PORQUEROLLES ISLAND.- The Fondation Carmignac announced the opening of its Porquerolles island site on June 2, 2018.
The Fondation, created in 2000 under the initiative of Édouard Carmignac, will open to the public in Porquerolles, a Mediterranean island often compared to a floating forest on the sea. Visitors will discover contemporary artworks of the Carmignac Collection in the beautiful surroundings of a national park, along with temporary exhibitions, a sculpture garden, and a rich programme of cultural events.
The island is not the result of a random decision: “ As in all legends or initiatory journeys, the voyage to the island is always a dual crossing – both physical and psychological. It is about crossing over to the other side,” states the Director of the foundation, Charles Carmignac.
Once on the island, the visitor will discover a Provençal farmhouse blended into the landscape. Inside, the galleries expand to reveal 2,000 square meters of exhibition spaces. Natural light, filtered through a ceiling filled with water, illuminates the spaces hidden beneath the surface. Outside, a selection of works inspired by the surroundings is dispersed over a 15-hectare garden, conceived by landscape designer Louis Benech.
Created in 2000 under the initiative of Édouard Carmignac, the Fondation Carmignac is a corporate foundation with two main focuses: an art collection of close to 300 works, and the annual Carmignac Photojournalism Award. In partnership with the Fondation Carmignac, the Villa Carmignac, this exhibition space open to the public, was conceived in Porquerolles to showcase the collection and to host cultural and artistic activities.
The Carmignac Collection
The Collection, presented and shared since its creation inside the company’s offices, celebrates American art from the 1960s to the 1980s, with iconic works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The 20th and 21st centuries are surveyed with the incisive or more contemplative visions of Gerhard Richter, Willem de Kooning, Martial Raysse, Miquel Barceló or even Ed Ruscha, while the collection opens up new horizons with works by Zhang Huan, El Anatsui and those of the young emerging scene (Korakrit Arunanondchai, Theaster Gates…). Finally, photography and photojournalism complete this singular panorama, reflecting a personal history made of encounters and shared life moments.
