François-Henri Pinault opened new headquarters of Kering and the Maison Balenciaga

This Friday, 16 September roughly 500 guests gathered to celebrate the rebirth of this exceptional site which was known to Parisians as the Laennec hospital until 2000. 40 rue de Sèvres, a classified historical site, now houses Kering’s headquarters. The Group has chosen to open to the public for the 33rd European Heritage Days in order to share the splendour of this historical jewel.

Following François-Henri Pinault’s wish, 40 rue de Sèvres will also temporarily house two unique exhibits that guests had the opportunity to discover in advance of the public opening on Saturday and Sunday, 17 and 18 September.

The first of which, entitled “Echos” and presented in the Chapel built under the reign of Louis XIII, includes a selection of artwork from the Pinault Collection that invites reflection on the reinterpretation by contemporary artists of iconic masterpieces which have marked the history of religious art. The second, set in Balenciaga’s new showroom, displays 27 original and iconic designs from Cristóbal Balenciaga kept in the brand’s archives.

Anne Hidalgo was present at the premiere among François-Henri Pinault’s guests, along with Guillaume de Seynes, Bruno Frisoni, Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer, Armando Branchini and Farah Pahlavi

François-Henri Pinault’s guests also included Jean-Paul Aillagon, Fleur Pellerin, Adel Abdessemed, Xavier Darcos, Martin Bethenod, Marc Lambron, Christine Orban, Antoine Gallimard, Pascal Bruckner and Jean-Pierre Elkabbach.

Salma Hayek Pinault, Kristin Scott Thomas, Agnès and Rosalie Varda, Isabelle Giordano, Véronique Cayla, Vincent Perez, Alain Terzian, Nicolas Seydoux and Charlotte Casiraghi attended the event, along with François and Maryvonne Pinault, Patricia Barbizet, Jean-Paul Agon, Maurice Lévy, Augustin de Romanet, Alexandre Bompard, Pierre Gattaz, Patrick Le Lay, Alain Minc, Serge Weinberg and Baudoin Prot.

Representing the artistic direction and the presidence of Kering’s Maisons, François-Henri Pinault’s guests also included Demna Gvasalia, Artistic Director of Collections of Balenciaga, and Justin O’Shea, Creative Director of Brioni, Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO of Gucci, Carlo Alberto Beretta, CEO of Bottega Veneta, Francesca Belletini, President and CEO of Saint Laurent, Isabelle Guichot, CEO of Balenciaga and Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, CEO of Boucheron.