exhibition by Rashid Johnson featuring paintings, a film and new sculptures created especially for the occasion. The Richard Rogers Gallery, meanwhile, embraces a distinctly contemporary aesthetic with its structure suspended above the vineyards. Even the winery buildings form part of this overarching vision. Designed by Jean Nouvel, they reflect a commitment to bringing architecture, winemaking and artistic creation into dialogue.

Château La Coste, Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, open daily.