Hugo Besnier Unveils Tour de Mains: A Sculptural Dialogue Between Hand, Material, and Emotion

Source: Hartis

Reported By: Matthew Kennedy

In a luminous apartment overlooking the Seine on Quai Anatole France, graciously provided by Barnes, Hartis has unveiled Tour de Mains, a debut collection of thirty original furniture pieces by Hugo Besnier. More than an exhibition, the presentation serves as an intimate immersion into Besnier’s world—a meeting point between architectural precision and organic warmth, where material, gesture, and form converge.

The showcase marks the first full-scale introduction to Hartis, the contemporary furniture house founded by Besnier in 2020. Each piece in Tour de Mains captures the essence of movement and tactility—inviting touch, rest, and reflection. “Between the hand that assembles, adjusts, polishes, and the hand that will one day rest upon it,” the designer explains, “it enters into dialogue with the living—with wood, leather, stone, glass, and with those who shape them."

The name Tour de Mains evokes both craftsmanship and connection. The collection’s pieces—crafted in wood, stone, glass, and leather—embody what Besnier calls “furniture of conviviality, demanding and warm.” Each object is meticulously shaped by exceptional artisans, including Compagnons and Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, whose savoir-faire is passed down through generations.

This emphasis on touch and time reflects Besnier’s vision for Hartis: an approach to design that balances the rigor of architecture with the asymmetry of nature, creating pieces that are as emotive as they are structural. Nothing is ornamental; everything is purposeful. Comfort is not an afterthought—it is the design’s quiet foundation.

Presented as a series of sensitive interludes, the Tour de Mains installation extends beyond the furniture itself, drawing together elements of contemporary art, gastronomy, and sound in a multi-sensory exploration of French art de vivre.

Throughout October, guests will experience:

• Artworks from the Almine Rech gallery collection, seamlessly integrated into the space.

• Intimate dinners hosted within the Hartis apartment, featuring infusions by a Korean tea master and Louis XIII cognac pairings.

• Sonatas performed on a Steinway & Sons piano equipped with Spirio technology.

• Rare design objects from the Félix Marcilhac and Hélène Bailly galleries.

• Delicate glassware and vases by Sophie Lou Jacobsen, complementing the tactile narrative of the collection.

Together, these curated elements reflect a shared philosophy: that design, when intertwined with craftsmanship and culture, becomes a conduit for emotion, conversation, and joy.

In Tour de Mains, each surface and curve feels intentional—a sculptural translation of the dialogue between human hand and raw material. Wood bears traces of the artisan’s care; stone and glass reveal the quiet precision of balance.

Besnier’s approach rejects excess in favor of intimacy. Every piece exists in conversation with its environment, asking not only to be admired but to be inhabited. “Each event and object extends the language of the collection,” the house explains, “a subtle lexicon of an art de vivre that fosters warmth and connection, a celebration of the senses, of joy, pleasure, and connection. A serene pause in the motion of the world.”

Through Tour de Mains, Hugo Besnier and Hartis have crafted a deeply personal manifesto—a modern redefinition of French design that honors tradition while looking toward the future. The presentation captures what makes contemporary craftsmanship compelling today: the ability to slow down, to touch, to live beautifully.

Tour de Mains is open by appointment only, October 9–26, 2025, in Paris.