Alex Papachristidis Curates a Dazzling Room Around an Old Master Painting
Using a work by Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi, Papachristidis imagines an entry gallery using antiques and contemporary furnishings
Alex Papachristidis. Photo: donna newman
Whether he is using antiques or contemporary furnishings, classicism is at the heart of the Alex Papachristidis’s remarkable designs. “If it’s all too traditional, it gets tired. And if it’s all too contemporary, it goes out of style,” he shares. His sense of scale and proportion leads to a spirited mélange that combines periods while keeping juxtapositions pleasing to the eye, and he has quite the way with layering rich textures. “I love the mix of antiques and contemporary,” he says. “It gives a room gravitas.”
“Everyone is buying contemporary paintings, but I think Old Masters look amazing with new things,” adds Papachristidis, who has curated an entry gallery based on a work by Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi. “Plus, they’re really a great value right now, especially for the level of technique and detail.”
The Triumph of Galatea, (circa 1649) by Artemisia Gentileschi, auctioned at Christie’s New York in October 2020. Photo: Christie’s New York
Lapin Chouchou (2018) by Claude Lalanne. Photo: courtesy of kasmin gallery
Mirrored obelisks by Serge Roche from Liz O’Brien. Photo: courtesy of liz o’brien
Sunburst mirror by Eve Kaplan. Photo: courtesy of gerald bland
Armoire by Hervé Van der Straeten. Photo: courtesy of hervé van der straeten gallery
Console table by John Dickinson. Photo: courtesy of gerald bland
Esta fabric by Colefax and Fowler. Photo: courtesy of cowtan & tout
Pour Box by Nancy Lorenz. Photo: courtesy of r & company
Circa-1780 armchair by Jean-Baptiste Lelarge III. Photo: courtesy of the chinese porcelain company;
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2020 Winter issue under the headline “State of the Art.” Subscribe to the magazine.
