Compelling with Katy Wellesley Wesley cover art

Compelling with Katy Wellesley Wesley

Compelling with Katy Wellesley Wesley

By: Katy Wellesley Wesley
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Compelling is a new podcast exploring the dynamic worlds of art, culture, and luxury. The series features in-depth conversations with visionary artists, cultural leaders, and brand innovators, to uncover how storytelling, mastery of craft, and creative collaboration come together to build community, engage audiences, and create lasting legacies. Compelling offers listeners fresh perspectives on the ideas and aesthetics shaping luxury businesses and contemporary culture.Katy Wellesley Wesley Art
Episodes
  • The Living Archive: Staffan Ahrenberg, Daniel Birnbaum and Hans Ulrich Obrist in Conversation
    Nov 21 2025
    What does it mean to keep an art institution alive for a hundred years – and why do books still matter in a digital age?In this episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley sits down at Cahiers d’Art in Saint‑Germain‑des‑Prés with publisher Staffan Ahrenberg, curator Daniel Birnbaum and Serpentine artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist. Together they trace their personal journeys into art, from teenage encounters with Giacometti and jazz to families steeped in museums and collecting.The conversation centres on the rebirth and centenary of Cahiers d’Art, exploring how the revue links Picasso, Duchamp and Goya to contemporary artists such as Gabriel Orozco, Arthur Jafa and Rosemarie Trockel. They discuss the idea of a “living archive”, connecting past to present through the eyes of artists, the role of catalogues raisonnés and the tension between physical books and new mixed‑reality experiences, echoing current experiments with VR and immersive exhibitions in leading institutions. Throughout, they argue that the future of art will be built from ‘fragments of the past’, constantly reactivated by new artists, new media and new readers.(00:00) - Welcome to Compelling (01:25) - Hans Ulrich Obrist’s Childhood Encounters with Art and Books (06:54) - Daniel Birnbaum’s Path from Philosophy to Criticism and Curation (15:29) - Staffan Ahrenberg’s Family Collection and Discovery of Cahiers d’Art (24:30) - Reviving a Legendary Publishing House (33:41) - Preparing the Cahiers d’Art Centennial (39:15) - Polaroid Cameras, Objects and New Artist Commissions (43:49) - Why Art Books Endure in an Instagram world (49:35) - VR, Mixed Reality and Re‑Framing Exhibitions (51:07) - Memory and Connecting Past and Present (56:26) - The Future for ArtStaffan Ahrenberg: Swedish art collector, entrepreneur and film producer, Staffan Ahrenberg is the owner and publisher of Cahiers d’Art, the historic Parisian publishing house and gallery he relaunched in 2012. He has revitalised its revered revue, book and limited‑edition programmes, and co‑founded the nonprofit Cahiers d’Art Institute to publish catalogues raisonnés for leading 20th‑ and 21st‑century artists.Daniel Birnbaum: Daniel Birnbaum is a writer and curator based in Paris and Stockholm. From 2000 to 2010 he was rector of the Städelschule in Frankfurt and director of its Portikus gallery. Between 2010 and 2018 he was director of Moderna Museet in Stockholm. In 2009 he curated the the 53rd Venice Biennial. His most recent exhibition is Wassily Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint. Dreams of the Future at K20 in Düsseldorf (with Julia Voss) and Dream Machines at DESTE Foundation (with Massimiliano Gioni). Recent publications include Exhibition, Academy, Museum: Notes on the Frames of Art (Walther König, 2022) and the novel Dr B (Gallimard, 2022). In 2024 Birnbaum joined the Warburg Institute’s Visionary Circle. Hans Ulrich Obrist: Hans Ulrich Obrist is Artistic Director of Serpentine in London, and Senior Advisor at LUMA Arles. Prior to this, he was the Curator of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Since his first show ‘World Soup (The Kitchen Show)’ in 1991, he has curated more than 350 exhibitions. In 2011 Obrist received the CCS Bard Award for Curatorial Excellence, in 2015 he was awarded the International Folkwang Prize, and in 2025 he received the Prix François Morellet. Obrist’s recent publications include 140 Ideas for Planet Earth (2021), Edouard Glissant: Archipelago (2021), James Lovelock: Ever Gaia (2023), Remember to Dream (2023), Worldbuilding: Gaming and Art in The Digital Age (2024) and A Life In Progress (2025). Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships.Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing...
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Bonus Content: Creating Sustainable Luxury Packaging
    Nov 14 2025

    How do you launch a luxury beauty brand that remains absolutely true to its "love of the soil" DNA while navigating the brutal practicalities of industrial manufacturing?

    In this bonus content, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks with Charlotte Bouygues, founder of the new beauty line Dix Hectares, about her journey to find "unobvious collaborators" and materials that would not compromise her vision. Dorothee Meilichzon was the fierce and talented designer she found. Charlotte details the challenging two-year quest for the perfect, marble-look lid. A seemingly small component that became the "bane of her existence" until the well-timed discovery of a brand new sustainable material.

    The discussion reveals the tension between aesthetic goals and uncompromising ethical standards. You'll hear the dramatic moment when her designer threatened to walk away, a crisis that ultimately led to the discovery of a groundbreaking, sustainable bioresin.

    • (00:00) - Collaboration between Unobvious Partners
    • (00:54) - The DNA of the Project
    • (01:51) - The Challenge of the Lid Design
    • (03:35) - The Turning Point: Commitment to Sustainable Material
    • (04:47) - Partnership and Achieving a World First in Packaging

    Charlotte Bouygues: Founder of the regenerative skincare line Dix Hectares, and Chairwoman of Eutopia Estates, the Bouygues family’s wine group. She is a third-generation leader with a background in strategic management from Babson College and extensive experience in marketing and media, including roles at L’Oréal in New York and as Director of E-Commerce at TF1’s Aufeminin Group. Her current work focuses on building a purpose-led brand that connects soil health and beauty for a new vision of luxury.

    Visit Dix Hectares

    Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships.

    Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.

    Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris.

    Visit Cahiers d’Art

    Art direction by Eddie Harrop Studio
    Website and Production by Story Ninety-Four

    Show More Show Less
    7 mins
  • Charlotte Bouygues: How Entrepreneurialism and Fine Wine Shaped a New Luxury Skincare Brand
    Nov 7 2025

    How do you build a successful luxury brand that operates with a positive impact?

    Host Katy Wellesley Wesley sits down with entrepreneur Charlotte Bouygues, founder of the seasonal, regenerative skincare line, Dix Hectares. Charlotte's journey is a modern evolution of the powerful Bouygues family legacy, which began with the foundation of a global construction and infrastructure company and expanded into major French media (TF1) and telecoms.

    Charlotte shares her unique career path, from sharpening her marketing skills at L'Oréal in New York and working in media at TF1, to joining the family’s wine businesses at Château Montrose. This experience ultimately inspired the creation of Dix Hectares, a beauty line uniquely rooted in sustainable agriculture and the rhythms of the seasons, using plants grown on a 10-hectare plot in the vineyard's heart.

    The conversation delves into the concept of regenerative luxury, where Charlotte passionately discusses the power of soil health, noting it is the world's second-largest carbon sink. This philosophy, inspired by the patient, long-term vision of the wine industry, is a "new way of seeing luxury," demanding a commitment that transcends immediate returns.

    • (00:00) - Welcome to Compelling
    • (02:27) - Early Life, Education, and Entrepreneurial Mindset
    • (04:58) - Navigating the Family Legacy and Views on Failure
    • (07:39) - Learning from Experience at L'Oréal
    • (10:25) - Transitioning to TF1 and Running Beauty Box
    • (14:13) - The Decision to Become an Entrepreneur
    • (17:37) - The Genesis of Dix Hectares
    • (22:15) - Regenerative Agriculture, Soil Health, and Seasonality in Skincare
    • (26:08) - The Science Behind Seasonal Blends and Proteomic Testing
    • (31:27) - Product Experience, Design, and The Future of Regenerative Luxury
    • (36:14) - The Relationship Between Dix Hectares and Château Montrose, and the Value of Time

    Charlotte Bouygues: Founder of the regenerative skincare line Dix Hectares, and Chairwoman of Eutopia Estates, the Bouygues family’s wine group. She is a third-generation leader with a background in strategic management from Babson College and extensive experience in marketing and media, including roles at L’Oréal in New York and as Director of E-Commerce at TF1’s Aufeminin Group. Her current work focuses on building a purpose-led brand that connects soil health and beauty for a new vision of luxury.

    Visit Dix Hectares

    Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships.

    Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.

    Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris.

    Visit Cahiers d’Art

    Art direction by Eddie Harrop Studio
    Website and Production by Story Ninety-Four

    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
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