The famous controversy of the Louvre
Pyramid!
I had first-hand experience of this
controversy! I worked at the Louvre for
fifteen years. We worked out the whole
planning underneath the pyramid: libraries,
temporary exhibition spaces, restaurants…
Then the entire museography of the
Richelieu aisle and all the showcases!
Was all this done in pair with the
legendary Pei, who had designed the
pyramid?
Yes, of course. And thereafter, we pursued
our collaboration. On the day that
the results of the competition for the
construction of the Museum of Islamic
Art, Doha, in Qatar, were out, he called
to tell me that he wanted me to work out
the museography of the whole space…
and he took me along with him, as part
of his luggage!
During these intense activity periods, did
you forget your penchant for designing
objects and those other dreams that
quickly become reality?
Not at all! We will publish a book that
will showcase 1800 objects and furniture
pieces that we designed ourselves! The joy
I experienced at Camondo – of designing a
chair on Monday and actually sitting on it
on Friday – has remained unaltered. With
our design studio of six designers, we have
created a subst antial amount of luminaires,
chairs and tables… Many collections!
Not much is known about this book…
And yet, it will be an exceptional
publication, an anthology in the real sense
of the word. Funnily enough, my first real
order will feature in it. It had come straight
from the Elysée Palace!
I had designed the full furniture set for the
President’s room: bed, chairs, bookshelves,
everything! ...And a small cylinder desk for
Mrs Mitterrand…
You have come a long way, when we now
think of your 215 collaborators across the
world!
Yes, I have a huge team, including two
collaborators in Brazil, three in South
Korea and a few in Italy. But the two
largest branches, besides the headquarters
in Paris, are found in London and in the
South of France.
However, diversification is not our aim.
We insist upon tapping on what
constitutes our forte: designing.
With such a large staff, do you now
manage creative talents or do you still
draw?
I still take my pen for some sketches.
Otherwise, I’ll change job. I make my
inputs at the start of the creative process
by imparting the initial idea behind the
project. Our credo is to go against the
flow, innovate…
This has brought us to the building of
a Russian cathedral on the banks of the
Seine. It’s fascinating! Some canons are
imposed by the Orthodox dogma, like
the stained glass panels or spire onion
domes with gold leafing, but we work
out the display differently and a unique
monument emerges out of it.
The same applies to the Ferrari plant,
which has been designed like an engine
component and suggests, from the front,
the notion of speed via layers of different
colours: orange, red, black…
Why then come to Mauritius, which
seems so alien to these large-scale
projects?
We seldom have the opportunity to work
on private villas.
This is a good reason why we are enthused
by this request from Anahita. This project
represents, in its own special way, a real
creative challenge. We are already relishing
the pleasures that are inherent to novel
thoughts.
Even though you did not inherit your
creative passion from your family, it
seems that it has nonetheless led to a
Wilmotte saga...
Indeed, two of my sons are architects
and my daughter Victoria is becoming a
renowned furniture designer.
The story goes full circle with my third
son working as auctioneer: he buys my old
creations and rebuilds my archives!
LUXURY MAURITIUS
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