The exhibition which opens today at the Bourse de Commerce, Le Monde comme il va, runs until September 2 in Paris. The “Pierre Huyghe” and “Julie Mehretu” exhibitions complete the universe of collector François Pinault in the City of Doges, while the 60th Venice Biennale will open on April 20.
LE FIGARO. – How is the world going in your eyes?
With sensitivity, with daring, often with an impressive premonition, artists know how to put their finger “where it hurts”. Through their works, they question us, shake us up, make us aware of ourselves, of others, and of the major issues of our time.
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By taking the title of a philosophical tale by Voltaire, Le Monde comme il va, the exhibition also invites us to consider that it is nevertheless up to humanity, when all is not going well, to ensure that things are doing better, if only by trying to challenge some of their prejudices and certainties.
What is striking throughout the exhibitions in your collection – from the Museum of Essen, in Germany, to Venice, from Rennes to the Bourse de Commerce – is the omnipresence of violence and death. Why this choice?
My collection cannot be reduced to this single theme, as the “Icons” exhibition at the Pointe de la Douane showed, or the “Arte Povera” exhibition will show in October at the Bourse de Commerce. “. That said, for those interested in artistic creation and more particularly that of our time, it is difficult to escape this theme which, you will agree, is an old companion of artists of all time. We only have one certainty, we know that we are all going to die.
This question therefore continues to question, if not haunt, humanity, from prehistory to the present day. It has always challenged philosophers, writers, artists, scientists and human beings. The great dramas of the contemporary era and the brutal realities of current events also bring us back to the very abrupt question not only of this violence that men suffer due to their natural condition but of the violence that they inflict on each other. to others by the excess of their desire for domination. Art bears witness to this today, as in the time of Picasso or Goya, in a lucid and masterful way. It is inevitable that a collection that aims to be a collection of its time is attentive to this issue.
What are the springs that guided your vision of contemporary art?
The main driving force behind my desire to collect was passion. From year to year, my taste has become more unique. Unlike a public collection, I have never imposed on myself a sort of duty of exhaustiveness or so-called objectivity with regard to the artistic scene, but I have always relied on both the feelings that the works could inspire in me and in search of excellence. As a collector, I have this great freedom. I want to share it in a way that allows as many people as possible to appreciate the richness and diversity of contemporary creation.
Do you have any regrets? Artists you stopped liking? Others that you missed?
I have been collecting for over fifty years. The collector that I am today is therefore, by necessity, different from the one I was, because quite simply my outlook is constantly evolving. However, some of the first works I purchased still keep me happily company. I will even tell you that I recently purchased a work by one of the very first artists in whom I became interested at the start of my collecting activity, an important artist from the Pont-Aven school.
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What I like about the act of collecting is being able to maintain very long partnerships with certain artists, so that my collection bears witness to all the richness and evolution of their work. This is why I feel immense joy when the public discovers artists whose work has fascinated me, whether for many years, like Martial Raysse, David Hammons, Sigmar Polke or Marlene Dumas, to name a few; or younger artists like Danh Vo, Anne Imhof or Pol Taburet, who today create the masterpieces of tomorrow.
How has your Breton background guided your career?
Brittany has never left me. I never fail, for special occasions, to have the Breton banner, the “Gwenn ha du”, raised in Venice, at the Palazzo Grassi and at the Pointe de la Douane, alongside the banner of Saint Mark, of course.
Many ties continue to attach me to my region of origin, where my professional life and my first steps as a collector began. I love its spirit of resistance and audacity. The Bretons know how to look out to sea while remaining deeply rooted.
As you know, I am very committed to the preservation of Breton architectural and environmental heritage. To cite just one recent example, last year, I was able to take charge of the restoration of the chapel of Saint-Michel de Brasparts, in the Arrée mountains. On a sporting level, everyone knows the passionate commitment my family and I have for Stade Rennais.
