Artists must not become brand names for collectors (October 31 2012) Artists must not become brand names for collectors (October 31 2012)

Jean-François Torres the French President of the Concrete Art Space founded in 1990 by Sybil Albers and Gottfried Honegger, the Espace de l’Art Concret has educational studios, an art center, and a building housing the Albers-Honegger collection, on its campus near Nice on the Côte d’Azur. In an interview with Juliette Soulez for Blouin Artinfo, Torres states “The Concrete Art Space resists the temptation to make exhibitions that are too crowd-pleasing. We have a lot of freedom. We can sometimes show unknown artists who were very significant in art history. …I believe above all that artists must not become brand names for collectors to buy. At the Concrete Art Space, we situate ourselves in a more experimental vein. Plus, in terms of our budget, we are required to develop other approaches, which lead to original projects that are very specific to our space. …It’s quite beautiful the way that the donation building, a contemporary and even experimental building, contrasts with the 15th-century castle where the art center is located. Inside the donation building you feel as if you’re in a living room. The architecture doesn’t dominate the works. …In my opinion, the impact of the Concrete Art Space does not necessarily depend on the number of visitors. If we show someone that there is something other than an image imposed by the world in which we live, that is already a lot. And concrete art in particular can inspire this type of self-reflection. …We would also like to pursue our activities with an Internet program that could be used in schools. At the Concrete Art Space, children discover that simply with a few colors and geometrical shapes the world is more beautiful to look at. And that’s great.”

 

Inspired by Blouin Artinfo ow.ly/eJ05X image source Blouin Artinfo ow.ly/eJ01i