Yet another sign, if one were needed, that luxury is moving ever closer to the world of art and culture. The Mazarine group, a major player in the organisation of events and fashion shows for luxury and fashion brands through its structures Mazarine Events and La Mode en Images (the group also owns Numéro magazine), has announced that it is to take on the Arter agency.

“The integration of Arter will enable us to offer a complete and unique range of services in the events sector, covering luxury, fashion, art and culture,” explains Paul-Emmanuel Reiffers, Mazarine’s founder and chairman, who announced his desire for external growth when he took over the group and the arrival of new partners in the capital at the beginning of 2023. This acquisition fits in perfectly with our strategy of creating value around unique expertise and international development. We have come together around our passion for art, creation and know-how, and the bond of trust that unites us with our customers for each new project.”

The Paris-based company Arter, founded twenty years ago by Renaud Sabari, is recognised at European level for producing artistic and cultural events, all with a responsible approach, having been certified B Corp last year. Its team of around twenty people is involved in the creation and implementation of projects such as the French pavilion at the Venice Biennale and the Centre Pompidou project in Brussels.

But if the group, founded by Paul-Emmanuel Reiffers in 1993, decided to acquire Arter and add its talents to its teams, it was above all because of the company’s expertise and its connections with luxury houses. In recent years, Arter has been involved in the international tour of the exhibition Betty Catroux, Féminin singulier, with the Musée Yves Saint Laurent and the House of Saint Laurent, as well as the seven opuses of Culture Chanel. The agency has also been responsible for the coordination and technical implementation of exhibitions at the Fondation Louis Vuitton since it opened, and is also responsible for the cultural production of the Galerie du 19M, according to a press release. Mazarine and Arter have already collaborated on several events linking luxury and art.

At a time when the sector is undergoing a process of concentration, this merger gives Mazarine access to the expertise of Arter’s teams as well as its credibility with cultural institutions and artists. Pierre-Emmanuel Reiffers points out that founder Renaud Sabari will remain a minority shareholder and at the helm of the company. These are key assets in a sector where large-scale projects are multiplying. The group is now structured into three divisions with Mazarine Events.

To underpin this synergy, the group says that Arter will produce the Reiffers Art Initiatives exhibition Who is afraid of red blue and yellow? at the next edition of Art Basel Paris. But the stated ambition is to be able to develop the range of services offered by Renaud Sabari’s teams internationally. The group has sites in around ten countries, not only in Europe but also in the United States, China and the Middle East. For the 2024 financial year, the group is forecasting sales of around €250 million, of which Arter will contribute around €20 million.