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Origin and history

The Hotel de Pourtalès is a Parisian mansion commissioned in 1838-1839 by Count James-Alexandre de Pourtalès (1776-1855) to architect Felix Duban after the death of his wife. Inspired by the Italian Renaissance, it combines classical rigour and refinement, with a bossed facade, arcades and a monumental staircase. Duban designs the building as a setting for the Count's art collection, including paintings, marbles and antique objects, distributed in dedicated rooms (zenithal gallery, Gothic chapel, Etruscan hall).

The interior decor, also signed Duban, reflects the Charles X style, while the 1850 inventory reveals a sumptuous furnishing. On the death of the Count in 1855, his son Edmond inherited the hotel and changed the structure between 1865 and 1870 under the direction of Hippolyte Destailler: the gallery of paintings became a dining room, and a floor was added. The Countess of Pourtalès, a worldly figure close to Empress Eugenie, holds a renowned salon, frequented by artists such as Carolus-Duran or Winterhalter.

Ranked partially in 1927 and in full in 2002, the hotel was restored between 2006 and 2008 by Anthony Béchu. Today, the "No Address", it houses nine luxury apartments (95 to 350 m2) with hotel services, attracting celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio or Kim Kardashian. The latter's aggression in 2016 marked the minds of the people. Managed by the company No Address France, it continues to maintain its prestige in Dantan.

The architecture of the hotel, often compared to an ideal Tuscan palace, illustrates the neo-Renaissance fashion of the 19th century. Félix Duban avoids the excess decorative to favor the sober elegance, serving as a background to a collection of 3,500 pieces (tables by Delaroche, Ingres, Swiss landscapes, antique bronzes). Theophile Gautier described him as "art object". The dispersal of the collections in 1865, according to the wishes of the Count, marked the end of his museum use.

Located at 7 rue Tronchet, near the church of Madeleine, the hotel is served by the metro stations Havre-Caumartin and Madeleine. Its neighborhood, then in vogue under the Monarchy of July, symbolizes the luxury and influence of the financial and artistic elites of the Second Empire. The Countess of Pourtalès, a muse of painters like Hébert or Jalabert, embodies this fascinating environment, between literary salons and worldly receptions.

Future

Also called the "No Address", this building is regularly rented by celebrities, including the Kardashian family, accustomed to this place.... He also welcomed stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Madonna and Prince.

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