Brutalisten, Carsten Höller’s brutalist restaurant, soon to open in Paris

As Art Basel Paris 2024 approaches, the first rumors about the collateral events of the new Parisian edition of the world’s most famous contemporary art fair are starting to emerge. One of the most anticipated events is undoubtedly the intervention by the powerhouse gallery Gagosian, which recently announced that it will transform the look of Place Vendôme with the temporary installation of the monumental sculpture "Giant Triple Mushroom", created by artist Carsten Höller. This artwork is already part of the official public program of the fair, but the surprises don’t stop there. From October 14 to 20, Höller will launch a new pop-up restaurant featuring "brutalist" cuisine, a temporary version of the renowned Brutalisten that opened in Stockholm in 2022. This time, the restaurant will be set in a Parisian railway station. The project is being developed in collaboration with the French culinary collective We Are Ona, known for creating unique culinary experiences at international events, including last year's "We Are Ona x Art Basel" in Basel, also for Art Basel.

Carsten Höller, one of the most influential artists on the international scene since the 1990s, is renowned for his ability to amaze audiences. His works, akin to scientific experiments, evoke surprising sensations through playful environments and interactive installations that transform the visitor into the subject of his experiments. Brutalisten is no exception. The menu of the pop-up will feature a six-course tasting for lunch and an eight-course dinner, with a beverage selection curated by Brutalisten and Luca Pronzato, creative director of We Are Ona. Somewhere between a restaurant and a social experiment, Brutalisten pushes the concept of "Less Is More" to its limits, applied to cuisine, and can truly be considered a work of art.

As Höller explained at the opening of the first location:

The architecture and design of the Stockholm venue strictly adhere to the brutalist aesthetic, with traditional massive concrete volumes and raw materials exposed in their authentic essence.
Similarly, the menu is based on the purity of ingredients and simplicity of techniques. At the core of this approach is the Brutalist Kitchen Manifesto, a set of rules inspired by the philosophy of "béton brut", defining an essential cuisine aimed at enhancing raw materials by avoiding any kind of sophistication.

A project like this, much like Höller’s other works, is heavily influenced by his scientific background, having earned a PhD in agricultural science before pursuing a career as an artist.

The interiors of the Stockholm restaurant feature a collection of artworks personally selected by the artist, including pieces by Ana Benaroya, Dan Flavin, Carl Andre, and Moké, as well as Höller’s signature mushroom-shaped lamps illuminating the diners' tables. All that’s left is to wait and see what this rigorous yet undoubtedly unique experience will bring to Paris.