Geometric Art Direction: Artworks in Paris
Marçal Prats reinterprets the Centre Pompidou abstract canon through bespoke geometric art direction for two boutique Parisian hotels.
Located within the urban fabric of Paris’s 10th arrondissement, Crowne Plaza Paris République and Le Grand Quartier commissioned graphic designer and creative director Marçal Prats to craft a bespoke visual art collection for their public lobbies, lounges, and guest suites. Commissioned and curated by the cultural art consultancy Double Decker, and captured through luminous architectural photography by Anna Stathaki, the project replaces generic corporate hotel decoration with an authentic, site-specific curational narrative. The design strategy bridges graphic design, fine art printmaking, and interior architecture, treating hospitality environments as contemplative public gallery spaces.
Homage to Pompidou Modernism and Architectural Op-Art
The visual foundation of the series draws directly upon the historic modern abstract collections housed at the nearby Centre Pompidou. Rather than treating heritage art as static reference material, Prats translates key twentieth-century art movements into contemporary vector precision. Victor Vasarely’s kinetic op-art is reinterpreted through warped checkerboard fields, isometric perspective shifts, and chromatic optical vibrations that appear to oscillate as guests navigate the room. Alongside this optical kineticism, Piet Mondrian’s neoplastic De Stijl grammar establishes structural perpendicular black line grids that balance saturated blocks of cadmium red, cobalt blue, and golden ochre against calm, unprinted off-white fields.
Complementing these primary geometries, the collection incorporates dynamic tension planes and floating balancing arcs inspired by Wassily Kandinsky’s pedagogical treatises on point and line, alongside rhythmic mechanical geometries reflecting Jean Tinguely’s kinetic sculptures. Every layout is governed by calculated mathematical proportions, balancing negative space against bold structural mass. The compositional tension is deliberate: large-scale geometric forms command immediate visual presence across long sightlines, while micro-scale linear rhythms reward close personal inspection during quiet moments in the hotel lounges.
Crucially, the artworks are conceived in direct material dialogue with the bespoke hospitality interiors. Instead of floating in isolated digital mockups, each piece is housed within natural white oak or blackened steel exhibition frames, positioned intentionally above custom fluted timber wall paneling, rich emerald velvet banquettes, honed stone reception counters, and patinated architectural brass fixtures. Ambient daylight and warm interior sconces illuminate the paper grain and screenprint ink boundaries, embedding modernist abstraction directly into the tactile luxury of Parisian hospitality.
Explore more work by Marçal Prats and Double Decker on Behance.
