Founded by CHANEL in Paris in 2021, la Galerie du 19M arrives in China this autumn with a major artisan exhibition celebrating the enduring vitality of Métiers d’art. From September 25th to November 15th, 2026, the project occupies the entire third floor of the Museum of Art Pudong (MAP), bringing Chinese and French artists, artisans, and the eleven resident Maisons d’art of le19M into an unprecedented creative exchange.
A poetic artisan exhibition where touch becomes a creative language
Designed by Studio Adrien Gardère, the exhibition opens with an introduction to the savoir-faire of le19M’s eleven Maisons d’art, revealing the tools, materials, gestures, and techniques behind some of fashion’s finest craftsmanship.
Its centrepiece, A Sense of Touch (触碰 Chù Pèng), curated by Gong Yan, Lin Tianmiao, Zhang Lei, and Christelle Kocher, brings together Chinese and French artists alongside the resident Maisons d’art. Here, touch emerges as a shared language of making, perception, and cultural exchange.
Working across textiles, embroidery, ceramics, lacquer, bamboo weaving, woodcarving, and large-scale installations, the artists explore the ties between memory, material, and tradition. Craft appears not as a preserved legacy but as a living discipline, continually enriched through experimentation and collaboration.
Métiers d’art as a living conversation between heritage and innovation
Alongside A Sense of Touch, la Galerie du 19M Shanghai presents a new edition of Lesage. 100 Years of Fashion and Decoration, developed by Lesage and Émilie Hammen. The exhibition charts a century of innovation in embroidery and weaving while highlighting Lesage’s enduring relationship with China and its collaborations with many of fashion’s most influential designers.
La Galerie du 19M Shanghai is more than just a gallery; it reflects le19M’s commitment to cultural exchange through craftsmanship. The visual identity, created by French artistic director Éric Pillault and Chinese artistic director Ying Lei, balances lyrical expression with graphic clarity, echoing the dialogue between the two artistic traditions.
A programme of talks, workshops, and guided tours extends the experience, inviting visitors to discover Métiers d’art not only as heritage, but as a vibrant language of contemporary creation.
