In our previous article, we talked about the minimalist works created since the 1960s by Bernar Venet, a major artist on the international contemporary scene. Today, we invite you to visit the foundation through the lens of photographer Benoît Pelletier.
The visit is out of the ordinary, and so too is the place. Few sites in Europe bring together such an array of big names in conceptual and minimalist art — through sculpture, but not solely sculpture. A private institution recognised as serving the public interest, the Venet Foundation now ranks among the greatest museum institutions in the world.
Located in Le Muy, in the Var department, its objective is to preserve, showcase and convey the conceptual and minimalist work of Bernar Venet. Founded in 2014, it extends over a nine-hectare estate in the heart of the Mediterranean countryside.
Here, the entire area is taken over by Bernar Venet’s vision: monumental sculptures, paintings, drawings and installations illustrate how his work has evolved over the decades. However, this collection is also part of a dialogue with his contemporaries. The biggest names in art from the 1960s to the present day all have a place here, such as Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Richard Long, Larry Bell, Anish Kapoor and even James Turrell.
The art tour offered by the foundation is organised around several areas: an outdoor sculpture park, exhibition spaces in the estate’s former buildings (including a restored 18th-century mill) and an archive and documentation gallery.
In addition to being a place of collection, the foundation is also a laboratory for artistic thought. It organises residencies and guided tours by appointment, and plays its part in taking contemporary art to a wider audience, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region for sure, but also abroad as it loans its works to art centres and museums throughout the world. It therefore embodies a unique concept for an institution, being personal, challenging and open at the same time, as well as the uncompromising vision of an artist.
