The gallery celebrates its first 5 years of existence. How do you see this course?I think the gallery has found its position, especially with the introduction and promotion of Latin American artists. Besides, the gallery opened it doors in 2008, with the first exhibition in Paris of a young Chilean artist.
You’ve been an art lover and collector before abandoning a career in diplomacy to open the gallery.How does one become a gallerist after being a collector ?Quite easily I must say. Having collected, which I still do, certainly opened my eyes and sharpened my curiosity. When I opened the gallery, collectionism guided me to know where I wanted to go.
Since the creation of the gallery you have shown many international artists who had not been exhibited in France. How do you do your prospecting?I travel a lot and always take advantage of the possibility to meet artists, visit their studios and visit colleagues. That is how I met Mathias Reinmuth in his studio in Berlin or Mauricio Dias at a friend’s house in Buenos Aires.
A feature that characterizes you as gallerist is your particular opening to the Latin American scene. How do you analyse this scene today and how do you see its future?The Latin American scene is not totally alien to me.... Today when we speak about Latin America and contemporary art it is no longer a question of speaking of emerging scenes: Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, to mention only three countries, now have major artists who have international recognition and should be shown in France, where they are underrepresented. Latin America has a wealth of young extremely talented artists. I think in particular of Cinthia Marcelle of whom the gallery presented her videos since 2009 and in 2011 she won the first prize of the Pinchuk Foundation.
The market has undergone significant changes since the early 2000. How do you see its evolution? How does one promote new artists today?Since I opened the gallery in 2008, I have only known crisis! However, year after year I have noted a real progress even though the Latin American segment is still confidential in France, while it is blossoming elsewhere. I have trust in the future, it is my nature! To promote new artists, of course one has to show their work in the gallery, in fairs and also to the institutions: which is what I dedicate my time to. It is through this work, for example, that the Brazilian photographer Caio Reiseiwitz will have in 2015, a solo exhibition at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie.
How did you choose the works for this anniversary exhibition?For this anniversary exhibition I mainly chose works that have never been shown before and which seem to me representative of each of the artists.
Interview by Claire Françoise Prodhon, March 2013.
