DESIGN IN HAND

The National Design
Gallery, 14 Esplanade Jacques Bonnaval, 42000 Saint-Étienne

Opening
days: Tuesday to Sunday, 10.00 am to 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm to 6.00 pm

Jointly run by the EPCC Cité du design – Ésad Saint-Étienne and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Saint-Étienne Métropole (MAMC+), the National Design Gallery is being developed in close collaboration with several cultural institutions: the Centre national des arts plastiques (Cnap), a founding member; the Centre Pompidou – National Museum of Modern Art; the Bordeaux Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (MADD Bordeaux); and the Frac Grand Large – Hauts-de-France.

Opening: Wednesday 10 June

The National Design Gallery opens its doors in Saint-Étienne on 10 June 2026 with an original and ambitious inaugural exhibition.

Curated by design historian Laurence Mauderli, *Design en main. From Language to Object is a game of mirrors in which words shed light on forms, gestures reveal uses, and the hand – at once a word, a tool, a symbol and a memory – becomes the key to a narrative that connects individuals, objects and the world. Bringing together nearly four hundred items from around ten French heritage institutions, this exhibition offers a veritable epic of design. 

From Saint-Étienne’s industrial heritage to contemporary perspectives, via the major transformations of the ^20th and 21st centuries, the curated exhibition highlights how objects, passed from hand to hand, carry the memory of societies whilst opening up new paths. 

The exhibition *Design in Hand: From Language to Object* invites visitors on a six-part journey that explores the creative and symbolic power of design.

For this inaugural exhibition at the National Design Gallery, Laurence Mauderli pays tribute to the venue itself: the National Arms Factory, at the heart of the Cité du Design district in Saint-Étienne. 

Taking the word ‘manufacture’ and its etymological origins as her starting point, the curator traces a thread that leads from the concept of the hand to that of industrial production and standardisation, via the construction of language. 

Drawing on six popular expressions centred on the word ‘hand’, Laurence Mauderli presents a narrative journey that traces the history of design: its phases of development, its influences, and its impact on society. 

From craftsmanship to industry, from utilitarian objects to forward-thinking concepts, the exhibition reveals how design has shaped our world.

The Design Gallery

In 2026, a new chapter in the history of design will be written in Saint-Étienne, with the opening of the National Design Gallery on 10 June. This venue, unique in France and built in partnership with major cultural institutions, is dedicated to showcasing public design collections. Each year, it will host a major exhibition curated by a guest curator. Designed for audiences of all ages, its programme complements the events organised elsewhere at the Cité du Design. It brings a new dimension to this rapidly revitalising neighbourhood and reaffirms Saint-Étienne’s status as the capital of design. A programme of events, outreach activities and publications will enrich the narrative surrounding design – born of the convergence of art and industry, and now firmly rooted at the heart of our society. The National Design Gallery thus reinforces the standing and visibility of this discipline within the French cultural landscape.