Rencontres au Marché de la Création

Every Sunday along Boulevard Edgar-Quinet, the historic Marché de la Création transforms into a living gallery where art and audience meet without mediation. Since April 2024, Arnaud Quercy has maintained a regular presence at this storied open-air market in the heart of Montparnasse, continuing a tradition that has welcomed artists and collectors to this stretch of Parisian boulevard since 1994. Here, beneath the plane trees that have witnessed generations of creative exchange, Quercy presents original works spanning his ongoing explorations in abstract painting and sculptural form.

The Marché de la Création carries within it the memory of early twentieth-century Montparnasse, when artists from across the world gathered in this quartier to forge new visual languages. Quercy's participation honors this legacy while extending it into contemporary practice. His booth operates as a living studio—a space where the creative process remains visible and where conversation flows as naturally as the changing light across canvas and steel.

Visitors encounter a curated selection from Quercy's Synesthetic Explorations series alongside paper-based works and steel sculptures that demonstrate the range of his material investigations. The market's tradition of "prix direct atelier" aligns with his belief that meaningful collecting emerges from understanding—not merely acquiring—an artist's vision. Each interaction offers the possibility of dialogue, an opportunity to trace the conceptual threads that connect disparate works and to witness the continuity of an evolving practice.

The recurring nature of this engagement distinguishes it from the singular event of a gallery exhibition. Week after week, weather permitting, Quercy returns to the same stretch of boulevard, building relationships with collectors who follow his work's development and welcoming newcomers drawn by curiosity or chance. In an art world often defined by distance and exclusivity, the Marché de la Création offers something increasingly rare: direct encounter, sustained presence, and the simple pleasure of conversation about color, form, and meaning.

Artist Statement

The Marché de la Création represents something essential to my practice: the moment when solitary creation opens into shared experience. Each Sunday, my booth becomes an extension of the studio—a space where works that emerged in quiet contemplation encounter the vitality of public life. The market's history resonates with me deeply. Montparnasse drew artists precisely because it offered both sanctuary and community, the necessary oscillation between withdrawal and engagement that sustains creative work.

I bring selections that span my current investigations: the gestural intensity of the Synesthetic Explorations, the more intimate scale of works on paper, and sculptures in steel that anchor abstraction in physical weight. Visitors often move between these different registers, and in their movement I see my own process reflected back—the constant negotiation between mediums, between idea and material, between what is planned and what is discovered. The "prix direct atelier" tradition matters to me not as a commercial strategy but as an ethical stance: art should be accessible, and understanding should accompany acquisition.

Logistics

The Marché de la Création operates every Sunday from 9:00 to 18:00, weather permitting. Located on Boulevard Edgar-Quinet between the Cimetière du Montparnasse and the Tour Montparnasse, the market stretches along the central median of the boulevard in Paris's 14th arrondissement. Access is via Métro Edgar Quinet (Line 6) or Montparnasse-Bienvenüe (Lines 4, 6, 12, 13). The market is wheelchair accessible along paved walkways. Admission is free. Inquiries are welcome at the booth or through

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