The artworks create a unique tension between what is public and private space, exhibition and exhibitor, material and meaning. Here the walls are finished in smooth white, the floor a fine smog-hued concrete. Slink into the basement men’s department and you are greeted by a polished cast bronze bell by the artist Davina Semo – which you are invited to toll – hovering over a nook of eclectic wooden stools, chairs and books on Auguste Rodin, Charlotte Perriand and Otto Dix. The vast floor plan of 466 sq m is punctuated by numerous pieces that form part of the Celine Art Project, which invites contemporary artists to make works specifically for stores around the world. This feels like the perfect art exhibition.’ ‘Looking at references from outside the fashion world within the context of a shop is a beautiful way for things to evolve. I'm very interested in this hybrid model where disciplines start to cross over and boundaries become blurred,’ Neelova says.

‘It almost creates this infinite loop wherever you look, with all of the artists coming together.

Mirrored panels lining the walls fragment all of the works on display into new formations. One that is outside of institutions and galleries,’ she says. ‘This commission was an interesting way of letting go of something and allowing it to acquire its own life and place in the world.

Two of the London-based artist Nika Neelova’s wooden handrail sculptures are suspended from the ceiling. An octagonal room – originally designed in the manner of an Italian grotto with panels of fine shell work – is now dedicated to the Celine Haute Parfumerie collection. The 345 sq m ground floor is devoted to women, formulated around the aura of French elegance and classical luxury. Slimane’s intention was to interact with the Grade II-listed Edwardian building in two unique ways. (Image credit: George Harvey) Step into Celine New Bond Street, the French maison’s art-filled central London flagship

Mortal shell bronze bell