At 9 am, the doors of Galeries Lafayette Haussmann are closed, the lights are off, and the shop-in-shops lie shrouded in darkness. Yet teams are already at work preparing the shop floor. In fact, they have been taking turns since the previous day, without a pause.

This ceaseless ballet, scarcely noticed by visitors, is among the first things the Galeries Lafayette group shares with the artists it collaborates with. It casts the department store in a different light from the one customers know- an image the group hopes to weave into the capital’s art scene.

One grant, three support programmes

For the past 20 years, Galeries Lafayette has dedicated a 300-square-metre space in its Paris flagship on Boulevard Haussmann to artistic creation, under the name “Galerie des Galeries.” Since 2021, art installations have dotted the entire store, and the group as a whole is deepening its presence in the art world, with plans to expand into the performing arts after 2026.

Galeries Lafayette’s “cultural commitments,” led by Cécile Larrigaldie, rest on three pillars: the heritage division (past creations), the artistic actions division (programming and artistic commissions), and patronage (support for institutions and synergies with them within Galeries Lafayette spaces). These three pillars are reflected within the Bourse des regards, itself structured around the By Night audiovisual programme, the Savoir Faire Savoir support programme (support for the applied arts), and Open Archives (support for publishing and research, whose call for projects closes on December 8, 2025).

Artists on show and film sets

The group’s cultural programme opens on February 5 at 6 pm, with the launch of its By Night 2026 call for projects, in partnership with the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. On this occasion, guests will be invited to screenings of the winning films from the 2025 edition, shot on the group’s premises (stores, warehouses, etc.). To date, ten films have already been shot behind the doors of Galeries Lafayette and are available online on the Galerie des Galeries website. The most recent, “Deux personnes échangeant de la salive”, by Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata, has received numerous awards.

From March 10 to April 27, the group will present the “Pour Toujours” project under the banner of its Carte Blanche programme, echoing the “Dimanche sans fin” exhibition at the Centre Pompidou-Metz, of which Galeries Lafayette Haussmann is a patron. The store is planning a route across its floors centred on four artists, three of whom have already been revealed. Under the dome, a work by German sculptor Gloria Friedmann, titled Mammalia, will be on display, exploring the relationship between humankind and nature. This installation will be complemented by photographs by Austrian artist Birgit Jürgenssen. The main dome will host Cypriot artist Christodoulos Panayiotou, and the terrace will be given over to a work by American artist Lawrence Weiner.

Stores as performance spaces

In June, Galeries Lafayette will reprise its after-hours behind-the-scenes tours, with By Night Live. During last year’s European Heritage Days, the group welcomed the public into its stores from 9 pm to 12:30 am for a trail combining projections, light shows, and performance, including that of Jonathan Fitoussi at the Champs-Élysées store.

To close the year, alongside partnerships with the European Heritage Days and the Lyon Contemporary Art Biennale, Galeries Lafayette will organise the third edition of its artist support programme, Savoir Faire Savoir, from September 3 to 17. It will launch a call for projects inviting reflection on Galeries Lafayette’s private collection (450 pieces of ready-to-wear, furniture, etc.), and present the laureates of the 2025 edition, Camille Mouchet and Camille Gasser, from Atelier Les Moires. The duo will be in residence at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann for around 10 months to develop their artistic project. In partnership with Paris Design Week, the event will also present the guest artists for the 2025 edition, Studio Döpel and Stéphanie d’Heygere.