A pioneering venue that has stood the test of time
1949: La Hune opens as a bookshop-gallery
The institution opened in 1949 on Boulevard Saint-Germain thanks to Bernard Gheerbrant, a discerning collector and lover of contemporary literature. “Books, and more books,” despite the habits of local residents. Bringing together more than 3,000 works, La Hune pioneered the “bookshop-gallery” concept, presenting works by writers and artists in one unique venue.
1950: Les Deux Magots, Café de Flore, Brasserie Lipp… and La Hune
In post-Liberation Paris, the bookshop stood at the heart of a thriving cultural scene, within the legendary triangle formed by Les Deux Magots, Café de Flore and Brasserie Lipp, where thinkers, writers, artists, journalists and French politicians gathered. Models from Chanel and Dior were also photographed in front of its colourful façade.
1951: Doisneau, one of the first photographers exhibited at La Hune
In 1951, Robert Doisneau exhibited at La Hune. A true talent spotter, the venue also presented prints by French humanist photographers Édouard Boubat and Izis, the Parisian nightlife photographs of Brassaï and, later, William Klein’s New York street photography.
1957: Picasso exhibits at La Hune
Picasso exhibited there on several occasions until 1957, when the bookshop-gallery devoted a biographical exhibition to him entitled Picasso Himself. A major literary and artistic venue of the 20th century, La Hune became a meeting place for renowned artists such as Jean Dubuffet, Sonia Delaunay and Max Ernst, as well as writers including André Breton, Jean-Paul Sartre, Jacques Prévert and Henri Michaux.
1964: La Hune, a meeting place for Jean-Paul Sartre and the Existentialists
After his morning coffee at Café de Flore with Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre would visit La Hune to add unpublished manuscripts to his library. In 1964, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, which he declined.
1975: La Hune expands
Originally designed to house 10,000 books, the bookshop expanded over the years and eventually brought together 30,000 titles in a single location. After 30 years combining literary and artistic activities, La Hune moved its gallery business to Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
1988: The story of a cultural icon
Bernard Gheerbrant published À La Hune, Histoire d’une librairie-galerie à Saint-Germain-des-Prés with the Centre Georges Pompidou, retracing 40 years of literary and artistic life at this exceptional venue.
2012: La Hune today
La Hune moved to its current location on Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
2015: Photography, all photography, and nothing but photography
A new chapter began in La Hune’s history with the reopening of the redesigned bookshop-gallery in October 2015 as a venue entirely dedicated to photography.
Since 2015: A succession of major names in photography
More than a decade after YellowKorner moved into La Hune, the venue has hosted temporary exhibitions by major names in photography, including Elliott Erwitt, Matthieu Ricard, Christopher Anderson, Françoise Huguier and many others.
