Luis Martorano Laplace (1969-) is an Argentine architect who, with his partner Christophe Comoy, founded and runs the Paris-based Laplace practice, where he is the head designer. He is known for his work for and in collaboration with the art gallery

Hauser & Wirth Hauser & Wirth is a Swiss contemporary and modern art gallery. History Hauser & Wirth was founded in 1992 in Zurich by Iwan Wirth, Manuela Wirth, and Ursula Hauser, who were joined in 2000 by co-president Marc Payot. In 2020, Ewan Venters was ap ...

, and has been included in several of ''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast ...

''s annual AD100 lists.

Early years

Laplace was born on 31 December 1969 in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Argentina, and educated there. He is the son of a lawyer father and airport-manager mother, who divorced while he was still a child. He obtained bachelor and masters degrees in architecture and urbanism at the Universidad de Belgrano in 1995. Following graduation he worked for Selldorf Architects in Argentina and

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

, before being employed at their in New York headquarters between 1999 and 2004.

Career

Laplace founded his eponymous architectural practice in 2004, with his business- and life-partner Christophe Comoy, a former lawyer who serves as

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

. Laplace is the head designer. The practice is headquartered on the Place Saint-Georges, in the heart of district of the

9th arrondissement of Paris The 9th arrondissement of Paris (''IXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as (; "ninth"). The arrondissement, called Opéra, is located on the right bank of th ...

, France. He has a longstanding relationship with the art gallery chain

. He has worked on their galleries in Somerset, Gstaad, St Moritz and Paris. Their art centre on Illa del Rei, Menorca, opened in July 2021 after a conservation project overseen by Luis Laplace, repurposing existing historic buildings. The gallery was awarded the Best Social Responsibility Initiative by the Government of the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

in September 2021, listed as one of the '2022 Works of Wonder' by the international editors of

and named 'Best Art Destination' in the 2022 Wallpaper* Design Awards. His work on the Hauser & Wirth gallery in Paris, a 19th-century , won the restoration category in the 2024 Wallpaper* Design Awards. He also designed the presentation of a 2024 exhibition of works by the Basque sculptor

Eduardo Chillida Eduardo Chillida Juantegui (Basque: ''Eduardo Txillida Juantegi''; 10 January 1924 – 19 August 2002) was a Spanish Basque sculptor notable for his abstract works. Early life and career Born in San Sebastián (Donostia) to Pedro Chillida an ...

at Hauser & Wirth's Minorca centre. Laplace's other clients include Adriana Abascal,

Nicolas Berggruen Nicolas Berggruen (; born 10 August 1961) is a US-based billionaire investor and philanthropist. Born in Paris, France, he is a dual German and American citizen. He is the founder and president of Berggruen Holdings, a private investment company ...

, Mick Flick,

Emmanuel Perrotin Emmanuel Perrotin (born 6 May 1968 in Montreuil) is the French contemporary art gallery owner and founder of Galerie Perrotin. Biography Early life and education Emmanuel Perrotin is the son of Michel Perrotin, a bank clerk, and Odile Pra ...

and

Cindy Sherman Cynthia Morris Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough work is often co ...

. He has worked on residential projects in France, Hong Kong, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the United States. He has collaborated with artists and designers including

Phyllida Barlow Dame Phyllida Barlow (4 April 1944 – 12 March 2023) was a British visual artist. She studied at Chelsea College of Art (1960–1963) and the Slade School of Art (1963–1966). She joined the staff of the Slade in the late 1960s and taught th ...

, who painted a ceiling mural for his refurbishment of The Audley, a pub in

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

, London;

Martin Creed Martin Creed (born 21 October 1968) is a British artist, composer and performer. He won the Turner Prize in 2001 for exhibitions during the preceding year, with the jury praising his audacity for exhibiting a single installation, ''Work No. 22 ...

, who painted the staircase of the Hauser & Wirth gallery in Paris;

Rashid Johnson Rashid Johnson (born 1977) is an American artist who produces conceptual artist, conceptual post-black art. Johnson first received critical attention in 2001 at the age of 24, when his work was included in ''Freestyle Exhibition, Freestyle'' (20 ...

, who designed a mosaic floor for Mount St. Restaurant at The Audley;

Piet Oudolf Piet Oudolf (; born 27 October 1944) is a Dutch garden designer, nurseryman and author. He is a leading figure of the "New Perennial" movementhis designs and plant compositions using bold drifts of herbaceous perennials and grasses which are ch ...

, who landscaped the Hauser & Wirth gallery in Somerset and their centre in Menorca; and Anj Smith, who made a painting in a turret at The Audley building. Laplace collaborated with the Guston Foundation on the restoration of

Philip Guston Philip Guston (born Phillip Goldstein, June 27, 1913 – June 7, 1980) was a Canadian American painter, printmaker, muralist and draftsman. "Guston worked in a number of artistic modes, from Renaissance-inspired figuration to formally accomplis ...

's 1934–1935 mural ''The Struggle Against Terrorism''. Laplace was included in ''

''s annual AD100 list, which recognizes the most influential interior designers and architects around the world, in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. In 2024, Laplace took part in the "" fundraising campaign launched by the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

to acquire the artwork by

Jean Siméon Chardin Jean Siméon Chardin (; November 2, 1699 – December 6, 1779) was an 18th-century France, French List of painters, painter. He is considered a master of still life, and is also noted for his genre works, genre paintings which depict kitch ...

Personal life

Laplace and Comoy live in an apartment in a Paris building neighbouring the one where their architectural practice has its office. They have another home in

Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées (; or ; ) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Occitania. It was the largest region of Metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark. ...

, France. They also had a home, , on Illa del Rei.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Laplace, Luis Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Architects from Buenos Aires University of Belgrano alumni 9th arrondissement of Paris Architects from Paris 1969 births