Edouard Merino and Florence Bonnefous: A 36-Year Artistic Legacy

Air de Paris, a long-standing fixture of the French contemporary art scene known for its radical and pop-conceptual approach, has declared bankruptcy and is closing its doors in May 2026. The gallery, which operated for 36 years, hosted over 400 exhibitions and collaborated with nearly 50 artists during its tenure.

The closure marks the end of an era for the institution founded in 1990 by Florence Bonnefous and Edouard Merino. Since 2019, the gallery had been based in Romainville, a suburb of Paris.

In late April 2026, the gallery held its final exhibition in Romainville. Titled Oh What a Time, the show served as both a celebration of the gallery’s punk and eclectic legacy and a signal of its impending closure. The exhibition featured works by several artists, including Trisha Donnelly, Lily van der Stokker, Pati Hill, Mona Varichon, Pierre Joseph, Allen Ruppersberg, Amy Vogel, and Joseph Grigely.

According to reporting by Cultured Magazine, Bonnefous sourced the majority of the pieces for the final show from her own collection, while other works were returned to the artists.

Addressing the financial circumstances leading to the bankruptcy, Bonnefous stated:

“The only people I owe money to are my landlord and the bank.”

Florence Bonnefous

The partnership between Bonnefous and Merino began as students at the École du Magasin in Grenoble. They established Air de Paris in 1990, initially opening the gallery in Nice. The founders intentionally chose to start at the periphery of the art world to avoid the heavy Parisian orientation of the market at the time.

Conceptual Philosophy and Legacy

Air de Paris was characterized by a collective approach to curation, blending the perspectives of both founders. Their practice was heavily influenced by conceptual art, and Fluxus. Bonnefous has previously described the gallery’s identity as a conceptual outsider, or Art Brut Conceptuel in French, noting that this description captured the mix of different styles and methods used in their exhibitions.

The gallery’s early work had a significant intellectual impact on the art world. Its first exhibition contributed to the development of the theory of relational aesthetics proposed by critic Nicolas Bourriaud. This approach focused on the social relations and human interactions created by the artwork rather than the physical object itself.

Throughout its history, Air de Paris prioritized deep relationships with artists and the exploration of challenging, emerging forms of engagement over personal financial gain. This philosophy stood in contrast to the increasingly profit-driven nature of the contemporary art market.

The gallery’s commitment to the underground and its willingness to champion critically challenging work established it as a stalwart of the French gallery scene, providing a platform for artists who operated outside the traditional commercial mainstream.