The exhibition Bande-annonce, The Pigozzi Collection in Cannes proposes a journey through contemporary African creation, one of the most dynamic art scenes in the world.
This event also foreshadows the new museum project of the City of Cannes, devoted to contemporary African art and Jean Pigozzi’s world-renowned collection. The Gare maritime of Cannes, a hub for meetings and exchanges and a symbol of travel and new horizons, is the ideal venue to share this “trailer” with different summer audiences, by means of a selection of 103 works by 27 artists from sub-Saharan Africa.
Jean Pigozzi began collecting contemporary African art in 1989, fascinated by the cult exhibition Magiciens de la terre, organised by the Centre Pompidou. We have therefore naturally chosen to reflect this fundamental moment, to present works by great figures of African contemporary art such as Chéri Samba, Esther Mahlengu, Seyni Awa Camara, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré and Bodys Isek Kingelez.
Over the past thirty years, Jean Pigozzi has worked with passion to collect more than 10,000 works by nearly 160 artists, defending precise choices and following his aesthetic intuitions. Several generations of artists are represented here, drawing a portrait of African creation from the 1950s to the present day. A subjective portrait: these works are primarily a reading of Africa as seen by Jean Pigozzi. A collection is also a work of art in its own right, reflecting the collector’s tastes and his personal relationships with the artists.
Jérôme Neutres & Elisabeth Whitelaw
Curators of the exhibition
