META Gallery, street art in the mountains

In the mountains, one might think that decoration is limited to edelweiss and cows or photos of summits. But this is not the case in Chamonix. META Gallery has taken the bold step of opening a street art space in the center of the Alpine capital. Discover how this modern art gallery takes you beyond the conventional ideas in terms of mountain decoration. Let’s talk about street art in the mountains !

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More than a gallery, a place of exchange

Urban culture in the mountains

META Gallery (Méta comes from the Greek and translates to go beyond) opened its doors in South Chamonix in September 2021. Julien Guillome, who already owns an art center in Marseille and soon a new one in Zanzibar, breaks the codes of traditional mountain decoration by proposing a Street Art gallery in Chamonix. The only one for miles around!

An atypical gallery for Chamonix

Beyond the space with a white cube spirit, META Gallery wants to be a place of sharing and exchange open to all. Stop the division, the false ideas. “Art is for the rich and the richest… Art is within the reach of everyone (even mountain people) and speaks differently to everyone.

Here, the modernism of urban art shakes up mountain decor and revives our interiors. Colors, textures, materials, the brightness and variety of the paintings bring pep and dynamism in the chalets or apartments of the valley.

Imagine a graffiti or a work of an international artist in your home? Wouldn’t that be cool?

World famous French and American artists

Hippolyte Reininger, street art français

Not only does the gallery strike a blow by exhibiting graffiti, photo-paintings or watercolors, but it also allows the greatest graffiti and urban artists to make a place for themselves in Chamonix.

What an opportunity to admire the popular works of the no less famous Shepard Fairey aka Obey! You know, the author of Barack Obama’s Hope poster! Each of his works conveys a message. It’s up to you to interpret it as you wish.

New York street art artists

We also find the New Yorkers Seen and JonOne. These two renowned artists exhibit in the most prestigious art galleries. They made a name for themselves through their urban graffiti and are now masters of street art all over the world.

The French masters of street art

French street artists also illuminate the white walls of the gallery with panache. JR, from Paris, has created impressive mural projects, gigantic frescoes, as well as trompe-l’oeil.

C215 is one of the most influential street art actors in France. His dreamy and colorful works are absolutely hypnotic!

And then at META Gallery, you are not safe from meeting one of the unavoidable artists during a vernissage…

Why go to a street art gallery in the mountains?

The improbable union between the urban and the natural

Life in the mountains is full of freedom, wide open spaces, but also pastoral traditions. Inserting an urban and contemporary touch in one’s decoration might seem blasphemous. And why? Art has no boundaries and even less rules. A touch of modernism and urbanism in the middle of grandiose landscapes is all the more notable. And when a graffiti is integrated into a landscape dressed in white, the marriage seems perfect. Don’t they say opposites attract?

The expertise of the gallery owner

If you have any doubts, questions or hesitations about how to decorate your home, come see Gabrielle at the gallery.

This charming gallery owner with a degree in art will advise you with all her benevolence and expertise. Her goal: to sublimate your walls, but above all, to provoke wonder in you.

Bringing art into your home: Gabrielle’s decorating tips

The art of does not control, each one interprets it, feels it with its manner. Gabrielle is not here to influence you, but to help you discover the world of contemporary art. She can order a painting from an artist who is not in the gallery.

Which painting would best enhance your interior, which work will speak to you the most?

Meta gallery is a cool public space, open to the world, to interpretations, to trends, to different techniques. Here you can lose yourself in modern art, chat with the gallery owner or have the luxury of buying an original piece of art by a world-famous street artist (from 500 €). So how about the exclusive opportunity to hang an original painting in your home? Come on, break the rules of tradition!