Mehdi Khalvati—Atelier

Posted by on February 27, 2026

A Unique Double Visit
Artist Atelier & Flea Market Tour

Season II • Visit 8 • Atelier

French-Iranian Artist

MEHDI KHALVATI

Atelier Visit

Guided Tour

Marché aux puces
de Saint-Ouen

by Marco Marchetti
L’attaché du ministère de la Culture

Saturday, 14^th March, 11h–14h

Marché Dauphine
132-140 Rue des Rosiers
93400 Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine

M°4 – Porte de Clignancourt

Guided Visit • Conversation

Limited to 10 dues paying CAAF members only. You are a dues paying member if you have paid your dues since December 2025. Want to join the visit but not yet a dues-paying member?

[ Renew or Become a dues paying member here ]

Due to the popularity of the visits, reservations will be honored on a first come first serve basis. You will receive a second email a week before the visit to confirm your place or state if you are on the waiting list.

ABOUT THE ARTIST/GUIDE

Mehdi Khalvati (b. 1970, Tehran) is a French-Iranian sculptor. He works with clay, creating pieces in terracotta, plaster and bronze. Trained with traditional sculpting and casting techniques and working from live models, he perpetuates a long tradition of French sculpture. His work, centered on the human figure and the portrait, is the perpetual search for beauty, inseparable for him from melancholy. He sculpts with instinctive gestures, leaving fingerprints and tool prints, stripping to the essentials, where a part of himself always appears, as in a mirror.

Marco Marchetti completed his studies at the University of Padua, in Italy, and the École nationale d’administration in Paris, Marco began his career at UNESCO before joining the French Ministry of Culture.
Senior public sector executive with over 30 years of experience in cultural policy, heritage governance, and international cultural cooperation within the French Ministry of Culture. Currently serving as Delegate for Overseas Affairs in the Department for Cultural Transmission, Territories and Cultural Democracy, overseeing a €1.5M support fund for Overseas artists and cultures and coordinating national heritage labeling initiatives.
He has consistently nurtured his passion for the world of antiques, regularly attending flea markets, antiques fairs, and collectors’ shows.

ABOUT THE VISIT

We will begin our visit at the atelier of Mehdi Khalvati, nestled in the heart of the Saint-Ouen Flea Market. Surrounded by finished pieces and works in progress, the artist will personally guide us through his creative process—from live posing and clay modeling to mold-making and casting—offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at his commissioned practice.

The second part of the program will take us into the labyrinth of the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen for a guided tour led by Marco Marchetti. Together we will explore some of the market’s key sections, with a focus on collectible treasures spanning art, furniture, jewelry, pop culture, and more—uncovering the inner workings of one of Paris’ most iconic and seemingly familiar institutions.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Each visit includes a guided tour led by an artist, curator, or gallerist, followed by an engaging discussion at a Paris art gallery or artist atelier. It provides a unique opportunity for alumni, artists and galleries to connect, fostering meaningful relationships around the world of contemporary art.

Visits are free and exclusive to dues-paying CAAF members. It offers an intimate opportunity to engage with contemporary art and ask your pressing questions.

Previous Visits have included:
Tom Sachs / Martha Jungwirth @ Thaddaeus Ropac
Roxane Gouguenheim @ by Lara Sedbon
Jeffrey Gibson @ Hauser & Wirth
Maxime Riché @ Atelier
Trevor Yeung @ Galerie Allen
Laëtitia Badaut Haussmann @ Atelier
Laëtitia Badaut Haussmann @ Emanuela Campoli
Difference and Repetition @ Gagosian
Brunschwig / Burstein @ Hélène Lamarque
Terence Gower @ Andréhn-Schiptjenko
Francis Picabia @ Hauser & Wirth
On Kawara @ David Zwirner
Jacqueline de Jong @ Galerie Allen
Alex Katz @ Thaddaeus Ropac