Style Edit: Espace Gabrielle Chanel library opens within Shanghai’s Power Station of Art
Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel was herself an active supporter of artists, composers and writers of her age, including Igor Stravinsky, Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dalí
Chanel’s patronage of the arts dates back to Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel herself, a supporter of avant-garde artists, composers and writers of her era, including Igor Stravinsky, Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dalí. This legacy continues with the Chanel Culture Fund, which extends the maison’s commitment to the arts and champions creativity.
This global programme, launched in 2021, fosters a vibrant network of creatives through long-term initiatives and partnerships that bring innovation to the cultural landscape.
Its latest milestone, the opening of Espace Gabrielle Chanel in Shanghai, celebrates the fund’s partnership with the city’s Power Station of Art, the first state-run museum dedicated to contemporary art in mainland China.
“An openness and respect for culture, a curiosity towards new ideas, and a shared sense of social and cultural responsibility towards the city are what brought Power Station of Art and Chanel together,” says Gong Yan, Power Station of Art’s director. “Espace Gabrielle Chanel is a place that pays tribute to cultural pioneers, and at the same time, a space that continues to inspire new ways of living, new culture and new art.”
Located on the third floor of the museum, at the heart of Espace Gabrielle Chanel, is China’s first publicly accessible library dedicated to contemporary art, designed by award-winning Japanese architect Kazunari Sakamoto. It features over 50,000 books and audiobooks spanning art, design, architecture and social science (fun fact: former Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld was a passionate reader and book collector).
