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Early in life, Denis Doria had already collected the emblematic artworks of the Modern Movement and become one of the most important collectors, and a specialist of the Union of Modern Artists (UAM – 1929 to 1958). His expertise is primarily based on the meticulous reconstruction of historic collections
En 1987, he opened his gallery which he conceived as a place for sharing knowledge by displaying the items in his collection – furniture, lights and objets d’art – of the interbellum in an environment conducive to their understanding in the spirit of “period rooms”.
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He then became a consultant for the assembly of important collections and has devoted part of his time to historical research and the preparation of publications.
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Associated with the blending of art forms, the creators of the UAM freed themselves from the traditions of decorative arts. They expressed in their actions, everything that, even today, constitutes the basis of the functionalist trend in France, and pronounced and implemented the spirit of Modernity.
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Their works fall within the vast movement of renewal undertaken simultaneously in Germany with the Bauhaus, in the Netherlands with De Stijl, in the Soviet Union with Constructivism, and more widely throughout Europe, with constant and intense exchanges of ideas across the borders.
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Among the artists currently on display: Louis Barillet, Jean Burkhalter, Pierre Chareau, René Coulon, Eileen Gray, Hélène Henry, René Herbst, Robert Lallemant, Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Jeanneret, Francis Jourdain, Jacques Le Chevallier, Rob. Mallet-Stevens, Joël and Jan Martel, Louis Sognot and Charlotte Alix, etc.
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The work of the gallery has always articulated around documentary research and investigations to track down the major works and masterpieces of modernity from the first half of the 20th century. Each year a thematic or monographic exhibition highlights a particular aspect of each of their talents, accompanied by a selection de paintings, sculptures, drawings and photographs. Over the years, it has become a meeting place for the key players and enthusiasts of modern art in a wider sense, some of whom have known and rubbed shoulders with members of the UAM.
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In 2000, Denis Doria closed his architecture and design agency in order to dedicate himself exclusively to the gallery. He is a member of the Académie d’Architecture.
Sophie Doria, art historian and specialist in the decorative arts of the first half of the 20th century has directed the gallery for the last thirty years.
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