Gloria Friedmann's monumental installation 'Mammalia' transforms Galeries Lafayette dome in Paris

Gloria Friedmann's large-scale installation 'Mammalia' occupies the iconic dome of Galeries Lafayette in Paris until April 27, 2026. The work features an 8-meter-tall archaic Venus figure rotating at the center, surrounded by six planets each representing an animal from the artist's vocabulary: deer, bear, wolf, donkey, turtle, and peacock, with a heron flying above. Created from resin that mimics clay, the sculptures were assembled over three nights by a team of thirty people. The installation is part of an institutional partnership between Centre Pompidou-Metz and Galeries Lafayette, extending the 'hors les murs' program initiated by Chiara Parisi, director of Pompidou-Metz, who gave carte blanche to Maurizio Cattelan. At the museum, Cattelan presents a selection from the collection titled 'Dimanche sans fin,' while the Galeries Lafayette extension, called 'Pour toujours,' includes smaller works by Birgit Jürgenssen, Christodoulos Panayiotou, and Lawrence Weiner alongside Friedmann's piece. The dome, a masterpiece of the École de Nancy style, covers 1400 square meters with a 33-meter diameter, providing a dramatic setting that contrasts the Art Nouveau architecture with the earthy, austere sculptures. Visitors can view the installation from balconies or a third-floor glasswalk at 16 meters high, where the planets seem to impose silence over the bustling store below. The exhibition runs for seven weeks, with the artwork scheduled for dismantling after its brief display.