Galerie Jocelyn Wolff – next location (September 2025), 3 rue de Penthièvre Paris 8 Pic. Jocelyn Wolff
Galerie Jocelyn Wolff is entering a pivotal new chapter with its departure from the collective project Komunuma in Romainville. After six years of collaboration, experimentation, and shared vision within the Romainville art hub, the gallery is relocating to the heart of Paris’s prestigious 8th arrondissement, an area steeped in history and literary heritage, notably associated with the Proustian imagination.
The decision to leave Komunuma stems from a long-standing dispute with the property’s landlord, Fiminco. Rather than compromise the gallery’s vision, Jocelyn Wolff is seizing the opportunity to build a new ecosystem within a reimagined Haussmannian building on rue de Penthièvre, previously occupied by a Franprix supermarket and now fully redeveloped.
This move is not simply geographical but strategic. Other possible locations—including the Palais Royal, were considered, echoing the footsteps of leading galleries such as Hauser & Wirth. Yet rue de Penthièvre emerged as the ideal context for reinvention. The new space will reflect a fresh architectural and curatorial philosophy, designed in collaboration with NDA (Noël Dominguez Architecte), prioritizing flexibility, spatial ergonomics (including flex-office concepts), and sustainable practices.
The gallery’s new address will maintain a dynamic dialogue with two other key sites: the Abraham & Wolff drawing office on rue des Saints-Pères, and the Alvémont Manor in Normandy, which serves as both a sculpture park and artist residency.
As a closing gesture to its time in Romainville, Galerie Jocelyn Wolff has invited Argentinian artist Diego Bianchi to stage a bold, immersive project that blurs the boundaries between sculpture and performance, continuing a line of inquiry central to the gallery’s identity.
Inaugurating the new space at 3 rue de Penthièvre this September will be a major presentation of historical works by Franz Erhard Walther, the renowned German artist whose practice has been foundational to the gallery’s program.
As he returns from NADA Villa Warsaw, Jocelyn Wolff reaffirms his confidence in the market, despite its fluctuations, and remains committed to a long-term, forward-looking strategy. This move marks both a break from the past and a reaffirmation of the gallery’s role as a thought leader and innovator in the contemporary art landscape.
Jocelyn Wolff founder and director Galerie Wolff pic.Tom Caillarec
What are the decisive factors for Galerie Jocelyn Wolff’s relocation to Paris’s prestigious Triangle d’Or in september ?
“There is a range of decisive factors and the need to leave Romainville became unavoidable,” explains Jocelyn Wolff. “We’ve been in an ongoing legal and operational conflict with our landlord since day one, with no real prospect of resolution. This situation has drained energy that should be fully dedicated to the gallery’s artistic mission. The site itself also posed several challenges, including repeated flooding during heavy rain.”
Faced with this instability, Wolff decided to reinvest his full focus and energy into his core work, instead of navigating structural tensions. “I felt we were being pushed out. Rather than resist that, I chose to embrace the opportunity for reinvention.”
Over the course of his search, Wolff explored several neighborhoods across Paris, including the 10th, 6th, 3rd, and 8th arrondissements. Ultimately, rue de Penthièvre offered the most compelling combination: a prime location within the Golden Triangle, excellent neighboring galleries, and a lease with favorable conditions.
“Today, the quality of a gallery’s surroundings has become a crucial factor. I considered a beautiful space near Gare de l’Est in the 10th, which I could have purchased, but the building’s co-ownership was resistant to the idea of a gallery, especially due to public event requirements like openings,” Wolff notes.
Navigating Paris’s strict regulations for établissements recevant du public (venues open to the public) was also a key consideration in selecting the new site. “Having a stable operating environment, a supportive community, and a secure lease were non-negotiable for me,” he concludes.
This move not only repositions the gallery within one of Paris’s most vibrant art districts but also affirms Jocelyn Wolff’s continued commitment to creating a resilient, artist-driven ecosystem for contemporary art.
What attracted you to the 8th Arrondissement, now a strategic hub for contemporary art ?
“This neighborhood has always had strong ties to the art world, though not necessarily to contemporary art,” explains Jocelyn Wolff. “That’s beginning to change. While the geography isn’t identical, galleries like Hauser & Wirth, with a strong focus on contemporary rather than secondary market art, have also chosen to settle here, which signals a clear shift.”
“When comparing different districts, such as the Marais, the 6th arrondissement, or the area around Sentier, the Bourse de Commerce, and Palais Royal, which I seriously considered, I found that the value-for-money ratio in the 8th was more favorable. It’s a district on the rise, with real potential for transformation, unlike the Marais, which is increasingly saturated with fashion retail and will also be impacted by the temporary closure of the Centre Pompidou.”
“As available spaces in the Marais become scarce and more commercialized, the 8th arrondissement stands out as a growing and evolving neighborhood, where new possibilities are opening up. Its attractiveness can only increase from here.”
Exhibition view Diego Bianchi, ThéâtrEErreuR, Galerie Jocelyn Wolff Romainville courtesy the artist Pic. François Doury
How is Diego Bianchi’s final exhibition in Romainville an emblematic expression of the gallery’s core identity ?
“From the beginning, our program has been deeply rooted in sculpture,” explains Wolff. “The relationship between sculpture and performance has always been a central line of inquiry for us, and it’s something we’ve developed over the years with artists like Franz Erhard Walther, who represents a foundational figure in that dialogue and in the broader context of conceptual art.”
Diego Bianchi, an artist from what is now commonly referred to as the Global South—is more widely recognized in Latin America than in Europe. His practice often involves repurposed materials and is highly responsive to the architecture and context of the gallery space.
Crucially, Bianchi benefited from extended time in Europe through a residency at the Cité internationale des arts, supported by the Fondation Antoine de Galbert, allowing him to engage in a deeper and more developed research phase leading up to this exhibition.
“The performances he will stage during the opening are constructed around a dynamic of reversal and unpredictability, embracing a kind of social entropy that resonates strongly with our own curatorial and artistic concerns,” says Wolff. “It’s a bold, open-ended work that embodies the spirit of experimentation and risk-taking that has always defined our presence in Romainville.”
This final show acts as a powerful conclusion to a six-year chapter marked by collaboration, utopia, and artistic innovation, while setting the tone for what’s to come in the gallery’s next phase in Paris.
Exhibition view Diego Bianchi, ThéâtrEErreuR, Galerie Jocelyn Wolff Romainville courtesy the artist Pic. François Doury
What do you take away from these years of collective experimentation at Komunuma?
“Above all, I take with me the friendships and the strong spirit of collaboration that grew among the galleries involved in the Komunuma project, even in the face of significant adversity, particularly in our relationship with the landlord,” says Jocelyn Wolff. “It’s worth noting that Komunuma was never truly integrated into the Fiminco framework, despite appearances.”
“The way we worked together at Komunuma was very much in line with the ethos we had already developed in Belleville. From the gallery’s inception, we’ve been driven by a sense of collegiality. At Komunuma, we carried that spirit into what was, in many ways, a utopian project, one that stood in stark contrast to the growing ghettoization of certain urban areas in France, a trend that is increasingly difficult to resist.”
Running a cutting-edge contemporary gallery purely from the art market, especially in a working-class neighborhood like Belleville or Romainville, remains extremely challenging. “Urban development dynamics often run counter to such efforts,” Wolff explains. “Social diversity is shrinking, and the absence of political support only deepens the struggle. In our case, paradoxically, the challenge was compounded by the fact that we also had to fight against our own landlord.” “At a certain point, I didn’t want what began as a hopeful, idealistic commitment to a new kind of territory to turn into an ideological battle—especially one that might ultimately compromise the artists and the team who are the core of the gallery’s mission.”
Although the decision to leave demanded significant energy and resources, Wolff emphasizes that “we had the momentum and clarity to make the move.”
This commitment to collective and collegial values continues in a new form through his recent involvement with the CPGA (Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art). “I’m deeply attached to the gallery community in Paris,” he says. “I believe there’s an important battle to be fought within this professional body—one that allows us to advocate collectively, without erasing or denying the important work we did at Komunuma.”
Abraham & Wolff, 12 rue des Saints-Pères, courtesy Galerie Jocelyn Wolff pic. François Doury
You collaborated with NDA – Noël Dominguez Architecte – who has been involved since the Belleville chapter. What was the brief for the reconfiguration of this flexible new space?
« Rather than a fixed brief, our process with Noël Dominguez-Truchot is more akin to an impressionistic methodology, built up in small, thoughtful gestures. His approach is fundamentally different from many architects who remain confined to abstract thinking or rigid normative frameworks. Our collaboration is guided by a more open, adaptable logic, while still respecting essential safety and regulatory requirements. »
“Noël brings a nuanced understanding of space and its contingencies. He doesn’t begin with the urge to make a statement or impose a signature style. Instead, his work is grounded in subtle analysis and deep material sensitivity. He’s remarkably hands-on, fully engaged with the tradespeople and materials, and present on-site every day.”
Together, the goal has been to create a space that offers genuine operational comfort in line with ecological principles. “For us, architecture is not just about form. It’s the outcome of careful work on ergonomics, environmental responsibility, and the proportional harmony between spaces. We’re not aiming for a monumental or spectacular exhibition space. What we want is to inhabit the site gently and intelligently, especially since the space had been previously mistreated during its use as a Franprix supermarket.”
Manoir Alvémont courtesy Galerie Jocelyn Wolff photo Jocelyn Wolff
How will the different spaces function together : between rue de Penthièvre, the Normandy Manor, and the Drawing Cabinet in the 6th Arrondissement?
“The logistical platform that was previously integrated into our Romainville site will now be relocated to Bobigny, through a partnership with the artist-run collective Le Wonder, whose precision and commitment we greatly value. It’s part of a new generation of hybrid art ecosystems that are beginning to emerge.”
This new logistics hub will support storage and transport operations across our various locations, in Normandy, the greater Paris region, and even internationally (e.g., Hong Kong). It will also support exhibition activities between our drawing cabinet on rue des Saints-Pères and the new main space on rue de Penthièvre.
“Real estate costs in Penthièvre are simply too high to accommodate functions like inventory management, fair-related shipments, or frequent deliveries, especially in a district that remains under tight security,” explains Jocelyn Wolff. “Instead, the Penthièvre site includes a small platform strictly reserved for internal exhibition needs, not for incoming or outgoing logistics.”
For example, after Franz Erhard Walther’s exhibition in Turkey, the works will be shipped directly to the Wonder platform in Bobigny before being dispatched to various storage locations.
The gallery will also develop a dedicated space for archival work, particularly for Imre Pàn, whose estate we represent. While the basement at Penthièvre is smaller than what we had in Romainville, it remains well-suited for this purpose.
“Our priority is now on office ergonomics, with a flexible workspace model to avoid unnecessary spatial constraints. We’re shifting away from fixed infrastructure where possible, and rethinking how the team is deployed across our locations.”
Saturday traffic, for example, is expected to be less significant at Penthièvre than it was in Romainville, allowing the commercial team to work in a more modular and rotational setup between sites.
What are you preparing for Basel ?
“At the moment, it feels a bit like working on a model with Playmobil figures,” says Jocelyn Wolff with a smile. “It’s a playful way to describe the process, but there’s no clear way to anticipate what will unfold.”
“What I do know for certain,” he continues, “is that our selection will be extremely refined, centered on historically significant works, many of which are recent discoveries or have never been shown before.”
Each year, the gallery begins preparing for Basel at the end of June, carefully setting aside key works—both from recent or upcoming exhibitions and from deeper research. This year’s presentation will include major pieces by Miriam Cahn, Franz Erhard Walther, and William Anastasi, alongside entirely new works by Diego Bianchi and Francisco Tropa.
“As for the commercial aspect of your question,” Wolff adds, “I think we’re operating in a more measured market now, with less speculative behavior. That actually gives me confidence, since our gallery has never pursued opportunism.”
How has 2024 and early 2025 unfolded for the Gallery, and what are the repercussions of such an unstable political context ?
“The year 2024 and the beginning of 2025 have been very good for us,” Jocelyn Wolff reflects. “We started out in the early 2000s during a strong upward market cycle, although neither our artists nor the gallery were yet well-known, so we were largely unaffected. Then came the 2008 subprime crisis, which was difficult for about six months. After that, the gallery experienced significant growth, followed by the Covid pandemic, and then a very positive rebound from which everyone benefited.”
“For the past two years, however, we’ve been in a kind of suspended moment,” he continues, “marked by geopolitical tensions, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the Gaza crisis, and the conflicts within the art world related to debates around Israel. This has disrupted the market, compounded by a recession in the Chinese art market. It’s been a complicated period, even if our artists continue to build their presence internationally through exhibitions and fairs.”
“If conditions were more favorable, the gallery would perform even better, though I feel we’re still holding strong in this challenging time. We’re constantly trying to anticipate changes, and this move to a new space, which is a major investment in such a peculiar context, forces us to rethink our business approach.”
“While our anti-opportunistic programming unfortunately sidelines us from some of the more miraculous market moments, it also allows us to continue growing with humility, despite the largely unfavorable international situation.”
Practical Infos :
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ThéâtrEErreuR
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Ultimate show at Romainville !
Opening of new space at 3 rue de Penthièvre, 75008 Paris
September 2025
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