La Saga des grands magasins. De 1850 à nos jours’ (The History of Department Stores, from 1850 to nowadays)
The history of Department Stores: from 1850 to nowadays
Exhibition
This multidisciplinary exhibition presents around 500 original artworks, coming, for most part, from the department stores’ very own collections, combining architectural, social as well as economic preoccupations.
An innovative and immersive exhibition
This exhibition will immerge the visitors in the department stores’ atmosphere through an immersive scenography, which will recreate these consumption temples’ sensory and appealing experience. It will display an international overview of their monumental architectures with never seen before collections. The department stores’ saga will also be the set of an interactive and playful experience, thanks to devices designed for families.
Journey through the history of department stores
Department stores, through their dazzling architectures, are a reflection of our societies’ evolutions. Their golden age takes place between 1850 and 1930, in conjunction with the industrial and transportation booms. At the time, they would revolutionise means of consumption while inventing a new social organisation – often compared to a beehive – under the supervision of a charismatic founder. Between 1930 and 1980, department stores faced the rise of supermarkets and superstores. In order to survive, they transformed into “selling machines”, rationalising space and putting marketing strategies in place. They maintained their influence by promoting a way of life and by participating in the ready-to-wear revolution.
From the 1980’s onwards, economic crisis and the competition with supermarkets lead to department stores questioning their role and their place in society. Some closed down while others reconnected with their architectural identity. Nowadays, internet shopping online retail forces department stores to relentlessly reinvent themselves by offering an increasing diversity of unique experiences and services.
Images courtesy of © Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine.