{"id":313686,"date":"2025-08-03T05:03:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T05:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/313686\/"},"modified":"2025-08-03T05:03:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T05:03:44","slug":"the-best-design-exhibitions-in-the-south-of-france-summer-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/313686\/","title":{"rendered":"The best design exhibitions in the South of France, summer 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re exploring the South of France<\/a> from Marseille or Nice, we line up your cultural agenda of design-led exhibitions not to miss in the area this symmer. As you roam private homes and leading art foundations, expect to discover the latest cohort of experimental emerging designers from the Design Parade, names of the moments such as Jamie Hayon<\/a>, Hall Haus and Olivia Cognet, themes from craft to identity and activism, plus new framings of 20th-century masters from Enzo Mari, to Yves Saint Laurent and Eileen Gray<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Summer 2025 in the South of France: design exhibitions to seeJaime Hayon and Harry Nuriev at the Design Parade<\/p>\n

\"Jaime<\/p>\n

Jaime Hayon \u2018Le Miroir\u2019 at the Design Parade 2025<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Luc Bertrand)<\/p>\n

As ever, this year\u2019s Design Parade celebrates emerging creativity through line-ups of 10 young designers across two locations: design at the 1930s Villa Noailles in Hy\u00e8res<\/a> and interior design at the Ancien \u00c9v\u00each\u00e9 in Toulon. These are presided over by a grand jury of experts who selected this year\u2019s competition winners: Thomas Takada, Simon Dupety, Malo Gagliardini, Marie Gastini, Magali Lamoureux and Joanne Riachi, Johan Karreb\u00e6k Thun, Kelly Eng and Marie Piplard.<\/p>\n

\"Jaime<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Luc Bertrand)<\/p>\n

The two solo exhibitions by this year’s jury presidents were contrasting yet equally compelling: Harry Nuriev\u2019s \u2018The Transformist Apartment\u2019, an assemblage of objects made of common-place materials from plastic pens, microwaves, brown tape and white t-shirts, and Jaime Hayon<\/a>\u2019s \u2018Le Miroir\u2019, an introspective workshop that invites insight into his vibrant production process.<\/p>\n

\"Sacha<\/p>\n

Sacha Parent & Valentine Tiraboschi \u2018M\u00e9caniques Granulaires\u2019 at the Design Parade 2025<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Luc Bertrand)<\/p>\n

The exhibition of experiments by 2024<\/a> winners Sacha Parent and Valentine Tiraboschi, shows the fruitful results of their year of applied research at Cirva (International Center of Glass and Plastic Arts) and the Manufacture de S\u00e9vres.<\/p>\n

Villa Noailles, 47 Mont\u00e9e Noailles, Hy\u00e8res.
Until 7 September.<\/p>\n

Ancien \u00c9v\u00each\u00e9, 69 cours Lafayette, Toulon.
Until 1 November.<\/p>\n

Une Maison \u00e1 Saint-Tropez<\/p>\n

\"Interior<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Mathilde Hiley)<\/p>\n

Architect and designer Isabelle Castanier has imagined an exhibition titled \u2018Sieste, songe and l\u00e9g\u00e8ret\u00e9\u2019 following the stages of an escapist siesta. She has brought together friends and designers to her childhood home of Saint-Tropez, where, in the house of her grandparents, a place that has shaped her artistic sensibility, sets and objects celebrate \u2018both heritage and avant-garde, the gesture and the idea\u2019.<\/p>\n

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.<\/p>\n

\"Interior<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Mathilde Hiley)<\/p>\n

This year, there are shell-framed mirrors by ceramicist L\u00e9a Ginac; Wendy Andreu\u2019s Dragon chair; bold, layered oyster-shell mirrors by Louis Bressolles setting a surrealist scene; delicate organic silversmithing by Margaux Toussaint; tableware by Natalia Criado and colourful ceramic plates by Samantha Kerdine in the garden. Also on show in Saint-Tropez this summer, Shaha Rapha\u00ebl\u2019s limited edition collection for House of Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Place des Lices, 17 avenue Foch, Saint-Tropez.
Until 22 August 2025.<\/p>\n

Yelena Yemchuk and Spilka at Kolektiv Cit\u00e9 Radieuse<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n

Installation of Yelena Yemchuk and Spilka\u2019s Bibliothek at Kolektiv Cit\u00e9 Radieuse<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Courtesy Kolektiv Cit\u00e9 Radieuse)<\/p>\n

This summer, Kolektiv Cit\u00e9 Radieuse in Marseille presents unseen personal photo archives and new series\u2019 of works by cult Ukrainian-American photographer, artist and director Yelena Yemchuk. Exploring themes of identity, youth, folklore and post-modernity, the photographs capture her fading childhood memories of summers by the Dnipro River and dreams of the bohemian Odesa (Yemchuk immigrated from Soviet Ukraine to Brooklyn when she was 11 years old). After studying art and photography in New York<\/a> and California<\/a>, she returned to Ukraine 15 years later in 1991 (after the country’s independence) with a 35mm Minolta camera.<\/p>\n

Her most recent series was shot in the Lviv region as late as June 2025. Co-curated with The Naked Room Kyiv, where the exhibition will travel to in November, \u2018Ithaca \/ \u0406\u0442\u0430\u043a\u0430\u2019 is Yemchuk\u2019s tribute to \u2018the unbreakable spirit of Ukrainian women of all ages\u2019 and aligns with the activist energy of \u2018La Bibliothek\u2019 a satellite bookshop focused on independent publishers, curated by Spilka, a collective of Ukrainian multi-disciplinary creatives based in Paris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kolektiv Cit\u00e9 Radieuse, Unit\u00e9 d’Habitation Le Corbusier<\/a>, Marseille.
Until 30 August 2025 \/ screening programme until 30 October 2025.<\/p>\n

Dragon Hill\u2019s design residency<\/p>\n

\"Details<\/p>\n

Left, Agn\u00e8s Debizet\u2019s \u2018Crustac\u00e9\u2019 chair. Right: Stucco and ceramic tables by Bella Hunt & Dante Di Calce<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Alexis Armanet)<\/p>\n

In the hills above Cannes, Dragon Hill is uniquely alive with artist residencies, outdoor sculptures and the organic 1960s architecture of Jacques Cou\u00eblle. This summer, the cavernous house has been transformed into a design showroom. Cou\u00eblle\u2019s philosophies of craft, nature and environment are discovered in the works on display: Irene Cattaneo\u2019s expressive hand-blown Murano glass lamp and Rosa Egiziano marble table; Agn\u00e8s Debizet\u2019s \u2018Crustac\u00e9\u2019 chair made of stoneware and porcelain; Andr\u00e9 Dubreuil\u2019s welded sheet steel creations; brutal and bulbous shapes by Atelier van Lieshout; a surrealist mirror from the 1970s by Victor Roman; and stucco and ceramic tables by Bella Hunt & Dante Di Calce conceived as \u2018temporal bubbles\u2019.<\/p>\n

In May, Dragon Hill celebrated the inaugural edition of its sculpture garden, with artists including Claudia Comte, Gisela Col\u00f3n and Thomas Houseago. The 20th century legacy of the house, which welcomed Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Yves Saint Laurent<\/a> and Yves Klein as residents, has been revived with a contemporary atmosphere of creativity.<\/p>\n

Dragon Hill, Chemin de Castellaras, Mouans-Sartoux.<\/p>\n

Olivia Cognet\u2019s vestiges and visions<\/p>\n

\"South<\/p>\n

Olivia Cognet\u2019s Vallauris showroom<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Eleonora Paciullo)<\/p>\n

At ceramicist Olivia Cognet\u2019s new showroom in Vallauris, around 50 works are on display \u2013 from ceramic bas-reliefs and glazed lava sculptures, to chandeliers, totems and six-meter-long tables. Located in the historic town of ceramists, which is home to the Mus\u00e9e national Pablo Picasso, the showroom occupies an old building where early 20th century kilns remain. The exhibition titled \u2018Vestiges\u2019 nods to this memory and tradition.<\/p>\n

\"South<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Eleonora Paciullo)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile in Monaco, a second future-focussed chapter, \u2018Visions\u2019, takes place at Renzo Piano\u2019s new Mareterra coastal development<\/a>. Here, more sculptural works are on display, this time suspended over the Mediterranean Sea on an experimental stage. Informed by the work of Roger Capron (whose former studio she now inhabits) and Jacques Couelle (architect of Dragon Hill, located a short drive away from Vallauris in Mouans-Sartoux), Cognet blends the cultural history of the C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur with the modernism<\/a> of California and Los Angeles<\/a>, where she learnt to model clay.<\/p>\n

Olivia Cognet Showroom, 58 avenue Georges Cl\u00e9menceau, Vallauris.
8 Quai du Petit Portier, Mareterra, Monaco.<\/p>\n

Supports\/Surfaces at Fondation CAB<\/p>\n

\"South<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Courtesy: Partenaires particulaires (supports, surfaces, diss\u00e9mination), 2025 Fondation CAB Saint-Paul de Vence \u00a9 Antoine Lippens)<\/p>\n

The DKR chair by Hall Haus pays homage to the traditional West African palaver chair, a symbol of oral transmission and communal gathering, reimagined through a contemporary lens. This year, t chair joined France\u2019s national furniture collection, the Mobilier National, and features in the exhibition \u2018Partenaires particulaires (supports, surfaces, diss\u00e9mination)\u2019 at Fondation CAB in Saint-Paul de Vence curated by Hugo Vitrani.<\/p>\n

The group show of art, sculpture and design shines light on Supports\/Surfaces, an avant-garde movement originating in the 1960s that physically deconstructed the practice of art in an anti-capitalist stance. There are grid-like sculptures by Daniel Dezeuze, experiments in raw canvas by Edith Dekyndt, and constructions of common materials by Japanese artist Miho Dohi. Hall Haus also designed the scenography for the Design Parade this year and the art direction of the upcoming \u2018Design District\u2019 at Maison&Objet in Paris this September. Their presence at Fondation CAB reflects on \u2018how design can operate not only as form or function, but as cultural expression, social critique, and shared memory.\u2019<\/p>\n

Fondation CAB, 766 Chemin des Trious, Saint-Paul de Vence.
Until October 31 2025.<\/p>\n

Cacti and Chanel at NMNM<\/p>\n

\"an<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nouveau Mus\u00e9e National de Monaco \/ Andrea Rossetti, 2025)<\/p>\n

The prickly waxy architecture of the cactus is documented across disciplines in this exhibition simply titled \u2018Cactus\u2019, curated by Nouveau Mus\u00e9e National de Monaco (NMNM) in collaboration with the Mus\u00e9e Yves Saint Laurent in Marrakech<\/a>. Through historic and contemporary photographs, drawings and design objects, the show traces the story of the cactus in the West across perspectives from the 19th century to today. You\u2019ll find an Art Nouveau lamp designed by Louis Majorelle based on the morphology of an Opuntia. Spiny and organic architectures in glass by Ren\u00e9 Lalique, silver by Maison Buccellati and crystal by Hilton McConnico for Daum.<\/p>\n

\"an<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nouveau Mus\u00e9e National de Monaco \/ Andrea Rossetti, 2025)<\/p>\n

Maurizio Galante\u2019s furniture which plays on prickles and comfort and Paul Smith\u2019s \u2018Sunrise Cactus\u2019 coat stand for Gufram<\/a> (originally designed in 1972) leans into the eccentric spirit of the form. As well as exploring the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech and C\u00e9sar Manrique\u2019s El Jard\u00edn de Cactus in Lanzarote, it extends out into the gardens of the Villa Sauber where a cactus patch has been designed by the Exotic Garden of Monaco. While you\u2019re visiting, don\u2019t miss \u2018Les Ann\u00e9es folles de Coco Chanel<\/a>\u2019 at NMNM\u2019s sister Villa Paloma, which explores Gabrielle Chanel\u2019s creativity in the context of the C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur in the 1920s.<\/p>\n

NMNM \/ Villa Sauber, 17 Avenue Princesse Grace, Monaco.
Until 11 January 2026.<\/p>\n

NMNM \/ Villa Paloma, 56 Bd du Jardin Exotique, Monaco.
Until 5 October 2025.<\/p>\n

The design edit at Rencontres d\u2019Arles<\/p>\n

\"Eileen<\/p>\n

(Image credit: St\u00e9phane Couturier, Villa Eileen Gray \u2013 #29, E-1027+123 series, 2021\u20132022. Courtesy of the artist \/ Galerie Christophe Gaillard)<\/p>\n

Design, craft, architecture and fashion emerge in many facets of this year\u2019s Rencontres d\u2019Arles under the theme of \u2018Disobedient Images\u2019 directed by Christoph Wiesner, where images move beyond an \u2018exoticising gaze\u2019 and towards exchange and \u2018cultural translation\u2019 extending the theories of anthropologist Alban Bensa. Indigenous leader C\u00e9lia Tupinamb\u00e1 recovers the sewing tradition of the sacred Tupinamb\u00e1 cloak as a form of anti-colonial activism. Louise Mutrel explores the phenomenon of Japanese \u2018dekotora\u2019 trucks, an automobile customization craze of the 1970s influenced by post-war American culture. Modern concrete urbanism in Brazil<\/a> is viewed through the lens of the Foto Cine Clube Bandeirante (FCCB), an innovative amateur photography club in S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n

\"Eileen<\/p>\n

(Image credit: St\u00e9phane Couturier, Villa Eileen Gray \u2013 #29, E-1027+123 series, 2021\u20132022. Courtesy of the artist \/ Galerie Christophe Gaillard)<\/p>\n

St\u00e9phane Couturier blurs perception and imagination of Eileen Gray\u2019s E-1027 villa on the Riviera, and an exhibition of 80 works explores Yves Saint Laurent\u2019s relationship to photography. Read more about this year\u2019s Rencontres d\u2019Arles here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Various locations across Arles.<\/p>\n

Ralph Pucci at Ch\u00e2teau La Coste<\/p>\n

\"Chateau<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Antoine Bootz)<\/p>\n

This summer, the New York City studio of Ralph Pucci has been transplanted to Chateau La Coste\u2019s Oscar Niemeyer-designed pavilion<\/a>. Commemorating 70 years of business, and 50 years with Ralph Pucci at the helm, the exhibition titled \u2018Pure: Made in New York: a celebration of a sculpture studio\u2019 brings together furniture and lighting editions by 13 artists and designers \u2013 including Patrick Naggar, Elizabeth Garouste<\/a>, Nina Seirafi and Xavier Lust <\/a>\u2013 all made of white \u2018plasterglass\u2019, a material patented by the studio.<\/p>\n

Established in the 1950s as a mannequin repair company, Ralph Pucci has evolved into a collectible design gallery for furniture and lighting, transforming hand-sculpted plaster and clay prototypes into products at its New York studio and factory. Celebrating the \u2018workshop, process, craftsmanship and the hand of the artist\u2019, Ralph Pucci master sculptor Paul Mathieu is conducting live sculptures demonstrations recreating the atmosphere of the New York sculpture studio to a jazz playlist \u2013 featuring Miles Davis and Chet Baker \u2013 paying homage to the music of the 1950s. Experience more of the exhibition here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ch\u00e2teau La Coste, 2750 Route De La Cride, Le Puy-Sainte-R\u00e9parade.
Until 21 September 2025.<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s design in Toulon<\/p>\n

\"Exhibition<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Luc Bertrand)<\/p>\n

Inhabiting a former 19th-century mansion, this joyful unfolding of the world of children\u2019s design \u2013 titled \u2018Petits Mondes\u2019 \u2013 brings together some 200 works from around 60 designers, covering furniture, toys, decorative objects and illustrated books. Tracing the evolution of children\u2019s furniture from the Modern movement onwards, and featuring the likes of Enzo Mari<\/a>, Bruno Munari and Katsumi Komagata, it shows the shifting materiality, imaginations, needs and narrative approaches across time.<\/p>\n

\"Exhibition<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Luc Bertrand)<\/p>\n

This presentation follows the 2024 exhibition \u2018L\u2019Enfance du design\u2019 (the Childhood of Design) held at the Centre Pompidou<\/a> in Paris; now it has arrived in Toulon as a satellite exhibition of the Design Parade<\/a> and as part of the Centre Pompidou Constellation programme, which seeks to showcase the collection of the Mus\u00e9e National d\u2019Art Moderne while the Centre Pompidou is undergoing transformation from summer 2025 to early 2030<\/a>.<\/p>\n

H\u00f4tel des Arts, 236 Boulevard Marechal Leclerc, Toulon.
Until 2 November.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whether you\u2019re exploring the South of France from Marseille or Nice, we line up your cultural agenda of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313687,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5309],"tags":[2000,299,36],"class_list":{"0":"post-313686","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-france"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114963088092089411","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}