French supermarket boss wants to put contemporary art in a
countryside landscape
Michel-Edouard Leclerc plans gallery for former convent and
shop complex
By Gareth Harris. Web only
Published online: 15 May 2012
A major French patron says that he hopes to transform the
French public’s perception of contemporary art by opening a new gallery in a
former 17th-century convent in Brittany Paris
They renovated the building and constructed a supermarket
alongside, which is now closed. The former retail premises, linked to the
convent through a courtyard, forms part of the planned gallery complex, housing
a 1,300 sq. m exhibition hall. The convent's chapel will also be converted for
exhibitions. The venue is due to open in June.
The project is financed by a “donations fund”, established
according to a government law passed in 2008, whereby 650 patrons or companies
give between €100 and €4,000. “The fund [entitled the ‘Hélène et Edouard
Leclerc Fund for Culture’] is not managed by the Leclerc group, it’s not a
business marketing tool. But it is a private family-led initiative,” says
Leclerc who declined to comment on the amount donated by his family.
The fund will not acquire works of art but call upon its
investors to help mount two exhibitions annually. “With each show, I will
appeal to the patrons,” says Leclerc, who hopes to organise exhibitions devoted
to Daniel Buren, Pierre Soulages, Anselm Kiefer and Jacques Monory, among
others. “I can call upon a network of collectors in Switzerland
and Italy
Leclerc says he hopes to attract 40,000 to 50,000 people
annually to the space where he also intends to show works by emerging artists.
“I’d like the new venue to be a ‘production centre’ with links to the community
and international arena. We want to be mediators as there is very little
dialogue between contemporary art and the wider public,” he adds.
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