Another French museum loses a senior leader to the private sector—but could that actually be good for the cultural ecosystem?
Another French Museum Loses a Senior Leader to the Private Sector—But Could That Actually Be Good for the Cultural Ecosystem?
The news was a “thunderclap,” an “explosive announcement,” and “total surprise,” wrote the French daily, reporting that someone of Patry’s storied institutional background and vaunted expertise in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, would opt to work in the private sector—and for a profit-making, contemporary art dealer, to boot.
The public versus private debate in state-heavy France is an old one, particularly as government-sponsored museums lose out on artworks they can no longer afford, picked up by their well-heeled, private counterparts. Yet the success of private museums, and the growing attraction of the art scene and market in Paris, have appeared to convince, at least some, that private-funded art initiatives deserved a shot after all.
“My deep motivation, whether at the Orsay, my previous positions, or soon at Kamel’s, is the idea that in my modest way, I can work with everyone towards Paris becoming, or continuing to hold, a position as a leading capital in the cultural and artistic world,” she added. “We’re witnessing a real dynamic movement in Paris right now.”
Mennour and Patry have known each other for more than a decade, introduced when Patry worked on an exhibit about trailblazing French art dealer meMennour said that for more than 15 years, his aim has been to build a gallery where sales were not the driver. “We need to sell to pay the artists and collaborators, but we’re not a commercial gallery,” said Mennour, sighting gallery shows and projects where the majority of works are not for sale, as well as curated exhibitions of differing generations and movements of artists.
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