Perrotin and 17 of His Artists Make Major Gift to Pompidou

Takashi Murakami, Sophie Calle, and Klara Kristalova are among those involved.

Art dealer Emmanuel Perrotin in front of the Pompidou Centre. Image courtesy Emmanuel Perrotin. ©Photo Tanguy Beurdeley.

Mega-dealer Emmanuel Perrotin, who operates galleries in Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Los Angeles, is joining with 17 of his artists to donate 23 artworks to the Centre Pompidou in his native Paris.

The list of names donating their work includes many of today’s leading figures. Here it is in full: Jean-Marie Appriou, Genesis Belanger, Sophie Calle, Maurizio Cattelan, Johan Creten, Elmgreen and Dragset, Lionel Estève, Bernard Frize, Laurent Grasso, JR, Bharti Kher, Klara Kristalova, Takashi Murakami, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Paola Pivi, Tavares Strachan, and Emma Webster.

an image of a three panel artwork featuring signature Murakami cartoon characters

Takashi Murakami, Forest Companions, 2017. ©2017 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.

The works were selected by the Pompidou’s curators, led by its director, Xavier Rey. Taken together, the group offers “a wide panorama of contemporary art from the past 20 years,” the museum said in a statement. “The selection includes artists who were already present in the museum’s collection; artists whose work has been shown in group exhibitions or solo shows; and artists entering the collection for the first time.”

an image of a homeless figure huddled in a blanket with a knapsack nearby

Maurizio Cattelan, Junho, 2023. ©Photo: Kim Kyoungtae. Image courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.

The works will go on view Oct. 14 on level four of the Pompidou. Perrotin and the museum are also jointly publishing a catalogue to mark the gift.

“I’m very happy that this project, which has meant so much to me for years, is coming to fruition!” Perrotin told Artnet. “I’d like to thank my artists for their generosity. Through our ongoing relationship, we have collaborated to bring their work into this outstanding museum collection.”

an image of two naked alien-like figures with glass globes over their heads

Jean-Marie Appriou, Mitosis (Laminaria Bulbosa), (2024). ©Photo: Claire Dorn. ©Jean-Marie Appriou / ADAGP, Paris 2024 Image courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.

In a preface to the catalogue, Rey and the Pompidou’s president, Laurent Le Bon, write, “This major donation could not have happened without the strength of conviction and commitment of Emmanuel Perrotin, his teams, and all the artists concerned. We extend them our warmest thanks, as we do to all those at the Centre Pompidou who worked on this wonderful undertaking.”

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