Celebrating the Fondation Maeght
06 November 2024
This year, the Fondation Maeght celebrates its 60th anniversary. Established in 1964 with a donation of the art collection of its founders, art dealers and publishers Aimé and Marguerite Maeght, it is the longest-standing private art foundation in Europe.
Set in the Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the medieval town located in the heart of the French Riviera, the Fondation Maeght houses a collection of more than 13,000 works, including 2,000 of which are by Joan Miró. Also represented in the collection are artists including Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger, Alexander Calder and Jean Paul Riopelle. Now, with the Maeghts’ son Adrien as chairman, the foundation continues to work with contemporary artists — one recent example being Hélène Delprat, who will be the subject of a solo exhibition there in Spring 2025.
Situated in the heart of the Côte d’Azur, a region historically frequented and inhabited by artists from Claude Monet to Pablo Picasso, the foundation has been instrumental in the careers of many of the most important artists of the 20th century. For example, in the year of its establishment, Aimé and Marguerite commissioned Marc Chagall to paint La Vie, a monumental painting that still hangs in the foundation today.
It has always taken an artist-first approach, supporting ambitious projects with invited artists. For example, its grounds host a labyrinth filled with sculptures by Miró. Adrien Maeght recently commented that “the Fondation Marguerite and Aimé Maeght is neither a museum nor a gallery. It was created by my family who wanted, from the start, to exhibit the artists we have always supported.”
To this end, and to coincide with the foundation’s anniversary, it has opened a new wing comprising two galleries, designed by Silvio d’Ascia. The original part of the building was designed by the Catalan architect Josep Lluís Sert, whose other projects include Miró’s studio in Palma de Mallorca.
The foundation’s last exhibition, a two-person exhibition featuring Henri Matisse and Pierre Bonnard — both of whom have had work in its collection for many years — closed in October. Its next show will focus on the work of Korean artist Minjung Kim, who has a studio in Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
