Galerie Mennour

Galerie Mennour, also known as Galerie Kamel Mennour, is a prominent contemporary art gallery located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. Owned and directed by Kamel Mennour, the gallery was established in 1999 and has since grown into an international operation recognized for its dual focus on emerging international talents and established historical figures. It has played a significant role in the contemporary art market, noted for its international outlook and active participation in major global art fairs.

The gallery opened its first 50-square-meter space at 60 rue Mazarine in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres district in 1999, initially dedicating its program to contemporary photography. It introduced French audiences to international photographers like Larry Clark, Stephen Shore, and Nobuyoshi Araki, while also showing established figures such as Pierre Molinier. The gallery quickly built an international reputation through fair participation, starting with Paris Photo in 1999, the Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain (FIAC) in 2000, and Art Basel in 2003. In 2003, the gallery shifted toward broader visual arts, promoting young contemporary creators alongside recognized artists like Daniel Buren, Claude Leveque, Francois Morellet, and Martin Parr. By 2007, it expanded into a 400-square-meter space at 47 rue Saint-Andre-des-Arts, and later doubled its exhibition area in 2013 by opening a venue at 6 rue du Pont de Lodi. In 2021, the gallery suspended its collaboration with visual artist Claude Leveque following pedophilia accusations by sculptor Laurent Faulon. By 2022, the gallery operated four exhibition spaces in Paris, and in 2026 it purchased Galerie Malingue, taking over its 4,300-square-foot showroom at 26 Avenue Matignon.

The gallery represents approximately fifty artists, balancing its roster between emerging practitioners and established figures. Its programming spans multiple media, moving from its early focus on contemporary photography to encompassing broader contemporary visual arts. The gallery also manages several prominent artist estates, including those of Pinchas Burstein (since 2022), Yona Friedman, Francois Morellet, Gina Pane, and Huang Yong Ping. Beyond solo exhibitions, the gallery organizes historical dialogues pairing modern and contemporary artists, as well as thematic group exhibitions. It also maintains a robust publishing arm, Kamel Mennour Editions, which has produced over forty catalogs accompanying its exhibitions. In 2023, the gallery launched the Mennour Institute to promote research and education in modern and contemporary art through doctoral fellowships, education programs, and philanthropy.

While functioning as a commercial gallery rather than a permanent museum, Galerie Mennour has facilitated significant presentations of major works, both in its spaces and through institutional collaborations. It has hosted historical dialogues such as Daniel Buren with Alberto Giacometti in 2010, and Francois Morellet with Kasimir Malevich in 2011. Thematic exhibitions have included Lux Perpetua in 2012, exploring the treatment of light from Delacroix to Ann Veronica Janssens, and L'image pensee in 2013, curated by Donatien Grau, dedicated to the use of slideshows by contemporary artists. The gallery has also collaborated on major off-site institutional projects, such as Huang Yong Ping's Arche 2009 at the Chapelle des Beaux-Arts de Paris, and the Monumenta exhibitions at the Grand Palais by Anish Kapoor in 2011 and Daniel Buren in 2012. It supported national pavilions at the Venice Biennale, including Claude Leveque for France in 2009 and Sigalit Landau for Israel in 2011, and presented Camille Henrot's video Grosse Fatigue, which won the Silver Lion for the most promising young artist in 2013.

Galerie Mennour is located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. As of 2022, it maintained four exhibition spaces in Paris, with its primary sites situated at 47 rue Saint-Andre-des-Arts, 6 rue du Pont de Lodi, and 60 rue Mazarine. The gallery is owned and directed by Kamel Mennour, who was named a Knight of the Arts and Letters in 2010 and is recognized as a leading figure of a new generation of gallerists more open to the international market. The gallery's operations are substantial, employing thirty-two collaborators and generating a turnover of 27,360,300 euros as of September 30, 2017. The gallery is a regular presence at major international art fairs, including Art Basel, FIAC, and Art Basel Miami Beach.