Chanel has announced an extended three-year partnership with the Centre Pompidou, with a dedicated focus on contemporary Chinese art. This significant collaboration aims to enrich the museum’s collection and foster a deeper understanding of Chinese artistic innovation on a global scale.
Deepening the Collection
The extended partnership will establish an acquisition fund designed to significantly enhance the Centre Pompidou’s holdings of contemporary Chinese art. This fund is projected to increase the collection by 30 percent and will prioritize the inclusion of works by female artists, addressing a key aspect of representation in the art world. The initiative seeks to identify and support Chinese artists who are at the vanguard of contemporary creativity, while also integrating historical pieces by influential figures not yet represented in the museum’s archives.
Fostering Global Dialogue
Yana Peel, president of art, culture, and heritage at Chanel, expressed pride in the partnership’s ability to celebrate Chinese creativity and bring it to diverse audiences in Paris, Shanghai, and internationally. The acquisitions made through this fund will directly influence future exhibition programming at the Shanghai’s West Bund Museum X Centre Pompidou, a cultural collaboration established in 2019.
Research and Innovation
Complementing the acquisition efforts, a new research program will delve into the history of the Centre Pompidou’s Chinese art collection and its development since 2020. The findings from this research will be disseminated to the public through publications and events. Xavier Rey, director of the National Museum of Modern Art at Centre Pompidou, highlighted that China has been a significant artistic dialogue partner since the 1930s. He emphasized the ambition to research the younger generation of Chinese artists and explore their diverse approaches to contemporary global challenges such as climate change and the intersection of technology and humanity.
A Legacy of Collaboration
Chanel’s relationship with the Centre Pompidou began in 2019. Last year, the museum hosted “China — A New Generation of Artists,” its first survey of contemporary Chinese art since 2003, featuring works by artists born between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Currently, the Centre Pompidou’s contemporary Chinese collection comprises 267 works by 83 artists dating back to 1976. The recent signing ceremony for the extended partnership took place on September 26th at the Villa Basset in Shanghai.