Name: Aurelie Julien
Age: 39
Hails from: Paris, France
Director of: Carpenters Workshop Gallery
Gallery's Specialty: Design
Designers represented: Atelier van Lieshout, Maarten Baas, Sebastian Brajkovic, humberto & Fernando Campana, Nacho Carbonell, Ingrid Donat, Vincent Dubourg, Nendo, Pablo Reinoso, Studio Job
First show: Works by Zhang Huan in London
Do you remember the first time you realised you wanted to work in design?
I was always surrounded, through my parents, by pieces from Le Corbusier and objects by Martin Szekely and others, so an interest in design came naturally from my up-bringing. My mum was fond of design tableware and my father of architectural furniture, even though neither of them came from those fields.
The first piece of design that really impressed me was the Lockheed chair by Marc Newson, I was staying at the Paramount Hotel designed by Philippe Starck and it made me want to get into the design field. I remember entering the hotel lobby and seeing this fantastic piece... I even asked my friend to take a picture of me sitting in it...and volià it began!
At that time I was already studying art history, but then decided to do my masters in 20th century furniture, specifically works from the 1950s. I was lucky to have Jacques Lacoste to teach me at that time. I also received a bachelor’s degree in interior design, before I finally decided to work for 10 years in a gallery specialized in contemporary design. There I had the chance to work with Marc Newson, Martin Szekely, and some other important names in our field.
How was Carpenters Workshop Gallery founded?
The gallery was founded in 2006 in London by Loic Le Gaillard and Julien Lombrail. Both of them were fond of contemporary art and design and realized that there were only a few galleries that existed in this second area, it was still a much more open market than in contemporary art. They found something in-between their two passions: functional sculpture and collectible design works. In addition, Julien Lombrail is the son of Ingrid Donat; for him it was also an opportunity to represent her work in Europe after her success in the US.
What was the greatest challenge in the first years of the gallery?
The challenge has always been the same: to bring collectors of contemporary art to design, to make them understand that the harmony between both is so important and intelligent. Even necessary, I will dare say!
Do you still remember your first big success?
My first real big success was to open the Paris gallery for the founders and to make it what is it today. In just one year, our team was built and the gallery was working well. It was a real challenge for me and I was super proud to be able to make it work for Loic Le Gaillard and Julien Lombrail, who gave me all their trust during this time, even if they knew about my past experience in the field.
What do you particularly like about your work?
Being able to help build the careers of young designers/artists just freshly out of school and then, some years after, seeing that their work is entering serious collections and museums.