I didn’t expect to be so swept up in it. Two nights, December 27th and 29th, both at the Antonin Allard agency—helping out, setting up, loading huge platters of food into a car. Art was everywhere, but it wasn’t just on the walls—it was in the air, in the food, in the way the night unfolded. Looking back, they weren’t just events. They were the kind of nights that sneak up on you, the ones you don’t realize are special until you’re in the middle of them.
December 27th & 29th: The Antonin Allard Agency Transformed
Both nights at Antonin Allard’s agency started in a bit of chaos. We were carrying out massive platters, trying not to drop anything, shuffling between doorways and a packed car while laughing at how ridiculous it all felt. But once everything was in place, it was starting to look not too shabby. The agency didn’t feel like a gallery or an office—it felt like it had been built around the art, like everything just fit without trying too hard.
People weren’t just looking—they were in it. Standing close, responding, using the art as an excuse to strike up conversations. Zoe Williams’ artworks, with their intricate textures and surreal presence, became a magnet for attention. We had a lot of her pieces on display, making her work a key part of the experience. There was something about the way they existed in the space, simultaneously delicate and commanding, that made people stop mid-sentence just to take them in. Someone pointed out how the light changed a painting depending on where you stood. Someone else casually dropped a name of an artist I’d never heard of but now had to look up. No one was posturing, no one was trying to impress—it was just easy.
Live Art and Cocktails
At some point, I noticed an artist painting live, fully in the zone, brush gliding across the canvas like it had a mind of its own. Right next to them, the cocktail maker was shaking up drinks with the same kind of focus. And let me tell you about the cocktails. I have rarely seen such aesthetically pleasing yet delicious and inventive cocktails.
The aperitif was its own kind of scene. I helped set it up—arancini, fried pasta balls, warm focaccia, fluffy couscous—the kind of food people reached for absentmindedly, only to stop mid-bite and go, Wait, this is actually really good. The night had a rhythm—people drifting between the food, the art, their drinks. Some conversations stretched longer than expected, others flickered and disappeared.
The Dinners at Magic Megève & Magic Megève Bois
After the aperitif, both nights ended with dinners. One at Magic Megève, the other at Magic Megève Bois. By then, the energy had shifted. The transition from standing with a drink in hand to settling into a meal felt natural.
Dinner felt like the final scene in a film, where everything clicks into place. Fast forward a few months, Zoe even came to Magic Megève Bois to give a talk, adding another layer to the connection between the art, the space, and the people who gathered around : https://themagiccollectionretreats.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=11947&action=edit. Plates passed around, people leaning in, the warmth of conversation stretching way past the meal itself. I caught myself thinking how quickly these nights had become something meaningful, something that had its own momentum beyond the art or the space or the food.
The Magic That Stays
Allard does these events every year, but this was the first time we collaborated with him and the Galerie Daltra. Even now, I still catch myself thinking about those nights—the shuffle of platters into a car, the first sip of a drink that hit differently, a conversation that started off small and somehow stretched until midnight. That’s the thing about nights like these: they don’t end when you leave, and we definitely can’t wait for the next one!
P.S : For more infos on the night you can check out this reel : https://www.instagram.com/p/DEm7DDSIc7P/.
