Inauguration of the Fonds Bustamante in Arles

On 9 July, Jean-Marc Bustamante will inaugurate the Fonds Bustamante, located at the heart of Arles. Housed in the newly renovated 12th-century Église Sainte-Croix, this dynamic, independent cultural hub will reflect its founder’s unique vision through three core missions: preserving his own legacy by bringing his archives under one roof, championing diverse talents across all disciplines and generations with a rigorous exhibition programme and fostering education through a public programme of Masterclasses, conferences, and symposiums.

Joining the league of other major art institutions such as LUMA Arles, Lee Ufan Arles, and Fondation Vincent Van Gogh, the Fonds Bustamante will be led by Jean-Marc Bustamante with the support of a supervisory board and scientific committee composed of leading art world figures. These include Camille Morineau, the Co-Founder and Director of AWARE (Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions); Olivier Gabet, Director of the Department of Decorative Arts at the Musée du Louvre; Katia Baudin, Director of the Kunstmuseen Krefeld; Eric de Chassey, Director of the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Paris; Jean-Pierre Criqui, Curator of contemporary art at theCentre Pompidou; Penelope Curtis, art historian and former director of the Tate Gallery; and Thierry Leviez, Director of Pavillon Bosio, Monaco's École supérieure d'arts plastiques. This governance makes it one of the few projects of its kind spearheaded by an artist. It will also ensure its independence and preserve its character as an audacious and forward-looking initiative.

“The relationship between artists and the contemporary art world is undergoing profound changes which are forcing us to rethink exhibition models and their presentation to the public. With the fluctuating duration of artists’ careers, it’s up to the art world’s key players to dedicate the necessary time to accompany and cherish an artist’s corpus. My life as an artist, but also as a teacher and director of institutions have led me, out of a concern for freedom and independence, to establish a foundation that will provide the required time to cross-fertilise artistic experiences, offer exhibition spaces suited to a wide array of creations across all disciplines, and put artists first.” – Jean-Marc Bustamante

The inaugural exhibition, Bustamante en Miroirs, will debut to coincide perfectly with the opening week of the Rencontres de la photographie d'Arles. It will be an presentation of Jean-Marc Bustamante’s works in dialogue with pieces by artists he selected, from his contemporary painters to photographers and sculptors hailing from different generations. Featured artists include Cristina Iglesias, Alice Anderson, Gerhard Merz, Rémy Zaugg, Rodney Graham, Reinhard Mucha, Jan Vercruysse, Franz West, Thomas Schütte, Michael Buthe, René Daniels, and Mariella Simoni. This showcase reflects Fonds Bustamante’s aim to raise awareness for independent international artists who have left such a profound mark on our era. Fonds Bustamante will present two exhibitions per year, coinciding with the city’s most important cultural moments, the Drawing Festival in April and the Rencontres de la photographie d’Arles in July. Each presentation will be accompanied by talks and roundtables led by academics, artists, and curators, among others.