NEW YORK.-Florence and Daniel Guerlain have decided to exhibit 140 drawings from their collections at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy during the Armory Show (March 26-30) and beyond. Every year, private collectors in New York briefly open their doors to visitors during the Armory Show, one of the most prestigious contemporary art shows in the world. But never before has a collection from overseas made the trip expressly for this occasion. The Armory Show’s organizers have marked this initiative of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy by highlighting the Guerlain Exhibit in their VIP circuit.

With this pioneering exhibit, Florence and Daniel Guerlain are emphasizing their desire to become ever more involved in international art. Indeed, their collection of over 400 works is by no means limited to French artists, but encompasses works from all around the world, including many from the United States. French collectors have long been in the vanguard of international collecting, their eclectic and cosmopolitan tastes ranging widely across national borders, and Florence and Daniel Guerlain are no exception.

Giving the New York exhibit an additional transatlantic twist, the works were selected by an American artist, David Webster, who was recently in residence in France. He chose works by 21 French artists, including the highly praised Gérard Garouste, Fabien Verschaere and Tatiana Trouvé (winner of the 2007 Marcel Duchamp Prize). Thirteen American artists are also featured in the show, joining artists from twenty different nations (please find the full list of exhibited artists below).

Also included in the exhibit are works by Javier Pérez, Jean Luc Verna and Silvia Bächli, three artists who were short-listed for the Guerlain Foundation’s new biennal prize for contemporary drawing. The Daniel and Florence Guerlain Foundation of Contemporary Art’s launched this new prize in March 2007, when it was awarded to Switzerland’s Silvia Bächli. She received 15,000 euros, and the Foundation donated a very important drawing to the Georges Pompidou National Museum of Modern Art’s Cabinet d'Art Graphique. The two runners-up, Javier Pérez and Jean Luc Verna, each received 2,500 euros.

The prize is open to French or foreign artists who have a special cultural link with France and for whom drawing is a significant part of their work. Candidates are selected by a six-member committee of contemporary art specialists, and eight private collectors then designate a winner. The next prize will be awarded in spring 2009.