Coffee table book fans who appreciate tomes that they can collect and display are likely familiar with the Assouline name.
Founded in Paris in 1994 by husband-and-wife Prosper and Martine Assouline, the luxury brand has a worldwide following for its visually lush books and engaging narratives.
Assouline, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has published more than 1,700 titles on a diversity of topics including travel, design, art, fashion, and culture. The imprint continues to grow its list each year. Bestsellers include the travel-themed Sicily Honor, Palm Beach, Cairo Eternal, Formula 1: The Impossible Collection, and Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh,”featuring the late designer’s admired fashions.
Although they call New York home, the Assouline’s also own an apartment in Paris and spend a fair amount of time there.
They recently shared a few of their favorite things with Penta.
My go-to genre of book is…
Martine: Historical novels that have a romantic theme. Nothing very dry. Next on my list is Napoleon’s Library by Louis Sarkozy.
Prosper: cartoons.
My favorite tome of all time is
Martine: Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar. He was a Roman emperor who was in love with a young man, and this book tells the story of their relationship plus his life in general. It’s beautiful. Also, Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin.
Prosper: An Artful Life by Pierre Assouline who has no relationship to me. It tells the story of D.H. Kahnweiler, an important art dealer who discovered Picasso.
The authors who I read on repeat are…
Martine: Francois Cheng. He has written a lot of books about love, life, and death that are extremely sensitive and clever.
Prosper: Sacha Guitry, a French playwright. He is insolent and always breaking the rules. A daring personality.
If I could host a dream dinner party, the guest list would include…
Martine: Roger Federer, who we are doing a book with; Jimmy Fallon, who I think is very funny; and Bradley Cooper, who wrote the screenplay for Maestro, which I loved. Then Lee Jung-jae who wrote and directed Hunt, an incredible movie about the conflict between North and South Korea. And I can’t leave out Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Prosper: Dinner parties for me are not about who I invite but who I don’t. They are like a collection of art—you can’t buy every piece.
I get inspiration for our books from…
Prosper: Travel. When I travel, I get 25 ideas. The sights, the museums, the restaurants, the people I see. Everything.
Martine: Travel as well, but music even more so. It could be piano, rap, or French music from the ’70s or ’80s. I listen and fly with ideas.
My travel destination of choice is…
Prosper: St. Tropez but not in July and August when it’s overrun with tourists. The rest of the year it’s a beautiful village that’s chic and quiet. We were married there more than 30 years ago, so it’s special to us.
Martine: Venice. If you’ve ever been to Venice, you know why.
The best way to enjoy a day in Paris is to…
Prosper: Go to the flea market on the weekend, ideally both days. You’ll find everything there.
Martine: Wander without an agenda. It’s best to discover the place that seems to be waiting for you—to walk into a museum, have a drink in a bar with good light in the 1st arrondissement, or do whatever comes to mind.
My regular spots in New York include…
Prosper: Il Buco and the bar at Le Bernardin.
Martine: Zero Bond, il Buco, and the Met on a Friday night.
I unwind from work by…
Prosper: I don’t really unwind because I’m always working. My only break is squash.
Martine: Enjoying a very good bottle of wine.
On my nightstand, there’s always…
Prosper: my iPhone.
Martine: Someone once gave me a small sculpture of a Brazilian Virgin. She is absolutely divine and very meaningful to me—I love to see her every night and feel grateful for my beautiful life. And, a lot of books!
Read the full article here
